You do all you can to make your child's smile be cavity-free for as long as you can, especially after the baby teeth fall out. While you're trying to start teaching your children good oral hygiene habits young so they will continue those habits into adulthood, at the same time you think that the health of your child's baby teeth isn't the most important. After all, all their baby teeth will fall out anyways and be replaced with permanent teeth.
It can be a challenge on figuring out the best way to care for your child's teeth and gums.
Surprisingly, many parents underestimate the importance of maintaining good dental health for their child's baby teeth. As a result, children are very susceptible to cavities.
Pediatric Tooth Decay Prevention
One of the biggest reasons child tooth decay is so prevalent is that young children physically can't reach and adequately clean all the surfaces of their teeth and gums. If children don't use a small, soft child toothbrush, they will have more problems handling it and using it correctly to properly clean their teeth and gums.
Many pediatric dentists offer dental sealants as a method to prevent pediatric tooth decay from occurring as a result of a child's inability to properly brush their teeth and use dental floss.
Dental sealants are thin, clear pieces of plastic that go over the child's teeth. Sealants are made in a way that the child doesn't notice them and can go about eating, drinking and speaking normally. The sealants are very durable and are securely attached so there is no worry about them getting jarred loose.
How Pediatric Tooth Decay is Treated
If a child didn't get sealants and the dentist found a cavity, there are a couple different treatment options available. The best treatment option will be determined by how much of the tooth is decayed.
One may expect that a cavity in a baby tooth to be treated differently than that in an adult tooth, but cavities in both teeth are treated the same. While baby teeth will eventually fall out on their own and be replaced with permanent teeth, the decay of the baby tooth can filter down into the underlying permanent tooth.
The most common way to treat pediatric tooth decay is through a traditional, metal filling. Just like cavities in adult teeth, cavities in baby teeth need to be removed from the tooth and the opening in the tooth will need to be filled. Metal and tooth-colored composite fillings are available for children's cavities. Many parents elect for the metal fillings because they are significantly cheaper and more logical to use considering the baby teeth will all fall out on their own eventually.
If the tooth decay is more extensive, a crown may be placed over the tooth instead. Crowns will help keep the structure of the tooth intact while also protecting the tooth from further damage and decay.
In extreme situations where the extent of the cavity is deep within the tooth or affects most of the tooth, the tooth may be prematurely extracted.
Tooth decay in children is, unfortunately, too common. Yet, it is completely preventable with good oral hygiene and healthy, nutritious diets. Regular visits to the dentist allows the dentist to catch a possible cavity, limiting its growth and progress. Even with a good diet and a strong, daily at-home oral health routine, it is still crucial for your child to see the dentist every six months for a check-up that can either help prevent the oncoming of cavities or properly treat cavities to keep them from becoming more serious.