Tag Archives: Plano TX pediatric dentist

Does my child really need a root canal?

My daughter is 7 years old and she has had a horrible toothache for about 2 weeks. It hasn’t been horrible from the beginning, it just got progressively worse. I took her to our pediatric dentist, and she recommended a root canal for my daughter. She called it a pulpotamie (spelling?) but it’s basically the same thing. I am wondering if this is necessary if my daughter is going to lose the tooth anyway. Or why can’t the tooth just be extracted? I am just a little suspicious and for more reasons that this one incident. Thanks. Amy

Amy – If your daughter has an increasingly painful toothache, it’s a sign of an infection, which will continue to spread until it is removed.

A pulpotomy will remove the infection. A dental crown will be placed over the tooth to protect it. One of the advantages to keeping the tooth is that it will prevent the adjacent teeth from moving into an empty space if the tooth is extracted. Additionally, primary teeth help guide permanent teeth into the correct position.

You can consider visiting another pediatric dentist or family dentist to examine, and likely x-ray, your daughter’s tooth and provide you with a second opinion.

 

This post is sponsored by Plano, TX dentist Dr. Miranda Lacy.