Learning About Dental Procedures in Children

What are some common procedures?

Your child's dental care may include several procedures. They all help protect your child's dental health and overall well-being.

Cleaning.

This removes plaque and tartar (hard mineral buildup) from the teeth above the gumline. It helps prevent tooth decay and cavities.

Sealant.

This is a strong liquid-plastic material. It's put on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. It helps protect teeth from tooth decay and cavities.

Scaling and root planing.

This removes plaque and tartar from between the gums and the teeth below the gumline. It helps prevent or treat gum disease.

Fillings.

These fill cavities created in the tooth by tooth decay. They prevent cavities from getting worse. They also help protect the tooth from infection. They are usually made of a tooth-colored resin or a mix of metals.

Extraction.

This removes an entire tooth. The dentist takes out the part of the tooth you can see and the tooth roots that are in the jawbone. It's done when no other treatment can work for a badly infected or broken tooth. It's also used to make enough room in the mouth so that other teeth can come in straight.

How are the procedures done?

Treatments for pain

Before your child's dental procedures, your dentist may use medicines to help your child stay calm and relaxed and to prevent pain. These may include a numbing medicine brushed on the gums and a shot of numbing medicine in the mouth. Your child may also have nitrous oxide gas or medicines to treat anxiety. Some children get medicine to make them sleep (general anesthesia).

Cleaning

Your child's dentist or a dental hygienist uses a scraping tool to remove plaque and tartar from your child's teeth. The dentist or hygienist will also use floss to clean between the teeth. Paste may be used to remove stains.

Sealant

The dentist or hygienist starts by placing a cotton roll around the teeth to keep the teeth dry. Liquid is applied that will glue the sealant to the teeth. After about a minute, the dentist or hygienist will rinse off the excess glue, dry the teeth, and put on the sealant.

Scaling and root planing

The dentist or hygienist uses a scraping tool or a small vibrating tool to remove plaque, tartar, and infection from between the gums and teeth. This focuses on the parts of the teeth below the gumline and down the roots. A planing tool is used to smooth the roots. This helps the gums attach tightly to the roots.

Fillings

First the dentist numbs the tooth. A dental drill is used to remove all the tooth decay. Then the dentist uses filling material to replace the area that was removed.

Extractions

To remove a tooth, the dentist numbs the tooth and the area around it. Then the dentist uses a special tool to grasp the tooth and lift it out of the tooth socket. Your child is then given a piece of gauze or cotton to bite down on. This will help stop the bleeding. Your child may also get stitches.

What types of anesthesia are used?

Dental anesthesia prevents pain and helps your child feel calm and relaxed. It can also help children stay still so that the dental work can be done safely.

Which medicines your dentist chooses depends on which dental procedure is being done. It also depends on your child's age and your child's comfort with dental work. And it depends on how well your child can stay still and do what is asked during the procedure. Often different types of medicines are used together.

Local anesthesia

This numbs the area to be worked on. Usually a numbing medicine is first swabbed on the gums in the area. Then the dentist gives a shot of medicine to numb the tooth, gums, and jawbone.

Sedation

This helps your child stay calm and relaxed. The medicines can be given several ways. They can be given through a mask over the mouth and nose or as a pill or syrup by mouth. They can also be given through a needle placed in a vein (I.V.). Nitrous oxide gas is one example of sedation.

Sedation can range from light to deep. With light sedation, children are awake but relaxed. At deeper levels, children are very sleepy.

General anesthesia

This makes your child go to sleep. Your child will be unconscious and will feel no pain. It's given through an I.V.