Sometimes tooth decay can be so extensive that it reaches a tooth’s pulp, located at its center. The pulp is highly important to tooth health as it contains nerves, tissues, and blood vessels that transport oxygen and nutrients. While there are other ways the tooth’s pulp may become damaged, tooth decay and traumatic injury are the most common causes of pulp damage in children. At Lovett Dental Beaumont, our pediatric dentists can provide pulp therapy in Beaumont, Texas, on children’s primary and adult teeth to preserve their smiles for the future.
Gold Standard Pediatric Pulp Therapy
For a critical procedure like vital pulp therapy, you should entrust your child’s dental health to a highly skilled practitioner. The dentists at Lovett Dental Beaumont receive extensive training and have experience in treating a diverse variety of pediatric dental issues. In addition to providing endodontics in Beaumont, Texas, our dentists are qualified to care for every aspect of your family’s dental health. Services we provide include:
- General dentistry
- Cosmetic dentistry
- Restorative dentistry
- Dental implants
- Dentures
- Orthodontics and dental braces
Signs Your Child May Need Pulp Therapy
If your child’s pulp becomes injured or infected, he or she will likely let you know immediately that something is wrong. Signs of damaged or infected pulp include constant, unexplained pain, pain at night, pain when consuming warm or cold foods, swelling or redness around the affected tooth, and sudden mobility or looseness in the affected tooth. Bring your child in to see one of our highly esteemed pediatric dentists if any of these signs present.
Determining Whether Your Child Needs Pulp Therapy
Our dentists assess each child’s needs on a case-by-case basis. When determining whether or not to do pulp therapy, your child’s dentist will consider the child’s age, the position of the tooth, and the child’s general health. There are several reasons a dentist may choose pulp therapy over extracting a child’s tooth. Removing primary teeth may allow the remaining teeth to shift, leaving less space for the permanent teeth to emerge.
Opposing teeth may grow in protruding or position in an undesirable direction. The tongue may also take on an improper posture. If your child is at risk of his or her dental health worsening as a result of tooth extraction, your child’s dentist may be more likely to choose pulp therapy.
What Happens During the Process?
During your child’s pulp therapy procedure, our dentist will first visually examine the affected area then take dental X-rays. There are several types of pulp therapy. However, pulpotomy and pulpectomy are the most popular procedures. If your child’s pulp root remains unaffected by infection or damage, the dentist will likely choose pulpotomy. This procedure involves the removal of only the damaged portion. If damage or decay is severe, the dentist may perform a pulpectomy and remove the entire pulp and clean the root canals. Pulpectomies generally require several dental visits.
Contact Lovett Dental Beaumont
If your child is experiencing tooth pain, do not delay in seeking treatment. While it may be tempting to accept a toothache as just a “normal part of life,” tooth pain is usually a sign of an infection or another issue. It requires treatment before the problem worsens. Customer experience is a central focus at our office.
We aim to make your entire experience educational and comfortable. We also offer sedative dentistry for pediatric and adult patients. This helps those who experience dentophobia or otherwise require alternative options to make the appointment more comfortable. Call Lovett Dental Beaumont at 409-924-8100 today to schedule your appointment with a member of our team of leading Beaumont dentists.
