What is a Pulpotomy?

Posted by writeradmin

My daughter’s pediatric dentist gets annoyed with me quickly. I tend to ask a lot of questions. Yesterday, I could tell he’d had it with me so I just shut up. However, before I bring my daughter back for the second appointment he set up to do a pulpotomy, I’d like to know what it is and why they do it if you can answer that for me.

Stephanie

Dear Stephanie,

I am going to say right off the bat, that this will not be the best dentist for your family. It’s obvious you have both a natural curiosity and a desire to know what is going on before subjecting your child to it. Both of those are commendable. Your current dentist seems to be of the mindset that he is the expert and you should just trust whatever he says. That is not going to be the best fit for you. I would start looking elsewhere for another pediatric dentist.

What is a Pulpotomy?

Think of a pulpotomy as a mini root canal treatment. It is performed on an infected baby tooth in order to remove any infection. The dentist will remove most of the pulp that is inside the tooth. Then he’ll use a disinfectant and seal the tooth. Usually, the tooth will need a crown. In children, a stainless steel crown is usually placed because that is the least expensive.

Why do it on Baby Teeth?

You might be thinking why bother with that on a baby tooth that will fall out anyway? Why not just pull the tooth? A pulpotomy should only be done on a back molar. While other teeth can just be pulled, molars need to stay until your child is around twelve years old, when their adult molars typically come in.

If it comes out too soon, the other teeth will drift or tip into the empty space. Then, when it is finally time for their adult molars, there is not enough space there for it to erupt. This will lead to needing orthodontics, which is an expense you’ll want to avoid if at all possible.

I hope this helps answer your questions.

This blog is brought to you by Mt. Dora Dentist Dr. Michelle Stillman.