Tooth decay is a very common phenomenon and almost everything is encountered with this disease throughout life. But not only adults are exposed to caries, often children suffer from this disease. The reason for this is bacteria, for which the acidic environment of the oral cavity is an ideal place for reproduction. At the same time, the acid destroys the tooth enamel and bacteria penetrate freely into the cracks formed. Bacteria destroy the enamel, then make their way to the base of the tooth - dentin and, having destroyed it, they can "attack" the pulp, causing such a serious complication as pulpitis.
Decay of deciduous teeth can occur at a very young age, sometimes shortly after teething. This is due to the lack of strength of the enamel and the base of the tooth - dentin. Sometimes it happens that by the age of 9 months, the baby’s teeth get spoiled. Decay of deciduous teeth in young children is also called "bottle". This name is due to the fact that parents often at night give a bottle to their children, which serves as a kind of sedative. Juices, milk or infant formula remain for a long time on the child’s teeth, which contributes to the appearance and development of caries. Moreover, childhood caries often develops very rapidly, in some cases, literally in a few weeks.
In order to prevent caries in young children, it is enough to follow simple rules: do not give your child sweet drinks at night, regularly clean the baby’s teeth, and you need to start immediately after teething. The child should be taught to brush his teeth several times a day from early childhood. Decay of deciduous teeth can be prevented if you carefully monitor oral hygiene, limit the consumption of sweets, and strengthen your teeth with solid food.
Types of Caries
There are several degrees of severity of caries:
- initial caries. It is characterized by white spots appearing on tooth enamel. If you do not pay attention to it in time, the spots will darken over time and the initial caries will turn into a chronic form;
- with superficial caries, tooth tissues within the enamel are affected. At this stage, pain may appear due to a reaction to hot or cold;
- at the stage of secondary caries , tooth enamel and a small part of dentin are affected;
- with deep caries, both tooth enamel and a significant part of dentin suffer.
Do I need to treat childhood caries?
The treatment of this disease in a child has its own characteristics, due to differences in the child's body from the body of an adult. An infection in the oral cavity can lead to a disease of the internal organs. Inability to chew food well negatively affects the work of the digestive tract. Early and premature loss of primary teeth can affect the correct development of permanent teeth and become one of the causes of malocclusion.
From all of the above, it is necessary to treat decay of deciduous teeth. The situation cannot be left to chance, hoping that milk teeth will be replaced by permanent ones and the problem will disappear.
Treatment should correspond to the stage of disease progression. The dentist will determine the degree of damage to the teeth and prescribe a filling or conservative treatment. Now there are methods for painless dentistry, which greatly simplifies the task, since children's fear of visiting a dental clinic often becomes a serious problem on the way to treatment.
Due to the weak sensitivity of milk teeth, the child may not experience pain, therefore it is necessary to conduct independent examinations of your baby's oral cavity and regularly visit the dentist. You should pay attention to the diet of the child - it must be balanced. Lack of elements such as fluoride and calcium in the body can contribute to the development of this disease.