Dr Changjie Guo
Feb 19, 2018
Updated: Jul 22, 2020
Many people think baby teeth don’t matter because they will eventually fall out. But the truth is baby teeth are very important to a child’s early physical, social and emotional development.
Primary, or baby teeth help chewing, speaking and give kids beautiful smiles. Unhealthy baby teeth also a source of dental pain, which may distract children from learning in schools. In children's dentistry, they are very important to keep the space for proper development of adult teeth.
In this case, the baby teeth were not looked after well. Some extensive decay had touched the nerve and gave the kid lots of pain. One of the baby teeth had rotten away and only root stumps left.
A few different procedures were carried out including:
1. Fissure seal: protection for the first adult molar.
2. Pulpotomy and stainless steel crown: saving the baby tooth for adult teeth development.
3. Extraction: Removal of root stumps.
The healing was uneventful. More importantly the kid and parents knew that looking after baby teeth has lifetime benefits.