Re: 9 year old with pain seeing dentist tomorrow.

well, it sounds like he is doing an coronal pulpotomy.  because these are not done on permanent teeth, they are ok for kids.  yes, he is correct that the permanent tooth could have problems coming in correctly if the tooth is pulled prematurely.  we would not do such a technique because it is simply not biological.  we would put a partial there to keep the space and hope for the best.  but, while root canals on permanent teeth are the worst thing you can do, the baby teeth does not pose as much of a concern.  but, the stainless steel crown contains nickel and that is a cancer causing agent.  i do not suggest the tooth be left without a crown, though because kids can be tough on teeth and it could crack and lead to more problems.  what i recommend is a lab made crown that can last up to a year.  we have those and they are $50. i don't know what they would charge in the states.  maybe you want to have it prepped for the crown, have them stick on a temporary, then come here to get the lab made temporary, don't know.  but, in the meanwhile, my advice is to get a temporary crown, even if they tell you it won't last more than a month or so.  are their toxins in them?  of course, but the alternatives are not good.  you could of course get a porcelain crown and that is going to be expensive, with or without gold.  and, if you go to a non-biologic dentist, there will more than likely still be the kind of toxins you want to avoid.  overall, we are talking pretty short term here, so go ahead and get the procedure if you want and avoid the stainless crown, but do get a crown of some sort. 

here is a website that explains things:

http://dentalresource.org/topic57pulptherapy.html

Torrie