Should i fill my toddlers cavities

This is a softening or weakening of the hard outer shell of enamel. At this stage, the process can still be reversed, meaning no treatment is necessary on the tooth. Because the enamel on baby teeth is so thin, when demineralization starts, you have a much shorter time period in which you can intervene and stop the decay process.

Cavities simply grow much faster in baby teeth than they do in permanent teeth. It also means that doing nothing is not a good treatment option for your child. Without intervention, cavities in baby teeth rapidly progress into dangerous dental infections.

Children are more likely to get cavities due to their lack of ability to perform great oral hygiene. Unfortunately, kids just cannot clean their teeth by themselves. This impaired oral hygiene means that dental plaque remains on the teeth after brushing, and the bacteria within that plaque continue to produce dangerous, demineralizing acids.

And, yes, baby teeth do need to be flossed, just like permanent teeth do. There are times when it is okay to pull a baby tooth. Your dentist will typically use an x-ray of the tooth, which shows the underlying permanent tooth, to help you make this decision. It is perfectly safe to pull a baby tooth with a cavity when the permanent tooth is properly positioned and near its normal time for emergence into the mouth.

The opposite is also true. The further away the permanent is from the eruption, the riskier it is to pull a baby tooth. There are also cases where the cavity on a baby tooth is small enough that it will not reach a dangerous point before the baby tooth falls out. The risk in this situation is that the bacteria and decay on the baby tooth could transfer to an adjacent permanent tooth, which you would obviously want to prevent.

Sometimes, an orthodontist will request the removal of baby teeth so that they can guide poorly positioned permanent teeth into the correct position.

So there are times that we even remove relatively healthy baby teeth to produce a better long-term result. If your child has cavities on baby teeth, just ask the dentist about the developing permanent tooth and how the various treatment options will affect it. Call your nearest Premier Dental of Ohio location today to schedule a consultation with one of our dentists.

Related articles Effects of Masks on Dental Health. How to Find a Pediatric Dentist. Dental Work and Pregnancy. When your child comes in for the procedure, the dentist will start by using local anesthesia to numb their teeth and gums.

After your child is prepped, the dentist will remove any decay from the affected tooth and clean the area. They will then apply tooth-colored composite to the cavity, using a special light to cure and harden the composite. When the composite is hardened, the dentist will check to make sure the filling is comfortable. They can file down the filling as needed. Composite fillings are durable enough to last through normal wear and tear.

As long as your child follows proper oral hygiene habits, you can expect their filling to last until the tooth falls out. Generally, children experience minimal to no discomfort during toddler cavity treatments. There are plenty of ways that you and your child can reduce their risk for cavities. Remember, the best method of how to treat cavities in baby teeth is to prevent them in the first place. If you help your child learn proper oral hygiene habits, it will help keep their teeth healthy as they grow up.

Whether your child needs treatment for a cavity or just needs their regular checkup and cleaning, the hard-working team at Tooth Fairy Pediatric Dental is here to serve your needs. Contact us today to make an appointment at any of our six convenient locations in the Reno area.

Toggle navigation. Search for:. Does Your Toddler Have Cavities? These behaviors include: Eating a diet high in sugar or starches. This process is a commonly known one to both adults and children. Your pediatric dentist will drill away at the cavity and decay. Once everything has been taken away, the tooth will be filled with a filling. At Polkadot we use white fillings, which harden in seconds and mimic the color and appearance of natural teeth.

For those who are worried, Dr. Nanna will walk through the procedure with the child, going over each tool that the would use. Crowns: If the tooth decay or cavity is large, a filling will not be able to do the job of restoring the tooth.

A crown will create a protective structure around the afflicted tooth and will minimize the risk of developing a new cavity or further tooth decay on the tooth. To place a crown on a tooth, the tooth is shaved down and then the prefabricated crown is fitted on the tooth and then it is cemented on the tooth using dental cement. Extractions or Baby Root Canals: Once a cavity is so large that it starts to reach the nerve of a tooth, it will cause intense pain.

The cavity can cause an infection and inflammation of the nerve and when this occurs, the only option is to conduct a baby root canal. This involves removal of the infected pulp nerve and blood vessels. After removal, medication will be placed on top of the affected area. Unlike adult root canals, baby root canals are much different, they take only a few minutes to complete and additional visits are not necessary!

Laughing Gas or Nitrous Oxide: Depending on the number of procedures or the comfort level of the child, laughing gas or nitrous oxide can be used. It is a safe sedative and extremely effective in helping children reduce anxiety.

The laughing gas creates feelings of happiness and relaxation and has a rapid onset while non-allergic. The laughing gas is given by placing a fitted mask over the nose. Once the patient starts breathing through the mask, they will begin to feel the nitrous oxide.

Laughing gas has no lingering effects and is perfectly safe. The use of this option will be at the recommendation of your pediatric dentist. Sedation Dentistry: In some extreme cases, the number or severity of dental treatments may be high. When it comes to dentistry for children, we have to balance the effectiveness of the procedure, but also their overall comfort with dentists.

Children can sometimes need extensive work, but due to the stress and discomfort of all the work, it creates an anxious relationship where getting them to the dentist can be extremely difficult. Sedation dentistry is used to help balance the need for dental treatment while also ensuring a healthy relationship with the pediatric dentist on a long term basis. Your Pediatric Dentist in Roswell will discuss with you the options of using sedation dentistry and if it is a good option for you child.

At Polkadot we have two options including conscious oral sedation and general anesthesia. If your child complains of dental pain, or even headaches, schedule a dental appointment right away.

This can be a sign that there is decay, and the issue should be addressed by a dentist before it progresses too far. Brush twice a day, floss daily, and maintain regular check-ups with a pediatric dentist, starting around age one. Click here to know about Georgia State Form