Nerve Treatment

The nerves of baby and adult (permanent) teeth can become infected or die. The two main reasons for this is decay or trauma. It is very important to have this treated, otherwise your child can develop an infection in the tooth, or sometimes a large infection that can affect their face or body.

When the nerve is infected in baby teeth, but still alive, the ‘infected portion’ can be removed, with the ‘healthy portion’ preserved and treated with special medications. This procedure has high success rates and usually means the baby tooth can be kept in the mouth. If the entire nerve has died, or become infected, sadly, this usually means the tooth needs to be removed.

In permanent teeth, there are also several nerve treatments that can be performed. The type of nerve treatment that is selected depends upon the situation. The aim of any nerve treatment in a young child’s permanent teeth is to try and keep the nerve alive to allow the tooth to continue to grow. If the nerve of an permanent tooth is in trouble, Dr’s Sarah or Tim will discuss with you the best treatment that can be performed.