Most parents will only schedule their children’s dental visits when the eruption of their permanent teeth starts or is completed. They assume that taking care of milk teeth is a waste of resources and unnecessary because it permanent teeth will eventually replace it. As such, most kids aged 2-5 years suffer from baby bottle tooth decay, forcing kids to “act out.”
The Sweet Solution?
In turn, parents often resort to giving them sweetened food and drinks to soothe them. Although parents might mean well, the sugar-filled treats form plaque around a kid’s teeth, which accumulates without regular brushing.
When this happens to your kids, you need to take them to a pediatric dentist in Murray for a checkup and treatment.
Negating treatment thinking the condition will resolve when the teeth fall out only contributes to serious future dental issues. Other than recurrent dental infections, baby bottle tooth decay causes the growth of crooked permanent teeth and leads to problems with the child’s speech and chewing.
The following are some of the treatments for tooth decay in infants and toddlers.
Fluoride Treatments
The decay of your baby’s teeth eats away at the enamel, which protects their teeth’s inner layers. This is evidenced by white spots of demineralization in the early stages of dental caries.
Under fluoride therapy, a dentist applies fluoride varnish to your child’s teeth. The dentist may also recommend toothpaste containing fluoride to treat demineralized teeth. You should, however, use only a pea-sized amount of the toothpaste, ensuring your child doesn’t swallow it to minimize the risk of fluorosis.
Dental Fillings
These are the most popular for treating baby bottle tooth decay. Pediatric dentists commonly use amalgam, white, and sedative fillings. Amalgam fillings are made of various metals including mercury, zinc, and silver. The substance is strong, inexpensive, and durable though it might tarnish over time.
White fillings include glass ionomers and composite resins and are invisible and secure though costly and complicated to place. Sedative fillings decrease the inflammation and irritation that tooth decay causes and contain eugenol or zinc oxide and olive oil. The dentist will apply them directly to the affected tooth.
Dental Crowns
This is suitable for severe baby bottle dental cavities. The most frequently used type of dental crown at this stage is stainless steel crowns. This is because they are durable and strong to withstand the impact of the activities your child is likely to develop. Moreover, they need minimal follow-up treatments, unlike porcelain crowns. Dental crowns will cover the decayed tooth surface and protect its inner layers from bacterial infiltration.
Extraction
This is only for irreparably damaged teeth. The pediatric dentist will extract the milk tooth will be extracted and fill the site with a space maintainer. This will hold the space for the future growth of permanent teeth to ensure alignment.
Even with these treatments, the dentist will recommend limiting your kid’s intake of sugary foods and regular and thorough brushing to avert future cavities. Caring for a child’s milk teeth is the best way to guarantee the best permanent dentition. As such, the above treatments are essential for all degrees of baby bottle tooth decay.