Root canal treatment is mainly applied to teeth whose roots are infected by bacteria. It is a course of treatment for tooth preservation. When children’s milk teeth have severe cavities or their teeth have been damaged due to trauma, the dentist may suggest that the children receive root canal treatment.
The roots of primary teeth generally have not yet fully developed. If the tooth decay and inflammation do not reach the root base, there is usually a greater chance that only the infected tissue in the crown and pulp can be removed, so that the root remains intact and continues to have normal nerves and blood supply. This process is called pulpotomy. The blood supply allows the teeth to continue to grow healthily without having to clear all the nerves of the teeth.
If the infection involves tissues in both the crown and root of the tooth, the toothache is severe or tooth abscess have formed, it may be better to completely remove the pulp. In a pulpectomy, the pulp and nerve tissue in the crown and root canal will all be removed, and then the pulp cavity and root canal will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. After that, the dentist will fill the teeth and roots with dental materials.
Root canal treatment of primary teeth does not affect the growth of permanent teeth, because primary teeth and permanent teeth have their own pulp system. If the decay of the primary tooth is not treated in time, it will cause root infection or even inflammation of the root tip, which may affect the development and eruption of permanent teeth.
On the other hand, when the roots of the permanent teeth have been fully developed, root canal treatment will usually completely remove the pulp and nerve tissue. The root structure of permanent teeth is more complicated. If bacteria enter the bottom of the tooth root but without thoroughly clearing the root, there is a chance that bacteria will accumulate, and the root tip may be inflamed or ulcerated.
Some parents may think that the primary teeth will be replaced by permanent teeth sooner or later, so why do we need to keep the teeth? In fact, primary teeth can help guide the growth of permanent teeth and reserve growth space for permanent teeth. Unless the primary teeth are close to the time for tooth replacement, there is still a need to retain teeth.
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Whether a primary tooth needs root canal treatment is decided by a children's dentist after checking how far the infection has spread. To see how paediatric dentistry handles decay and pulp problems, refer to our paediatric dentistry service.
