Tackling Your Dental Treatment Plan

If your child has significant tooth decay, your dentist may recommend a root canal. This will help prevent the premature loss of a baby tooth. You might not realize this, but losing baby teeth too soon can lead to dental and orthodontic problems later on. If your child will be undergoing a root canal, you'll want to be prepared for the procedure. However, you'll also want to be prepared for life after the root canal. Here are three steps you'll need to take once your child has their root canal.

Stay on Top of the Pain

Your child will receive anesthesia for the procedure. However, once the anesthesia begins to wear off, your child may begin to experience some pain and discomfort. To make sure that the pain doesn't become unbearable for your child, you'll want to be prepared with the over-the-counter pain medication. Once you get home, give your child their first dose of pain medication. This will ensure that the medication is already working once the anesthesia wears off. You can also give your child cold compresses to place on their face for pain relief, as well.

Watch for Signs of Infection

While your child is recovering from their root canal, you'll need to watch for signs of infection. While post-procedure infections aren't common, they do occur. Some signs of infection that you should watch for include increased pain, fever, swelling of the face and gums, foul smelling discharge from around the affected tooth. If your child develops any of those symptoms following their root canal, you should contact their dentist immediately.

Ensure Proper Oral Hygiene

The root canal will remove the decay from around your child's affected tooth. However, the tooth will still be susceptible to further damage if proper oral hygiene isn't followed. Unfortunately, if the decay returns, the dentist may need to extract the tooth. To help prevent the return of the decay, and the loss of the tooth, it's important that you ensure proper oral hygiene. Teach your child the proper way to brush and floss their teeth, and place a timer in the bathroom. Having your child brush their teeth to a timer will ensure that they're spending enough time on their teeth each day. It's also important that you continue with those semi-annual dental visits. The cleanings your child receives at those appointments will help keep their teeth healthy, and reduce the need for future root canals.

Contact a dentist, like Webster John B DDS, for more help.