Q. Is it advisable to get RCT done in a child?
Hello doctor, My 2.5 years old daughter had a fall around 6 to 7 months back and one of her front teeth was chipped. At that time, it looked fine and till now, she had no pain or any sensitivity issues in eating. But off late, the color of the chipped tooth has turned green. We consulted two dentists, first one was a specialist in child dentistry and recommended an RCT treatment wherein a chemical will be placed to cure the infection. He said that the discoloration will increase with time and this baby tooth might fall off much earlier (in 4 to 5 years) than the expected time (6 to 8 years). The other dentist recommended to observe for six months and see if any rash or boil is developed above the gums and any kind of pain is experienced. He also said that such a tooth might fall off before time. We are confused as to what we should do? If RCT is the way out then we would prefer to get it done before she starts with her formal schooling at 3. But we are mainly concerned if she could endure such a treatment as she is very small. Please provide suggestion. I have attached a photo of the X-ray.
Hi.  I got your chief complaint and opinions of two dentists. As far age is concerned, your daughter still is in need of these teeth as permanent teeth take time to erupt, by 6 to 7 years they will erupt. Till then, healthy front teeth are important otherwise she will develop irregular teeth later. As tooth has changed color so it is better to act on the suggestions of pedodontist and go for pulpectomy or RCT. It will keep the tooth intact and prevent formation of any cyst later. There is nothing wrong with it and there are modern gadgets to do the procedure, she will not feel any kind of pain during the procedure. If you leave it as such, it will weaken with time and may later contribute to huge financial burden to treat irregular teeth.