Where dental decay has been diagnosed, our aim is to restore your child’s dentition and reduce their risk for future dental treatment. Our Specialist Paediatric Dentists are able to offer restorative treatments using the highest quality dental materials to ensure that your child receives the best outcomes of treatment possible. The treatments used will depend on the individual circumstances, however commonly include tooth-coloured (white) restorations, composite crowns, stainless steel crowns, zirconia crowns and pulp therapy. To ensure a positive dental experience, this treatment can be performed with the assistance of nitrous oxide sedation or general anaesthesia.

FAQs

Why are baby teeth important?

Maintaining healthy Primary dentition is more important than just aesthetics, speech and function.  The primary teeth are strategically important in guiding the permanent teeth into the correct position.  When primary teeth are lost due to advanced tooth decay, space maintenance is often considered.  This involves the placement of passive orthodontic appliances (space maintainer) to assist in guiding the adult teeth as they erupt.  Preventing severe crowding due to early tooth loss is a common part of Specialist Paediatric Dentistry.

Why treat tooth decay in baby teeth?

Restoring your child’s Primary Dentition is important for a number of reasons. Untreated tooth decay will progressively get worse and ultimately result in pain and infection (dental abscess).  This in turn can affect the development and position of the growing adult tooth.  Untreated tooth decay and space loss from the extraction of primary teeth can result in dental crowding and significant future orthodontic problems.  The presence of untreated tooth decay results in higher bacterial counts within the mouth that also leads to a high risk of recurrent decay of adjacent teeth and future permanent teeth.  Treating dental decay in primary teeth in combination with a customised preventive approach will have positive long term effects on your child’s dental health.

When do we use white fillings?

White fillings (tooth-coloured fillings) are used to treat small  carious lesions.  The benefits of this technique include aesthetics, conservatism of the tooth preparation and preventive (sealing) properties.

What are composite crowns?

Composite crowns are full coverage tooth coloured restorations that are used to treat baby incisors and canines which have multi-surface dental caries or crown fractures.  They provide a durable and highly aesthetic option to teeth which have an otherwise poor long term prognosis. Composite crowns are also used to treat permanent incisors with developmental defects such as severe enamel hypo mineralisation or microdontia (peg-lateral incisors).

What are stainless steel crowns?

Stainless steel crowns are preformed full coverage restorations that are used to treat primary and first permanent molar teeth with pre-existing dental disease.  This may include extensive dental caries that has weakened the remaining tooth structure, fractured cusps or developmental defects to the enamel.

Stainless steel crowns are also recommended to restore molars which have received pulp therapy as they provide a far superior seal and prevent the tooth from fracture, compared to other filling materials.

What are zirconia crowns?

Zirconia crowns are highly aesthetic preformed full coverage restorations that represent an alternative to a stainless steel crown.  They are used to treat baby molar teeth with pre-existing dental disease.  This may include extensive  dental caries that has weakened the remaining tooth structure, fractured cusps or developmental defects in the enamel. They are strong, durable, metal free and highly aesthetic.

What are fissure sealants?

Fissure sealants are a preventive form of dental treatment.  The technique involves the placement of a low viscosity filling material that is applied to the fissures (grooves) which are regarded as potential high risk surfaces for dental caries.

This technique is non-invasive and does not require any drilling of the tooth or administration of local anaesthesia.  They are commonly applied to permanent molars which have deep fissures, early signs of demineralisation, staining or plaque retention.