Restorative care

Extractions

When a tooth cannot be saved due to severe decay, infection, abscess, or trauma, we end up needing to remove it and that is called an extraction. Sometimes a tooth can be removed early on in order to help with orthodontic purposes. Dr. Kwak will emphasize using terms like giving the "sick" tooth a “big hug” to help the tooth from being sick anymore.

Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF)

Silver Diamine Fluoride is a FDA-approved material that utilizes silver as an antimicrobial agent to arrest decay and reduce sensitivity.  Treating certain decay with SDF is painless and takes a noninvasive medicinal approach of stopping the decay as opposed to the traditional surgical approach of drilling and placing a filling or crown. Case selection is important but SDF can be utilized on young and/or anxious children that have baby teeth.  This can be a great way to buy time until the child is older and more tolerant of receiving traditional treatment.  

Crowns: White Crowns (Zirconia, Fiberglass) & Stainless Steel

Larger decay or defects can compromise a tooth beyond the effectiveness of a filling and a crown is needed in order to restore the integrity of the tooth. Our office utilizes stainless steel crowns (the gold standard in pediatric dentistry) and aesthetic white crowns.  Remember that baby teeth serve multiple purposes--ability to chew so that they grow and develop, esthetics, speech, and space maintenance for the permanent tooth developing underneath.  

White Restoration

Composites and glass ionomers are tooth-colored fillings that are used to restore areas of a tooth after decay has been removed.  Case selection is very important in determining the long-term success of the dental restorations.  The goal is to return the decayed tooth back to the normal esthetic (sometimes improved), form, and function. Our composite restorations are BPA-free.  We do not treat patients with amalgam (traditional silver filling) at our office.  

Pulpotomy/Pulpectomy (Baby Root Canal)

The dental pulp is where the nerves and blood vessels are held that allows our teeth to feel cold and other sensations. Decay on baby teeth can progress very rapidly and can enter the pulp, which can lead to abscess, infection, and pain. In certain cases a pulpotomy can be utilized to clean out the pulp chamber.  A pulpectomy is when the tissue in the roots is removed along with the pulpal tissue.  Often times these are referenced by dentists as a “baby root canal.”  The words “root canal” can illicit fear in the bravest, but in baby teeth the process is a lot different and the phrase is just a descriptor to allow parents to understand what is happening. 

Space Maintainers

Baby teeth serve an important purpose of preserving the space for permanent successor teeth underneath.  If a baby tooth comes out prematurely sometimes a space maintainer is utilized in order to preserve that space to allow the permanent successor space to come in.  Other times space maintainers can be utilized to preserve as much space as possible on children. 

Habit Appliance

Children can have habits that they just can’t break, like sucking their thumbs, fingers, or pacifiers.  Dr. Kwak will review and create a plan to help your child stop these habits before they cause permanent skeletal and dental changes to your child.  The first step is a child that wants to stop.  Utilizing positive reinforcement far outweighs the effects of negativity towards these habits.  When all has been tried at home and your child still wants to stop the habit, then certain appliances can be used in order to help break the habit and to prevent relapse.