Any parent would like his child's teeth to be strong and not sore. However, in fact, about 70% of children suffer from a disease such as tooth decay. Moreover, in half of the cases, parents go to the dentist when the teeth are very deeply affected or complications have appeared.
Causes
The appearance of caries in children is associated with the simultaneous effect of several factors, among which the most significant are:
- Poor oral hygiene. If the child does not brush his teeth well enough or does not brush at all, food particles will remain on the teeth, in which bacteria actively multiply.
- Excess carbohydrate foods in the children's diet. The carbohydrates consumed by the baby are used by bacteria as a food source.
- Genetic predisposition.
- Lack of food crumbs in the diet, which requires intense chewing. This chewing will increase salivation and will naturally clean your teeth.
- Calcium and fluoride deficiency in food and water used by the child.
- Due to physiological reasons, the low resistance of dental tissues in children to bacteria that cause caries.
- Rickets, due to which dental tissue is destroyed faster.
- Long-term use for feeding and drinking bottles. While the child sucks food, it lingers on the teeth for a long time, and drinking compote or juice at night provokes damage to the enamel on the child's front teeth (such caries is called bottle decay).
- Bite disorders.
- Chronic infections, as a result of which the body's resistance to bacteria decreases.
- Diseases of the mother during the laying of teeth in the fetus.
Symptoms and Signs
When caries is just beginning to develop on milk teeth, it looks like a white (chalky) speck. There are no other symptoms at this early stage. As the disease progresses, the stains darken and cavities begin to form in the teeth. An unpleasant odor appears from the baby's mouth. Babies begin to complain of painful sensations when chewing, as well as when eating certain foods (sour, sweet, very hot or cold).
How to recognize caries in time?
It is quite difficult to detect the disease at an early stage, because most parents do not notice white spots on children's teeth, and even a dentist sometimes needs additional methods to detect them, for example, staining the teeth with red or blue dye (it only stains the tooth tissue affected by bacteria).
If the child has already begun to complain that the teeth hurt, a visit to the dental office should be immediate. But it is much better if the specialist examines the teeth of the crumbs regularly until the moment when they start to hurt. Sometimes babies do not complain of painful sensations, but they can chew food on one side or categorically refuse certain foods. This should also be a reason to show the baby to the dentist.
Kinds
Depending on the depth of damage to dental tissues, caries can be:
- Beginner. At this stage, a white spot is formed, but there is no pain.
- Superficial. The disease covers only enamel, lesions can be light or dark, and soreness occurs when eating salty, sour or sweet foods.
- Average. The process extends to the dentin, which is often accompanied by pain.
- Deep. Most of the internal tissues of the tooth become infected.
If caries has struck a previously healthy tooth, such a disease is called primary, and when an infection develops under the filling, secondary caries is diagnosed. Depending on the occurrence of complications, caries can be uncomplicated, as well as complicated. If we take into account the activity of the process, then decompensated and subcompensated, as well as compensated caries are distinguished.
Taking into account localization, the disease is divided into the following types:
- Cervical caries. It is often found in children, covering the area near the neck of milk teeth.
- Proximal caries. With this form, the upper part of the crown is affected. In childhood, it can be flat, when almost the entire chewing surface of the molars is affected.
- Fissure caries. The disease gets between the teeth.
Do teeth hurt with caries?
If the disease has just begun to develop, the child will not have painful sensations. Many babies have no pain even with deep damage to the tooth tissues. Quite often, painful sensations appear only with a certain effect, for example, if caries is superficial, pain can appear when eating sweets or sour products.
When the caries becomes moderate, there is a short-term pain from a cold or hot meal. If the infection has penetrated deeply, mechanical action is added to all these stimuli. Then pains appear when chewing.
Do I need to be treated?
Disputes about the need to treat caries on milk teeth do not make sense, because there is only one answer - it is imperative to treat teeth. And that's why:
- If untreated, the infection can get so deep that the future permanent tooth will also suffer.
- If, due to caries, a tooth falls out prematurely, other teeth will move, which can lead to problems with bite and crooked position of permanent teeth.
- Caries can be complicated, and such complications will require urgent treatment, and often end with tooth extraction.
- The absence of several teeth prevents the child from chewing food properly, as a result of which the child's digestive tract will begin to suffer.
- A tooth with caries is a source of infection in the child's body, which reduces his resistance to disease.
