根管治療就是大家比較常聽到稱為「抽神經」的治療，
聽起來好像很可怕，但實際上的作法是以治療工具移除發炎的神經，並將神經管沖洗乾淨後填入充填材料，目的是為了消除牙髓神經的發炎和疼痛，並防止細菌沿著牙髓神經管蔓延而影響下方恆牙牙胚的發育。

▲ 根管治療流程示意圖 (圖/黃仲民醫師)

家長們最擔心的就是：乳牙神經抽掉了，那恆牙不就也沒有神經了嗎？
其實恆牙與乳牙有各自一套的牙髓神經，因此即使乳牙接受過根管治療，未來恆牙萌發之後仍會有健康完整的牙髓神經。

根管治療後的乳牙，由於齲齒造成的缺損範圍太大，必須製做牙套保護，才能恢復足夠的強度承受吃東西咀嚼的力量，防止牙冠牙根的斷裂，因為牙冠牙根一旦斷裂，就必須面臨拔除的命運，那麼前面辛苦完成的根管治療可就白費力氣了。

根據根管治療的乳牙的位置，牙套有以下幾種材質可以選擇，家長們可以和醫師討論什麼材質最適合小朋友的需求：

● 前牙：乳牙樹脂牙套、乳牙瓷牙牙冠

● 後牙：不鏽鋼乳牙牙套、乳牙瓷牙牙冠

Root canal treatment is also commonly known as “nerve extraction”.
It may sound terrifying but in reality it's a series of procedures to use tools to eliminate infection, decontaminate the tooth and fill in materials to control inflammation and pain, and prevent the spread of infection to permanent tooth germs. The primary concern of parents is if the nerve of the primary tooth is removed, will the nerve of the permanent one be also lost?
In fact, primary and permanent teeth each have their own set of nerve systems. Therefore, even if a primary tooth receives root canal treatment, when it's replaced by a permanent one, its nerve will be as healthy and complete as new.
For an endodontically treated primary tooth, due to the extensive damage by cavities, a crown is required to protect the tooth to restand the chewing force and prevent it from breakage. Once a tooth is broken, extraction is also inevitable. Then the previous endodontic treatment becomes in vain.
Based on the location of the endodontically treated primary tooth, there are several materials to be considered to create a crown:
Anteriors: composite resin, porcelain
Posteriors: stainless steel, porcelain