What is Childhood Tooth Decay
Cavities in baby teeth spread rapidly and will quickly infect the nerves inside the teeth. The result is pain, infection, extractions (lost teeth), and poor growth of adult teeth resulting in crooked teeth.
Cavities begin at a young age, as soon as the baby teeth appear in the mouth. Baby teeth are continually covered by great amounts of bacteria due to sugar that is frequently present in children’s mouths. The combination of sugary candy, particularly sticky candy, and less than optimal brushing, is sufficient to cause the growth of cavities. Adult participation brushing a child’s teeth is essential for good oral health, and good overall health.
Cavities in children’s teeth often become infected and cause gum swelling. This is a fistula.
Children’s cavities and general health
Cavities are caused by specific types of bacteria. By age three these types of bacteria are already present in the mouths of children who eat sugary candy.
Cavity causing bacteria in adult mouths is associated with heart, lung, and pregnancy disease. In children, however, a connection between bacteria and general health issues has not yet been established.
In children, tooth decay is the number one most common disease in the world.
This means that cavities in children are extremely common, however, a child cannot ‘give’ cavities to another child in the same way that they can spread the common cold. For example, if one sibling has cavities, that child cannot ‘give’ cavities to another sibling.
Cavities and infection in baby teeth
New cavities appear as white, brown, or dark spots in baby teeth. Larger cavities show as brown or black holes.
Large cavities will cause infection and swelling in the gums around the baby tooth. When cavities grow deeper, they infect the nerve inside of the baby tooth. The infection can spread through the tooth and into the bone causing swellings.
Severe infections from untreated cavities can result in bone loss, gum swelling, and tooth loss.
When is it time to remove a baby toothIf a baby tooth is removed at too young an age, the newly growing adult teeth underneath can, and do, grow in crooked, and increases the chance that braces will be needed. Sometimes metal wire called a ‘space maintainer’ is cemented to the remaining teeth to keep them in their place.
A bottle fed baby should only drink water when in the crib. Do not let a child sleep with a milk bottle as it causes severe cavities which often lead to the need for extractions.
Decay in the front baby teeth can be repaired with white fillings. If these teeth need to be removed, a temporary acrylic tooth can be placed that can be removed while the child sleeps or can be cemented permanently in place.
