Restorative Dentistry

What Is Restorative Dentistry?

Restorative dentistry is any form of dental treatment aimed at fixing decayed or damaged teeth, or replacing missing ones. This can include simpler procedures such as dental fillings, or more complicated ones like crowns and extractions.

Common Reasons Why Kids Need Pediatric Restorative Dentistry

If your child is experiencing oral health issues that require a pediatric restorative dentistry procedure to address, you might be feeling some sort of guilt or shame, almost as if you’ve failed to protect them. However, it is far from uncommon for a child to require restorative procedures such as fillings or pediatric dental crowns, and there’s no need for guilt or shame when your child needs the same.

Your child might need a pediatric dental restoration for any of the following reasons:

• Cavities
• Spacing issues
• Sports injuries
• Slips and falls
• Other accidents

The fact is that kids generally love sugar, hate brushing their teeth, and are prone to the kind of rambunctious behavior that can result in dental trauma fairly easily. There are things you can do to mitigate these risks, but sometimes issues arise anyway. When that happens, we’ve got you covered.

Types of Pediatric Restorative Dentistry

There are a few different potential solutions for your child’s oral health issues. Which one is best for them is going to depend on the particular circumstances and on the dentist’s assessment.

Pediatric Fillings

Cavities are incredibly common in young patients. Not only do kids have a propensity to consume as much sugar as they can find, but their teeth are also not as tough as an adult’s and therefore are more susceptible to decay. When a cavity does occur, the best solution is usually to provide them with a dental filling.

Dental fillings are the most common type of pediatric dental restoration. They’re essentially a patch for your child’s decaying tooth. The dentist will first remove the decaying part of the tooth and then fill it in with a material made from either metal amalgam or a tooth-colored composite resin.

When the decay has become too significant, a filling will not be enough to address the issue. When this is the case for your child’s tooth, your dentist will likely suggest a crown or potentially even extraction.

Pediatric Dental Crowns

Dental crowns are a type of restoration that can be used to restore form and function to a tooth that has a significant amount of decay or that has been damaged but still retains a healthy root. The crown itself is a prosthetic cap that is designed to look and function like a real tooth and installed over the natural tooth after the decay has been removed and/or the tooth has been prepared.

Crowns in pediatric dentistry are not nearly as common as fillings, but they are sometimes used to address decay that is too significant to be fixed by a filling. They’re also commonly used to address damage caused by some kind of accident.

The types of materials used in pediatric dental crowns can be different than those used in adult crowns and primarily come in three varieties:

Stainless Steel Crowns

It’s fairly common to see stainless steel crowns in pediatric dentistry, as they’re an affordable solution that also happens to be quite durable. These crowns are typically made from a combination of various metals, including iron and chromium, and are used on the less visible molars since they don’t bear much resemblance to a natural tooth.

Pediatric Zirconia Crowns

These are white pediatric dental crowns designed to imitate the appearance of your child’s natural teeth. Because of their aesthetic qualities, pediatric zirconia crowns are often used to restore the appearance of front teeth. They’re made of zirconia ceramic, which is a very strong and durable material that is resistant to staining.

Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal Crowns

This type of crown is a fairly common one with adults as well. It uses the metal amalgam usually found in a stainless steel crown as a base, but with porcelain fused to it to create a more natural look. This provides much of the strength, durability, and affordability of stainless steel crowns, without sacrificing any of the aesthetic qualities of the more natural-looking porcelain.

Extractions

Sometimes, the damage or decay is to the point where the best option is to remove the remaining tooth entirely. Other times, your child may just have tooth crowding, which can be the result of genetics. Whatever the reason for extraction, we do everything we can to keep your child as calm and comfortable as possible during this procedure.

Space Maintainers

Should an extraction be necessary, or if your child has lost a primary tooth early for any reason, they will likely need a space maintainer to prevent the remaining teeth from shifting into the open space and preventing the eruption of the permanent tooth. In cases like these, we can provide the child with a space maintainer, which will only need to remain until the surrounding teeth come loose, or the missing tooth begins to erupt.

Pediatric Restorative Dentistry with San Diego Children’s Dental

If your child is in need of restorative dental care of any kind, we can help them get the treatment they need in an environment that’s welcoming, friendly, and comfortable. Contact us today to schedule your appointment.