Pediatric Surgeries – Dr K K Vakil Dental

Tooth Extraction for children

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 10:24:11 +0000

There are circumstances when children will need teeth removed. While most children lose their teeth naturally without intervention, there are some occasions when an extraction must be performed. Keep reading below to learn more about when a child might need their tooth removed, what this involves and how to prepare them in advance.

Losing their first tooth

Kids will usually lose their first tooth around age 6. As the adult teeth start to come in, they push the baby teeth out. Your child may first notice their tooth is loose and they may want to start wiggling it. This is completely safe as the tooth will eventually come out on its own over time.

Where a tooth extraction may become a possibility is when this natural process is not taking place. For children, it is essential that the proper space is available for adult teeth to come in. Since adult teeth are permanent teeth, it is important that they come in without any issues that may hinder their placement and lead to lasting issues in the mouth.

For example, one common reason for a tooth extraction is when the baby teeth are not falling out prior to adult teeth coming in. Referred to as an ‘over-retained’ baby tooth, this situation may call for an extraction so that the adult teeth can enter properly. Major crowding can occur if there is not enough space for the adult teeth to take their natural spot in your child’s mouth.

Children Need Teeth Removed That Are Damaged or Infected

Another scenario where a tooth extraction may be required for your child is when one or more of their teeth are damaged beyond repair. This may occur due to an accident, a sports injury, an abscess or infection in the bone or gum, or a cavity that is too big to repair. If no restorative options are available, your dentist may recommend that the tooth be extracted to resolve the problem and to halt any further damage.

The basics of tooth extraction

A simple tooth extraction can be done by your pediatric dentist and involves gently loosening the visible baby tooth and pulling it. Using only a local anesthetic, this procedure is quick and painless.

A more involved tooth extraction may require local anesthetic or sedation. These types of extractions may be required in severe cases when teeth are stuck in the jaw bone.

After the procedure, kids should avoid hard or crunchy foods and should drink plenty of water. Any pain that is noticed should be monitored and if swelling occurs, talk to your pediatric dentist about it as soon as possible.

Talking to your child about dental procedures

Remember, a tooth extraction is always a final resort when other options are exhausted. While extractions are generally a simple procedure, one of the main parts of the process is talking to your child about what to expect and calming any fears they have. Talking to your pediatric dentist is also a great way to have your child learn about the process and to ease any concerns they may have in advance.

Stainless Steel crown

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 10:23:47 +0000

What is a stainless steel crown?
• Stainless steel crowns can help to protect primary (baby) teeth.
• They are metal crowns that are made from stainless steel, and contain nickel and chrome.
• They are used to treat molars (back teeth) that have either decayed or not formed properly.
The crowns are pre-made and come in a range of sizes. We will choose a stainless steel
crown that will fit over your child’s tooth and cover the entire crown of the tooth (the part
that sits above the gum). We will then cement it in place.
• It is a stronger way to repair a tooth.
• They are usually only placed on primary/baby teeth and will fall out at the same time the
baby tooth is lost and a permanent tooth erupts.
Why does my child need a stainless steel crown?
To repair a tooth:
• with significant decay.
• which is soft due to poor quality enamel.
• following nerve/root treatment.
• with a large filling which is failing.
What do they look like?
• A stainless steel crown is shiny and silver in appearance, leaving the tooth to be restored
completely covered in silver.
• They are placed on back molar teeth so often are less noticeable than you might think.
• Children are usually pleased to have a shiny tooth rather than one with a hole in it.
• They can be referred to as a pirate tooth, princess tooth, jewelled tooth, silver cap or hat to
children.

Procedure
• Local anaesthesia may or may not be required.
• In most cases the Hall Technique is employed where no local anaesthesia is used and the
crown is slotted over the tooth without any removal of decay. Any decay is sealed beneath the
crown and will stop.
• If nerve/root treatment of the tooth is required, local anaesthesia and decay removal will be
required prior to crown placement. If we have used local anaesthetic, the mouth will be numb.
You should make sure your child does not bite their lip, cheek or tongue, or drink or eat hot
food or liquid while the numbness is present.
• Once the size of the crown is selected it will be cemented in place. The patient is asked to bite
down on a cotton wool roll to help it seat into position.
• The crown will feel tight on the tooth for the first couple of days. If you think your child needs it,
provide painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. Speech and eating may be difficult at
first. You may also notice that the crown appears ‘high’ in the bite, and your child may not be
able to fully close their teeth together when it has first been put in. This usually settles within a
few weeks.
How long does a crown last?
The crown should stay in place until the baby tooth falls out naturally, when the permanent tooth
underneath is ready to come through. There are cases where the crown wears through on the biting
surface and needs to be replaced. Occasionally, the tooth with the crown on may need to be taken
out before then.
How do I help my child look after the crown?
The crowns will behave like a normal tooth and your child should treat it like one. They should brush
it twice a day along with the other teeth.
Will my child have a follow-up appointment?
We will agree a course of treatment with you and your child, and the fitting of the stainless steel
crown will be part of it. On completion of treatment, your child will be discharged back to your dentist.
They should continue to provide regular check-ups, and supportive preventative dental care
throughout your child’s time with us and also on discharge from our care.

Root Canal Treatment

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 10:23:34 +0000

A “root canal” is not a treatment, but part of a tooth. It is the hollow section of a tooth that contains the nerve tissue, blood vessels, and other cells, also known as the pulp.

A tooth consists of a crown and roots. The crown is mainly above the gum, while the roots are below it. The roots attach the tooth to the jawbone.

Inside the crown and the root, or the root canal, is the pulp. The pulp nourishes the tooth and provides moisture to the surrounding material. The nerves in the pulp sense hot and cold temperatures as pain.

The name of the dental procedure commonly referred to as a “root canal” is actually endodontic therapy, which means “inside the tooth.”

However, the term “root canal” has come to be commonly used to talk about the procedure.

What are the steps?

Root canal therapy is done in three steps, and it takes between one and three sessions to complete.

1. Cleaning the root canal

First, the dentist removes everything that is inside the root canal.

With the patient under local anesthesia, the dentist makes a small access hole on the surface of the tooth and removes the diseased and dead pulp tissue with very small files.

2. Filling the root canal

Next, the dentist cleans, shapes and decontaminates the hollow area, using tiny files and irrigation solutions. Then, the tooth is filled with a rubber-like material, using an adhesive cement to seal the canals completely.

After root canal therapy, the tooth is dead. The patient will no longer feel any pain in that tooth because the nerve tissue has been removed, and the infection has been eliminated.

3. Adding a crown or filling

However, the tooth will be now more fragile than it was before. A tooth with no pulp must receive its nourishment from the ligament that attaches the tooth to the bone. This supply is adequate, but in time, the tooth will become more brittle, so a crown or filling offers protection.

Until the crown or filling is complete, the patient should not chew or bite on the tooth. Once there is a crown or filling is done, the person can use the tooth as before.

Treatment often takes only one appointment, but if there are curved canals, multi-canals, or large infections, this could take one or two additional appointments.

How painful is it?

One of the great fears about this kind of treatment is that it will be painful, but the treatment that is carried out by a trained dental surgeon should be relatively painless.

The pain that is felt comes from the infection and not from the treatment. The treatment does not cause pain; it helps to alleviate it.

The dental surgeon will relieve the pain of the procedure by numbing the tooth and surrounding area with local anesthesia.

After the treatment, some tenderness is normal. It is temporary, and over-the-counter (OTC) pain medication may be enough to relieve it. If needed, prescription drugs, such as codeine, are available.