Root canal treatment for primary teeth

Root canal treatment for primary teeth

A tooth is made up of 3 layers, the outermost white, hard covering is the enamel. The middle layer is slightly yellowish and contains some nerve endings. The innermost layer is the pulp which contains the soft tissues, blood vessels and nerves. When the cavity is in the enamel or dentin, then the decay is removed and tooth is filled with a tooth coloured material. But the cavity reaches the pulp, a root canal treatment should be done to remove the infection from the roots. The roots are cleaned and shaped and filled with a medicated cement. The rest of the tooth cavity is filled with tooth coloured resin. This helps to save the tooth.

Anyway the milk teeth are going to be shed, then why not extract them instead of doing root canal treatment?

Primary teeth(Milk teeth) are the predecessors of permanent teeth. They maintain the space for the developing primary teeth until their eruption. If the milk tooth is extracted at an early age, the permanent tooth would not erupt in its proper place leading to malaligned or crooked teeth. Healthy primary teeth enables the child to chew food properly and also aids in speaking clearly. It also helps to boost the confidence level of child. Root canal treatment helps to retain the milk tooth, till the permanent tooth erupts.

Will my child be able to eat on the root canal treated tooth?

Yes. the root canal treated tooth can be used like a normal tooth for chewing.  

Authored By : Dr. S. Hemamalathi and Dr. K. S Senthil Kumar

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