Restorative Dentistry

Fillings

Depending on the size of the filling, we may numb the area using local anesthesia and place a rubber dam (i.e. barrier) to protect your child’s airway. The cavity is removed, the tooth is then conditioned, and then filled with a tooth colored material. Although the ADA has found silver mercury fillings to be of no health risk; however, we elect to use alternative tooth colored fillings at Rye Pediatric Dentistry. Rye Pediatric Dentistry does not use fillings containing Bisphenol A (BPA) as an ingredient or a by-product.

Pulp (Nerve)Treatment

Large cavities can result in tooth aches and pulp irritation or, in some cases, infection of the nerve. If a cavity has affected the nerve, we will clean out the infected part of the nerve, place an antibacterial agent on the remaining nerve structure, and place a protective filling over the nerve. Rye Pediatric Dentistry does not use formocresol which contains formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, for pulp treatment.

Stainless Steel Crowns

Crowns are used in cases where a cavity has affected so much tooth structure that the tooth is susceptible to fracture and a filling material alone cannot be used to repair the tooth. Crowns are also placed when the pulp/nerve has been removed. The pulp is the blood supply of the tooth, and when it is removed due to infection, the tooth becomes very susceptible to fracture. Although these crowns are silver colored, they do not contain mercury. Ideally, these crowns will act as natural teeth and will fall out when the baby tooth normally falls out.