Treatment Options for Child Tooth Decay

Tooth decay is a common occurrence in children, affecting the milk teeth of over 42% of children in America. We can try to avoid it, but sometimes they appear uninvited.

Sometimes, even if you make sure that the child brushes properly, the child still manages to get tooth decay or a cavity, and this can be a thing of worry if you are a parent. The problem with tooth decay in children is that sometimes you do not notice it until the situation worsens. However, there are ways to know if your child is carrying a cavity; you just have to be careful. A child with lots of cavities will show signs of discomfort while brushing.

If you are present when your child is brushing, this will be easy to notice. Tooth sensitivity is another way to know that your child has a cavity; the child’s teeth become more sensitive to hot or cold substances. When your child begins to complain about food or drinks being too cold or too hot, you might need to see a dentist in Rifle for a tooth cavity filling. Check for discoloration in your child’s teeth when you have the chance since this could be a sign of a cavity in the teeth. Even if you did not brush the child’s teeth yourself, try to perceive the child’s breath after brushing. If the child still has bad breath even after brushing, it could signify a cavity or tooth decay.

You do not need to panic if you find out that your child has a cavity. Book an appointment with a dentist in 81650 and take your child to see the dentist. When you are in the dentist’s office, the dentist will take a good look at your child’s teeth to see the extent of the decay and let you know what treatments will be required for the tooth. You must treat tooth decay in children with a sense of urgency. This is because tooth decay can cause severe pain for the child, and you might need the services of an emergency dentist near Rifle, CO. As painful as the pains of tooth decay can be, the child might find it difficult to let you know that the degree of pain that they are going through. This pain can cause their jaw to swell and disfigure their face. Remember that children need to eat well to grow and be healthy. When they have tooth decay, they find it hard to eat anything, and it affects their nutrition. You need to protect your child’s teeth at all costs so that they do not lose all their teeth before the adult teeth begin to sprout. The dentist in Rifle will inform you of the different treatment options for your child’s tooth decay and recommend some of them. Here are some of the most common treatment options for a child’s tooth decay.

Fillings

For children, dental fillings are used to prevent incursive procedures, which can also be costly. Fillings are used for children whose teeth will not fall off in the near future. The materials used to fill the tooth are non-toxic, so there are no substances that can cause eventual harm to the child.

Filling a child’s tooth might seem like a waste of time since the tooth will fall off eventually. However, leaving the tooth with decay and waiting for it to fall off will cause the teeth to begin to bring out pus which can be irritating, and no parent will want that for their child. The procedure for dental fillings is preferable compared to pulling out a child’s tooth or wearing a cap for the tooth. Dental fillings are easy, do not take time, and are cost-effective.

Extractions

This is an alternative to a dental filling. However, it is mostly recommended when the tooth with the cavity is loose already. A dentist in 81650 can recommend extraction to pull out the teeth rather than allow the child to wait in pain for the tooth to come off by itself. Extractions are not usually the first options that dentists consider for treating tooth decay in children. Dentists do not consider extractions because when the tooth is extracted, space is left open until another tooth grows in, which might take a while. When a child’s tooth is extracted, the other teeth can shift into this space, and a spacer will need to prevent that from happening.

Crowns

Crowns are recommended when a tooth is too decayed to be filled. Dental crowns help a child cover the tooth with the cavity and are a better option than extraction. Dental crowns for children can be installed in less than an hour, and they are cheaper than adult crowns.
Fillings remain the best treatment for tooth decay in children. However, in certain situations, a dentist might need to recommend other treatment options like extractions or dental crowns.