Baby teeth serve the important function of helping with eating, speech, and appearance. They not only help form the developing jaws, they also hold space open for the permanent teeth to come in so a normal bite can occur.

If left untreated, decayed baby teeth can cause damage to the permanent teeth still developing beneath them. Infected (or abscessed) baby teeth can result in severe infections of the face, head, and neck. These spreading infections can cause swelling, pain, fever, and death. So it is important to restore baby teeth as soon as decay is detected.

Teeth with dental decay can be restored either with amalgam (silver) or tooth colored fillings. If the decay is extensive it will require the restoration with a crown.

Tooth Colored Fillings
At our office, teeth can be restored with tooth-colored fillings (called “resin”). We do not offer silver (or “amalgam”) fillings because they are controversial restorations and not esthetically pleasing. The tooth-colored fillings are made of a soft white plastic substance that is set and hardened with a blue light. They are a strong, safe, and more natural looking alternative to the silver-colored fillings. Because they are hardened immediately with the blue light, your child does not have to wait 24 hours to chew as they would have with the silver fillings. Your child may experience some sensitivity to hot or cold for the next few days after receiving a filling – this is normal and usually subsides. If your child complains of pain or pressure, his or her bite may be a little high and may need some adjusting. Please contact our office if this is the case.

Crowns
If the decay is extensive, a crown may be needed. Depending on the position of the tooth in the mouth, a stainless steel crown or resin-coated crown may be used. Front teeth will receive tooth-colored crowns. However, back teeth, which take most of the pressure from biting and chewing, will need the stainless steel crowns. Resin-coatings may chip or wear off of back teeth.

Restorative Visit
You can help us make this next visit a successful and positive experience for your child, by working with us to accomplish this goal. While taking to your child about this visit use positive words like fun, easy, tooth asleep, silver star, water spray etc. Do not use negative words like pain, hurt , needle, shot, tooth pulled etc.

The entire procedure will be explained to your child and you before the procedure is performed. Pedodontists are trained to deliver the local anesthetic painlessly. However we do offer nitrous oxide and conscious sedation if the dentist sees the need for it. Once the procedure is completed a piece of gauze referred to as tooth pillow is placed between the cheek and the teeth to prevent your child from accidently biting into the numb cheek and lip. When the anesthesia is wearing off your child will feel tingling sensation which may be annoying to some children. Reaffirm to your child that the tooth is waking up.

After treatment is completed you can help us to continue the positive experience by praising your child and referring to the "fun" time they had. Please avoid negative comments such as: Did it hurt? That wasn't so bad! You were so brave! Did you get a shot? Were you afraid? These comments could persuade your child in thinking there was a reason to be afraid, even though they were cooperative, had a good time, and may make their future visits more difficult.