Things You'll Need:
- Internet or phone books
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Step 1
Contact at least 5 dentists to find out their procedures for handling a baby root canal. There are several means of doing this:
1. Phone book ~ yellow pages under dentists
2. Provider directory supplied by your dental insurance carrier
*make sure to check the coverage for out of network dentists as well; many times the coverage for the out of network dentists is not much different than in network dentist
3. Internet search engines ~ search by "Dentists in ~your area~
4. Referrals from friends, family and other dentist -
Step 2
Most pediatric dentists WILL put a silver cap on and tell you there is no other choice. Search for a reputable General Family Dentistry that does NOT use silver caps anymore, but instead uses the white resin composites and has experience of offering dental care to children. These dentists are skilled and experienced with the most current products & procedures that allow them to use composite resins that will serve just as well of a protection to the baby tooth as a silver cap.
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Step 3
Get multiple opinions from several dentists. You can get copies of your child's xrays from the dentist who took them so you don't have to have them taken over & over. Dentists giving 2nd opinions can give a diagnosis from the xray copy. Do not accept that your child must have a silver/stainless steel cap. There are plenty of dentists out there that simply don't even have them in their office anymore because it is an old & easy method.
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Step 4
Check with your dental insurance company about your coverage for white resin composites. Most insurance companies do cover the silver caps completely (less your copay and/or deductible) but some may only cover a percentage of the composite fillings. Most importantly...don't settle! I did initially on my daughter after several Pediatric Dentists told me she HAD to have a silver cap. After it was on, I found a General Family Dentist who was able to pop it off and put a white composite resin on in 15 minutes without novacaine or laughing gas.
