Are Extractions the Only Option for Severely Damaged Children's Teeth?

As a parent, you might find it challenging to see your child in pain. Unfortunately, tooth pain is a problem many parents experience with their children. Although proper oral hygiene and care can prevent many teeth-related issues, there may be instances when your child might require assistance from the dental office in Lancaster for tooth extractions.

This article looks at tooth extractions in children and how you can prepare your child for the procedure. Initially, let us look at the subject of tooth extractions and why they are required.

What Are Tooth Extractions?

Tooth extractions are a dental procedure in which one or more teeth are removed entirely from the mouth. When children require extractions, the kid’s dentist near you performs the process. If you wonder why extractions are necessary, you must note the dentist might suggest the tooth removal as an option in the following circumstances:

• Your child might have a dental or gum abscess badly affecting the root of the tooth.
• Tooth decay or gum disease has worsened the condition of the teeth, making them impractical to treat with other dental options like root canals, crowns, and fillings.
• Your child might have a severely damaged tooth from an injury or trauma, making it impossible to repair.
• Dental conditions causing malocclusion or crowding also require tooth removal.
• Impacted wisdom tooth blocking a tooth emerging correctly through the gums also needs extractions.

Tooth Removal in Children

Baby tooth extractions, alternatively called pediatric tooth extraction, are a relatively common children’s dentistry procedure. It is merely the surgical removal of primary teeth. It is crucial to note that milk teeth in children fall off by themselves, making way for permanent teeth, and don’t require intervention from the extractions dentist in Lancaster, SC. Unfortunately, if your child has a severely damaged tooth due to decay or injury, an extraction becomes necessary.

Baby molars prone to cavities are the most common type of tooth extraction in children. Baby molars have multiple roots making them more challenging to remove than front teeth because the anterior teeth have merely one core.

Reasons Compelling Dentists to Recommend Tooth Extractions among Children

Injury or Trauma

Children’s primary teeth can sustain severe damage from trauma or injuries. Various dental conditions such as failed restorations, sports injuries, accidents, or falls can damage children’s teeth leaving the dentist no alternative but to recommend dental extractions to deal with the condition. Many dental professionals like Dr. Leonardo Koerich will initially try to preserve the tooth depending on the severity of the damage using various procedures like full coverage dental crown or pediatric pulp therapy, also called a baby root canal. Unfortunately, tooth extraction is the best alternative if the damage is severe. After removing the tooth, the dentist provides a space maintainer to hold space until the permanent tooth emerges.

Besides injuries and trauma, children might also require extractions for tooth decay, gingivitis, impacted wisdom teeth, and over-retained baby teeth.

Milk teeth are prone to tooth decay problems that might result in extractions. The molars are most likely to develop cavities because the tooth enamel in children is fragile. Tooth decay generally occurs due to poor oral hygiene. If a severely decayed tooth with dental pulp infections is left untreated, it can result in severe dental issues and conditions.

Gingivitis is another condition that compels dentists to recommend tooth extractions in children. If gingivitis is left untreated, the condition can increase the severity and result in pediatric periodontal disease, a dental condition affecting the gums and jawbone. Dentists recommend tooth extractions in children if they suffer from severe bleeding, loose teeth, and receding gums.

Impacted wisdom teeth are a relatively standard dental procedure among children in a condition where their molars are blocked beneath the gums. If left unaddressed, the teeth increase the chances of jaw misalignment and dental infections.

Over retained baby teeth are a dental issue where the tooth has loosened and, for some reason, tightened back into the gums by the dentist. This treatment doesn’t prevent or interrupt the emergence of permanent teeth but might result in crowding if extractions are not performed.

In most cases mentioned above, dentists make every effort to preserve the child’s tooth as best possible. However, in cases where your child has suffered severe damage to the tooth from injuries or trauma, an extraction is a remedy recommended by Kids First Dental — Lancaster to safeguard your child’s dental health.