Is root canal treatment advisable to cure badly decayed front teeth in a child?

Question

Hello doctor,

My 3.5 years old daughter's upper front four teeth have decayed very badly and our dentist has advised on either root canal treatment or taking them out. Which treatment is best suited overall for my daughter?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Go for antibiotic coverage and meanwhile get the culprit teeth extracted if it is definitely amongst the first four. These are milk teeth which will come at age of 6. Do not get them extracted together. The one or two causing severe infection should be extracted out.

Another option is to cover infection through medicines only. Give your daughter syrup Augmentin three times a day, syrup Metronidazole three times a day and syrup Brufen three times a day for seven days. If the swelling goes away with it, everything is back to normal, leave it as it is. If pain and swelling recur once medicines are stopped, try getting chamber opened or root canal of the culprit tooth if the infection is minor, if it is major then get it extracted.

I would still recommend having root canal attempted on posterior milk teeth rather than the front because front permanent teeth come at around age 6 while back milk teeth fall at age of 9 and 10 and are definitely needed till this age so do not need to be extracted soon. Take care.