Holes in milk teeth caries in children is a disease that causes tooth decay. Caries can be prevented by brushing your baby’s teeth regularly and not giving sweet snacks too often.
The milk teeth are extra sensitive to caries because they are thinner than the permanent teeth. Although the child will lose his milk teeth, it is important to care for them.
Symptoms Of Caries In Children
The symptoms of caries in children are usually not noticeable until it has gone so far that the child has an infection of the tooth and gets sore. Then it isn’t easy to cook. It is good if the child comes to the checks called dental care because then caries can be detected in time.
The first visible sign of teeth holes is chalk caries or enamel caries. In children, chalk caries are often found on the front jaws of the upper jaw as a white and sometimes rough stripe along the gum line.
The same superficial caries may exist between the teeth, but you cannot see the change without the teeth being x-rayed. With the help of the x-rays, the dentist sees damage to dental surfaces that are not visible otherwise. The dentist also sees how far into the tooth a hole has reached.
This superficial caries injury does not cause any problems. It can heal by itself if you improve the child’s eating habits, brush his teeth clean and give the child fluoride supplements through, for example, fluoride toothpaste and fluoride tablets.
Deeper Damage Can Cause Trouble
A caries attack can extend inside the tooth, although the entrance opening is small on the tooth’s chewing surface or just below the contact surface between the teeth. When it has spread, and the child chews on something hard, the “roof” on the hole breaks. Then it may seem that the child suddenly has a large hole, although the attack has lasted long without any notice.
When the caries attack has reached the tooth bone, it has generally gone so far that the dentist must repair the tooth by filling or grinding away the damaged part.
Holes in baby teeth may get sore when chewing, especially when eating something sweet or cold. Finally, the child can get real toothache with swelling and be around the tooth. Then the dental nerve becomes infected and dead. The infection has spread to the jawbone, and there is a risk that even the tendon of the permanent tooth will suffer damage that is visible when it appears. Such a damaged tooth cannot be repaired but must be pulled out.
An infected milk tooth cavity affects the general condition. The pain can cause the child to neither want nor can eat, so the child may not gain weight properly. The child may also have difficulty sleeping.
When Should We Seek Care?
Contact a dentist if you notice that the child appears to have a toothache, is swollen and tender around the tooth, has difficulty chewing, or if you see white spots on the teeth. The earlier the child’s teeth are examined, the easier it is to treat the teeth.
How Do We Reduce The Risk Of Getting Holes?
Regular toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste and improved eating habits means shallow holes can heal, and the child does not have to get new holes. Preventing caries yourself is always the best treatment.
The most important self-treatment for caries is the:
- Brush your teeth morning and evening with fluoride toothpaste.
- Let your teeth rest between meals and all night.
- Drink water between meals.
- Pay attention to new teeth at the back, as they are extra sensitive.
Start Brushing When The First Tooth Arrives.
A new tooth is extra delicate and sensitive to caries attack. When the first teeth start to come up, it is time for the child to get acquainted with the toothbrush softly and playfully. As soon as the first teeth have arrived, an adult should brush their teeth with fluoride toothpaste on the child twice a day, morning and evening.
The brushing should be done so carefully that the teeth are clean and the gums are kept healthy and do not bleed when brushing. Toothbrushing in the evening is most important. The toothbrush should be small and have very soft bristles.
The upper jaws of the upper jaw get light holes along the gum line. Therefore, it is important to keep your lips away so that you look good and get to brush, especially there.
Clean In The Mouth During The Night
The risk of caries increases if the child receives something other than pure water as a night meal or in a baby bottle when the child is to fall asleep. The food stays up all night as the self-cleaning of the teeth of the saliva, lips, cheeks, and tongue stops asleep. Should the child fall asleep immediately after the meal, it is good to clean the mouth with a soft toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste even though the child sleeps.
Children under the age of three have poor self-cleaning in the mouth. It can also have children with disabilities. Then the child needs help to finish the meal by drinking water.
Pay Attention To The Six-Year Teeth
When the first cheek comes, it’s time to brush more systematically. The new cheek teeth are usually bulky and are difficult to access so they are difficult to brush really clean.
Of all permanent teeth, the six-year-old usually gets deep caries and usually needs treatment. A good rule is, therefore, to look far back in the mouth from the age of five so that the six-year teeth are detected and thus brushed early. It is always possible to contact the dentist if a visit needs to be made earlier if you suspect holes in a tooth.
