When cavities, decay, or dental injuries happen, our pediatric dentists are here to help. At Carolina Pediatric Dentistry, we provide a full range of restorative dental treatments for children — from tooth-colored fillings and dental crowns to pulpotomies, space maintainers, and children’s dental extractions when necessary. Whether your child needs a simple filling or more involved child cavity treatment, our board-certified pediatric dentists are here to help restore their smile with care and comfort in mind.
Our approach to restorative care is always gentle and conservative. We treat only what needs to be treated, explain every option clearly to parents, and make sure your child is comfortable at every step. The goal is to restore the health and function of your child’s teeth while keeping the experience as calm and stress-free as possible.
Dental fillings are one of the most common restorative treatments we provide for children. When a cavity is caught early, a filling is typically all that’s needed to stop the decay, restore the tooth, and prevent further damage.
We use tooth-colored composite resin fillings that blend naturally with your child’s tooth — no silver, no metal. Children’s dental fillings at our practice are placed with care, using gentle techniques and child-appropriate comfort options to make the experience as easy as possible, even for anxious kids.
If your child has been told they have a cavity, don’t wait. Early treatment with a simple filling is almost always preferable to more involved care down the road.
Sometimes, a dental filling isn’t enough to fully protect a damaged or heavily decayed tooth. In those cases, a dental crown for your child is the best option — it covers the entire tooth, restores its function, and helps maintain the space needed for the permanent tooth to come in properly.
We offer both silver (stainless steel) and white (tooth-colored) children’s dental crowns. White crowns — including BioFlx and zirconia options — look completely natural and are a popular choice for visible front teeth. It’s worth noting that many insurance plans don’t cover white crowns for baby teeth, so parents may have an out-of-pocket cost for those. Our doctors are experts in pediatric crown placement and regularly teach crown techniques to other dentists at continuing education courses.
A pulpotomy is needed when a cavity enters the “nerve” of the tooth. The procedure is completed by cleaning out the center of the tooth where the nerve lives and placing a healing medicine. The tooth is then protected by placing a crown.
Because the treated tooth needs full protection after the procedure, a dental crown is always placed to seal and strengthen it.
The baby teeth serve as space holders for the permanent teeth. With the early loss of a baby tooth, neighboring teeth start migrating into that vacant space, potentially causing problems as your child grows. This loss may lead to the need for extensive orthodontic treatment at a later age. A space maintainer is placed in that area to hold the space open so that the adult tooth can erupt in a more appropriate position.
Top Photo: distal shoe
Bottom Photo: band and loop
Second Photo: W-wire with the beads.
SDF is an antimicrobial liquid used to slow or stop cavities in children. The liquid contains fluoride and silver ions. When applied to a cavity, it kills bacteria and slows or stops tooth decay. SDF is FDA approved. While there are other methods of treating cavities in children, SDF may be preferred as it is a quick and easy process that involves no pain or discomfort. The only downside is the tooth will turn black where there is a cavity.
When a tooth is too damaged, infected, or overcrowded to save, a dental extraction may be the most appropriate course of treatment. Children’s dental extractions are more common than parents might expect and are performed regularly at both our Wake Forest and Raleigh offices.
The most common reasons we recommend an extraction for a child include advanced decay or infection that can’t be resolved with a filling or crown, a baby tooth that isn’t falling out naturally and is blocking a permanent tooth, or orthodontic crowding where removing a tooth creates the space needed for proper alignment.
Our pediatric dentists take a conservative approach — we only recommend an extraction when it’s genuinely the best option for your child’s long-term oral health. When an extraction is needed, we use gentle techniques and appropriate comfort measures to keep the experience as calm as possible, and we’ll walk you through aftercare instructions so you know exactly what to expect at home.
Whether your child needs a simple dental filling, a crown to protect a damaged tooth, or an extraction, Carolina Pediatric Dentistry has the experience and kid-focused approach to make it as comfortable as possible. Our board-certified pediatric dentists treat children of all ages at our Wake Forest/North Raleigh and Downtown Raleigh locations.
We’re currently accepting new patients. Book online at the location nearest to you, or call us and we’ll help you find the right appointment for your child.
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