Complications of caries
Most often, children with caries on milk teeth develop:
- Pulpitis. The lesion extends deep into the soft tissue of the tooth, called the pulp. The child complains of sharp pains in the teeth, as well as increased sensitivity to sweets, hot and cold foods. Pain can occur when chewing and during a night's sleep.
- Periodontitis. The infection spreads to the tissues under the tooth, including bone tissue. The baby suffers from severe pain, his temperature rises and a swelling of the face, called a gumboil, appears.
For information on how to deal with tooth decay, see the next video.
Treatment methods
What substances are used to protect teeth?
If the disease was detected at an early stage, the drill is not needed. In the simplest cases, remineralization is used, during which plaque is removed from the teeth, after which the teeth are covered with a special compound rich in calcium, fluoride and phosphorus. Such a composition helps to restore the integrity of the enamel, and will also protect against harmful external influences.
One application will protect the teeth for about six months, and then the procedure is repeated. This treatment is widely used for superficial caries. The spot itself, as a rule, is not removed, but its size and severity decrease. Remineralization will also help out in situations where it is difficult for the doctor to determine whether the baby has started caries or the enamel of the teeth has not yet been completely mineralized.
The second common method used in babies is silvering. After cleaning the tooth, it is coated with a silver preparation to form a protective film and bactericidal effect. The procedure is repeated six months later, but it has a significant disadvantage - the treated teeth darken and remain dark until they fall out.
Other non-contact methods used in the treatment of children's caries are laser therapy (helps to remove the affected areas of the enamel), ozone therapy (used to disinfect the tooth) and the dissolution of infected tooth tissues with special chemicals.
Filling and anesthesia
In a situation where caries has struck the teeth deeply enough, one cannot do without filling. A drill is used to clean out infected tissues from the tooth, and anesthesia is required only when removing the pulp. Moreover, it is often local and is represented by the application of an anesthetic gel, after which the child is given an injection. If the baby categorically refuses dental care, use nitrous oxide or general anesthesia.
The nitrogen inhaled by the child through the mask relaxes the baby, relieves fear and sometimes puts it to sleep, but such a drug does not relieve pain, so the baby will be additionally injected. General anesthesia in the treatment of teeth affected by caries is rarely used, mainly for complications, multiple caries and the inability to persuade the child to treat the teeth. At the same time, there are contraindications to such anesthesia, therefore, the child is first examined by a pediatrician.
When the carious cavity is cleared, a filling is placed on the baby, which can be temporary (with a drug) or permanent (durable). Most often, substances are now used that quickly solidify under the influence of light. Colored fillings are often used, which babies like. In case of complications of caries, as a rule, milk teeth are removed.
What if the kid is afraid of doctors?
Unfortunately, not all pediatric dentists have the right approach to treating children, so the first visits to the doctor can be remembered by the baby as something terrible and painful. In this case, you will have to pay attention to the baby ceasing to be afraid of the dentist.
Carefully select a clinic based on reviews and go on an excursion with your child. Let the baby just examine everything on the first visit. Tell your child why the treatment is needed and how it will be administered. If persuasion does not help, you will have to resort to general anesthesia.
Komarovsky's opinion
A well-known pediatrician names among the main provoking factors of children's caries not only an excess of sweets in the diet and a genetic predisposition, but also the drying out of saliva. Due to insufficient air humidification, the saliva in the child's mouth, according to Komarovsky, begins to dry out and loses its protective properties. And the result can be an activation of the bacteria that cause tooth decay.
That is why the popular doctor insists that parents monitor the indoor climate and do not cuddle the child unnecessarily. In addition, Komarovsky recognizes the great importance of oral hygiene, and if teeth have already begun to deteriorate, a well-known doctor advises to immediately go to a specialist - a pediatric dentist.
Prevention
The main way to prevent caries in children in the first years of life is to teach the baby how to properly care for his teeth. Brushing should be done twice a day from the moment the child's first tooth erupted.
Mom can brush her teeth for up to a year using a silicone brush worn on her finger. Children over one year old need to be shown how to brush their teeth correctly, turning this procedure into an interesting game. They get a baby brush, and from the age of 2 they start using baby paste.
In addition, they try to reduce the influence of other factors provoking caries. For example, the diet of crumbs includes hard vegetables and fruits, which help to mechanically clean the teeth, and the amount of sweets is limited. At night, only clean water is used for drinking.
In the next video, the popular doctor Komarovsky will tell you how to properly care for the child's oral cavity in order to avoid possible dental problems.
