Baby Root Canals

(Pulpotomy)

Cavities that go deeply into the tooth can infect the pulp at the center of each tooth.  The nerves and blood vessels can become very painful and even die. 

A baby root canal or puloptomy is the procedure of removing the infected pulp of a tooth, using pulpotomy medicine to kill the bacteria in the pulp then using a pulpotomy filling to replace the removed pulp. 

The nerves in the roots of the tooth are not removed.  Usually pulpotomies or baby root canals are performed on primary (baby) teeth. 

Only local anesthestic, like numbing for a filling, is needed to keep the tooth comfortable. 

After finishing the baby root canal or pulpotomy, the tooth is restored with a crown or a filling. 

Normally, primary teeth will fall out or exfoliate with the crown or filling still on. 

Teeth with pulpotomies can have difficulties falling out or causing the permanent teeth to erupt out of alignment.  Luckily, this is not common and can easily be corrected by extracting the stubborn baby tooth.