Dental Fillings

Restore Decayed Teeth

If your child has a cavity, a dental filling is often the best way to restore their smile and their tooth. Dr. Richard will clean and numb your child’s mouth, remove damaged tooth structure, and replace it with a tooth-colored filling that will restore their smile and prevent further discomfort and complications. With a filling at our office, you can prevent further complications and keep your child’s smile bright.

Restorative

What Are Common Restorative Options for Kids?

Restorative dentistry is all about preventing and treating diseases of the teeth as well as repairing damaged teeth and replacing missing teeth. The most common restorative dental treatments for children include dental fillings, crowns, root canals or baby root canals, extractions, and space maintainers.

Fillings are used to restore the structure of a tooth after removing the decay in a tooth that had a cavity. Commonly used fillings include silver amalgam or tooth-colored composite resin. Dental crowns are used to protect a vulnerable tooth from damage or reinfection after dental trauma, a root canal, or if a significant amount of the structure had to be removed. A crown is a durable cap that is placed over all surfaces of the tooth to assist with function and appearance.
Root canals can be performed on permanent or baby teeth when the tooth’s pulp has become damaged, inflamed, or infected. A root canal relieves pain caused by infection by removing the damaged pulp from the tooth and filling it up with a rubber material called gutta-percha.

A crown is often placed over the affected tooth for protection. Root canals are 95% effective and can save a tooth from extraction. Even though baby teeth fall out on their own, an infected tooth needs to be treated to prevent the infection from spreading to surrounding teeth and impacting permanent tooth development.

In the case that a baby tooth is not salvageable, an extraction may need to be performed. Other cases that call for extraction include overcrowding, impaction, and making room for orthodontic treatment.

When a baby tooth is lost prematurely, a space maintainer will be needed to hold the space open and prevent the surrounding teeth from shifting. Baby teeth act as natural space maintainers for the permanent teeth to know where to erupt and have a space to come through.

Will My Child Likely Need Restorative Dentistry Again When They Are Older?
It is possible that your child could need restorative dental treatment when they are older. This can range from a minor routine filling to something more complex such as a root canal or extraction.

However, the likelihood that future restorative dentistry will be needed is reduced by attending dental cleanings and checkups every 6 months and getting any present oral health problems treated promptly. Early detection and prevention are better than the cure.

Regular cleanings will remove the buildup of plaque, food particles, and bacteria. Fluoride treatments and dental sealants reduce your child’s risk of developing cavities. Oral exams and x-rays that are taken during your child’s checkup will detect any presence of tooth decay, gum disease, or other problems.

It’s important not to delay treatment when your child has signs of tooth decay, gum disease, dental trauma, a loose tooth, or a toothache. Delaying treatment increases the risk of the problem becoming worse or an infection spreading throughout the body. By delaying treatment, more complex, invasive, and expensive treatments may be needed in the future.

If your child needs restorative dental treatment, contact us at Milpitas Children’s Dental to schedule an appointment with Dr. Richard today. Remember to take your child to the dentist every 6 months for cleanings and checkups to reduce the need for restorative procedures.

Restorative Dentistry for Kids

The Benefits of Getting Restorative Care

Healthy Smiles

Help your little one avoid complications like infected teeth and premature tooth loss.

Proactive Approach

Save time & money with early intervention while the issue is still small and easily treatable.

Instill Good Habits

Restorative dentistry helps your child understand the value of good at-home care.

Dental Crowns

Protect Damaged Teeth

Dental crowns are tooth-shaped dental prosthetics, which are designed to cover up and protect your child’s natural tooth structure after it has been trimmed. They are commonly used to restore a tooth after dental injuries, to repair teeth affected by deep cavities, and to protect teeth after a pulpotomy is used to treat a tooth infection. With a crown, you can restore your child’s smile and bite, and keep their smile healthy for years to come.

Pulpotomies

Treat & Save Infected Teeth

When left untreated, a cavity can destroy the outer layers of your child’s tooth, infecting the nerve and blood vessel-filled pulp that keeps it alive. If this happens, a pulpotomy may be required to restore the tooth. In this process, Dr. Richard will create an opening in the tooth, remove the infected pulp material, and apply a special healing dressing that will help disinfect the tooth and encourage the pulp to heal. Then, the tooth will be covered up and restored with a dental filling or a dental crown.