Do we need to fix cavities on baby teeth?
Often when parents are informed about cavities on their kids’ milk teeth, they wonder why it is necessary to do something about those cavities. Milk teeth will eventually be replaced by permanent teeth so why bother, right? Let’s talk about why it maybe critical to fix those cavities.
Milk teeth have a very important role to play in the quality of life of a child. Not only do they need these teeth to maintain adequate nutrition (think biting and chewing) but also, these teeth are important place holders for the permanent teeth that will follow them.
Premature loss of a milk tooth can cause issues such as
difficulty eating,
difficulty with speech,
loss of space by drifting of the tooth that is behind the space,
loss of confidence, etc.
Additionally, if the cavity on a milk tooth reaches the nerve of the tooth, the child will be in pain and is at risk of developing infections that can sometimes even be life threatening.
Of course there are some scenarios where the cavities can be left untreated and simply monitored. Some of those situations could be -
milk teeth are close to falling out,
cavity is in its initial stages where it could re-mineralize/arrest or heal,
patient is too young to cooperate or sedate so waiting a little while before treating them would be prudent, etc.
Your dentist can give you the best options by evaluating the tooth in the mouth and on an x-ray. What if the cavity is not fixable? More on that in another newsletter :)
Here’s a nice illustration to shed some light on when to expect the baby teeth to come in (erupt) and fall out (shed/exfoliate).