When the pulp inside a child’s tooth becomes infected due to decay or dental trauma, your doctor may recommend a pulpectomy, or a “baby root canal.”

If a child’s primary, or baby, teeth are extensively decayed or injured, the tooth may be painful and sensitive to hot and cold temperatures.

In addition, the permanent tooth underneath it can become infected or damaged as well.

A pulpectomy is a procedure to save a severely infected primary tooth by removing all the pulp from the tooth’s crown and roots.

It’s important to try and save a primary tooth because it provides space and guidance for permanent teeth. Baby teeth also play an important role in a child’s healthy development to chew food, speak and smile.

For the first step of a pulpectomy, your doctor numbs the area, and then creates an opening in the tooth to access the root’s interior.

Your doctor will then remove the infected tissue, and flush and clean the area.

Next, the root is filled with a special sealing material, and the opening is filled and sealed.

The primary tooth is saved and restored to its natural function and will fall out when permanent teeth begin to erupt.

Consult with your doctor about how to care for your child’s primary teeth and what to do if there’s a problem.