Restorative Dentistry for Kids – Franklin Park, IL

Tooth-Colored Fillings

Cavities typically start out small, but they almost inevitably grow bigger over time. A filling is required as soon as possible to protect the tooth and replace any amount of the structure that has already been lost. The filling process involves removing the bacteria that could eventually invade the pulp of the tooth and cause an infection. In short, placing a filling doesn’t just help repair the tooth; it can also stop your child’s pain and keep their smile safe. We prefer to use tooth-colored fillings over ones made out of a metal-amalgam. They’ll blend in with the smile much better, and fewer changes will have to be made to the remaining healthy tooth structure in order to place them.

Pulp Therapy

Infected teeth that are not treated in a timely fashion typically have to be removed in order to protect your overall oral health. However, if baby teeth are removed too early, then the permanent adult teeth may not erupt properly. That’s not even getting into all the pain that infected tooth pulp can cause. The process of pulp therapy involves removing any pulp tissue that has been infected from the tooth in question. Sometimes only part of the pulp might need to go while in other cases the tissue is so badly infected that it needs to be completely removed. A crown is placed to protect the tooth at the end of the procedure.

Dental Crowns

Not all teeth can be repaired with a filling alone. Sometimes a dental crown is required to completely replace what as lost while also stopping further damage and strengthening the remaining structure. As an added benefit, the crown can lower the risk of harmful bacteria attacking the now exposed pulp, thus preventing infections. And of course, a significant part of the restoration process is stopping any discomfort that your child might be experiencing.

There are a few different materials used to make crowns, but for baby teeth, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends stainless steel. This is because this particular material has a relatively high rate of success in children, and it is quite durable while also being relatively affordable. Compared to other types of crowns, it also doesn’t cause as much sensitivity.