To reduce the risk of caries, the potholes and grooves of the chewing surfaces can be protected with a thin layer of plastic. This is called sealing the tooth fissure.
Sealing the six-year teeth as soon as they have broken out is advisable. Corresponding treatment also applies when the twelve-year period breaks out. Fissure sealing is a great way to protect the cheek teeth from caries in the chewing surface pits and fissures.
Bacteria And Sugar Form Acid
Almost all children and adults have bacteria in their mouths that can cause tooth decay. The bacteria become more in the mouth if the child does not brush his teeth regularly and often eats sweet snacks.
The baby’s milk teeth are affected more quickly by bacteria, as the teeth are thinner than the permanent teeth that come later. This means that the distance between the denture and the nerve is shorter. The risk of getting an infection is greater, making the milk tooth more difficult to cook.
To get caries, a bacterial coating is needed on the tooth’s surface and sugar. The bacteria from acid from easily soluble carbohydrates such as sugar. The acid dissolves the enamel, and a hole is formed if it can be undisturbed. The saliva can neutralize the acid and repair the tooth surface if the tooth is rested. Brushing the tooth clean from bacterial coating also stops holes in the tooth.
Other bacteria can grow inside the tooth when you have a hole in milk tooth. This way, bacteria, and acid can work their way into the dental nerve. In the end, you get toothache because the nerves and vessels in the pulp become irritated.
Children Can Get Caries Bacteria From Their Parents
Children can get caries bacteria from adults in the area who have a lot of caries bacteria. The child is infected, and the risk of getting holes in the teeth at an early age increases. Therefore, it is good for children’s teeth that even close-knit adults take care of their teeth.
Investigations
From the age of three, but usually already from one or two years of age, all children are offered visits to the Folktandvården, and then they are called for regular dental visits. Up to 23, children are entitled to free dental care, even at a private dentist. In some county councils and regions, free care is also given to older youth.
How Is The Investigation Going?
Caries examination is usually done by a dentist or dental hygienist. A dentist can do a dental examination, and if something is wrong, a dentist will come.
When the tooth is made dry with compressed air, it is examined with a mirror. It is done to examine changes in the color or transparency of the tooth that may reveal that the tooth is not intact. The caries attack can have a very small entrance into the tooth and spread out inside the dental crown. The dentist or dental hygienist uses a thin, pointed instrument called a probe. With this, it is possible to feel if the tooth is healthy and the pits in the tooth’s chewing surface are hard.
The teeth are x-rayed to detect caries between the teeth early in the dental crown. The first X-rays are usually taken at about five years of age, or when the milk teeth grow so they are in contact with each other. If the child has no signs of caries, it usually takes two or three years before the next x-ray is taken.
Treatment For Holes In Milk Teeth
When there is already a hole in milk tooth, the dentist must repair it. How it is done depends on the child’s age and ability to cooperate. Dental care sets up a treatment plan with the child and the adult. In the case of very young children, an attempt is often made to make a temporary repair that will prevent the hole from becoming larger.
Most children over three usually manage to get their teeth fixed. It is good if the child can attend school and train at various stages before the planned treatment. There are aids such as nitrous oxide, sedative medicine, or in some cases, anesthesia. It can be used if the child is very anxious or the treatment is so acute that you cannot wait for the child to be educated.
No Plastic Fillings
The front teeth of the milk teeth are not usually cooked with filling but sanded so the toothbrush will clean. The milk teeth farther back are usually repaired with a so-called glassy cement.
Glass ion cement can be reinforced with a little plastic. Glasiomas bind to fluorine and can thus strengthen the tooth surfaces around caries. In addition, the glassy cement copes well with the changes in the child’s mouth as it grows. The material is softer and worn to fit in the child’s bite.
The dentist selects filling material according to the size of the hole and where it is located. The experience of the filling materials used today is good; given the milk teeth’ relatively short life span, they do well.
Sometimes It Is Best To Pull Out The Tooth
One of the tasks of the milk teeth is to hold the permanent tooth that comes after. Especially milk teeth can be important for the bite. Sometimes, a milk tooth is no longer important for the bite. The dentist may remove the tooth if it has a large hole instead of repairing it.
Holes in milk teeth caries in children that have entered the nerve are almost always pulled out. If it has formed around the root, the tooth is always pulled out, so the infection does not spread.