It isn’t always easy for parents to know exactly what is happening in their children’s’ mouths. In fact, kids can sometimes live with cavities or infections and never tell their parents. It can be difficult to explain what hurts, especially since tooth pain might be felt in the ear or jaw instead of a specific tooth. Even if your child expresses that they have a toothache, infected teeth may not look different from the surrounding teeth. Keep your eye on your child if they suddenly seem to have trouble with hot or cold foods or simply lose their appetite, and please call us right away if you notice any swelling, discoloration, or bad breath.

Even swollen glands and a fever could be an indicator of a dental infection! When we discover an infection early enough, we can usually clear it up as non-invasively as possible, but when it progresses, or a cavity extends into the pulp of the tooth where all the nerves and blood vessels are, we may have to perform a baby root canal in order to save the tooth. These root canals, also known as pulpotomies and pulpectomies, are endodontic procedures especially designed to remove an infection from little teeth, quickly and effectively stopping the pain and preventing unnecessary extraction.