Cavities or dental caries are a severe concern for many young patients. Among American children from 6 to 8 years, 52 percent have experienced a cavity in a primary tooth.
Though primary teeth fall out later in childhood, treating them when cavities form is vital. Your child could experience complications from an untreated cavity, including pain, infection, and tooth loss.
Problems Caused By Untreated Cavities
Pain
Some parents mistakenly believe that children can’t feel pain caused by cavities. Unfortunately, cavities can cause significant discomfort.
Infection
If the cavity exposes the pulp chamber, it can cause infections. Pulp infections cause children a great deal of discomfort. If your child has a pulp infection, they may need a pulpectomy or baby root canal.
Abscesses
Persistent infection can lead to an infection in the gum and bone, called a dental abscess. An abscess is a severe medical condition that can lead to health complications.
Premature Tooth Loss
If your child’s tooth needs extraction due to decay, they will need a space maintainer to keep teeth from moving into the space required for emerging permanent teeth.
Symptoms of Children’s Cavities
Your child may have one or more of these symptoms. Sometimes cavities do not cause symptoms your child can feel but are instead detected by routine dental X-rays.
- Pain around the tooth
- Irritability and crying
- Inability to focus
- Trouble sleeping
- Strong sensitivity to heat, cold, or sweets
- Spots on teeth that gradually turn from white to brown or black
- Darkened tooth that turns gray or black
How Pediatric Dentists Treat Cavities
In most cases, pediatric dentists fill cavities with tooth-colored composite material. This material blends into the natural tooth and strengthens its structure. Pediatric dentists may also need to place crowns if the tooth is too decayed for a filling. Typically, dentists use metal crowns for children.
Preventing Cavities in Children
Pediatric dental care has significantly changed over the past several years. Today, dental professionals recommend brushing a child’s teeth with fluoride toothpaste at the first tooth’s emergence, typically around six months.
Brush your child’s teeth daily and begin flossing at about two or three. Please help your child learn to brush, but brush their teeth for them until they are six or seven years old.
Pediatric dentists encourage parents to bring their children to the dentist before their first birthday and to continue visiting twice a year. These early visits allow the dentist to observe the child’s oral development and build a trusting relationship.
Today, children receive fluoride treatments at the dentist from a very young age. Dentists use a safe fluoride varnish that hardens immediately upon contact with saliva, meaning there is no chance of swallowing the treatment.
Be careful with your child’s diet, and if they eat sweet or starchy food, have them brush afterward.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cavities
Why do I have to treat a cavity in a baby tooth when it will naturally fall out?
If your child’s tooth is left to decay on its own, it may cause severe health problems, such as a pulp infection or dental abscess. Choosing not to treat a cavity also means that your child could experience painful symptoms that interfere with eating and sleeping.
Untreated tooth decay in childhood can also lead to lifelong oral health problems, including more cavities in permanent teeth and a higher risk of periodontal disease.
Why is fluoride so important in preventing cavities?
Fluoride is a natural mineral substance that strengthens tooth enamel. If you live in an urban or suburban area, you likely have fluoride in your tap water. Fluoride in toothpaste, rinses, and in-office treatments can remineralize minor areas of decay and make further problems less likely.
However, fluoride supplementation is not enough to prevent cavities alone. Parents must ensure their children brush and floss as their pediatric dentist recommends.
Call Tender Smiles 4 Kids
Tooth decay is a significant problem for many children, but you can help protect your child from its harmful effects as a parent.
If your child has any of the signs and symptoms above, it’s time to make an appointment with your pediatric dentist before a small problem can become severe. Please contact us at one of our convenient Central Jersey offices to schedule an appointment today.