Caries of baby teeth: causes, symptoms and methods of treatment
Caries is a multifactorial dental disease, that is, its occurrence is often provoked by several reasons at once. It is especially common in children whose mothers suffered from infectious diseases in the first trimester of pregnancy. After all, it is at this time that the embryo's dental rudiments are formed.
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Caries is a multifactorial dental disease, which means that its occurrence is often provoked by several reasons at once. It is especially common in children whose mothers had infectious diseases in the first trimester of pregnancy. After all, it is at this time that the embryo's tooth buds are formed.
Also, significant causes of caries include:
- genetic predisposition;
- lack of calcium in food;
- irregular oral hygiene;
- frequent consumption of sweets;
- malocclusion;
- immune problems.
It is not for nothing that children's caries is called bottle caries. When milk formulas, juices or compotes are consumed through a nipple, the sweet liquid is in contact with the surface of the teeth for a long time. This can cause damage to the enamel because sweets are the best food for caries microbes.
The initial stage of the disease is difficult to recognize even for dentists. For diagnosis, the vital staining technique is used. It involves applying special dyes to teeth dried from saliva, which appear only on the affected part of the enamel. Therefore, you need to pay close attention to any complaints from a child about pain during feeding, even if his teeth are a healthy white color.
Small children cannot always verbally express unpleasant sensations when eating. Because of this, they are capricious, refuse to eat or chew only on one side. All these changes in the child's behavior at the table are a reason to contact a specialist.
Depending on the depth of the lesion, caries can be divided into several stages.
- Initial. Characterized by the appearance of whitish spots of various shapes and sizes on the teeth. Painful symptoms may be absent.
- Superficial. The spots do not penetrate deeper than the enamel, but their color darkens noticeably. Sour foods can cause discomfort.
- Medium. The inner part of the tooth, dentin, is affected. Severe pain occurs when consuming sour, sweet and salty foods, drinks at extreme temperatures, and from exposure to cold air.
- Deep. Most of the entire tooth is subject to changes. Painful symptoms can be felt for a long time, regardless of food intake.
Baby teeth differ from permanent teeth by a thinner layer of enamel and high permeability of hard tissues. Because of this, several carious lesions are often observed in one tooth, as well as rapid development of the disease.
Treatment of caries
Many parents believe that the first teeth do not need to be treated, since they will soon fall out anyway. But this opinion is absolutely wrong. The pain that accompanies caries increases with each stage and causes unbearable suffering to the baby. In addition, permanent teeth will erupt in time in place of healthy baby teeth, which will reduce the likelihood of developing malocclusion or an unaesthetic crooked row. Do not forget that advanced caries often leads to such serious complications as periodontitis and pulpitis, the course of which is more dangerous and painful.
Treatment of children's baby teeth has its own characteristics. The main task of the dentist is not to completely eliminate the carious defect, but to extend the life of the tooth as much as possible. And if the disease is diagnosed at the first two stages, the therapy will be carried out without using a drill.
Remineralization. The essence of the technique is to apply a special solution to teeth cleaned of plaque, including calcium, phosphorus and fluorine. Despite the fact that the carious spot does not disappear completely, it ceases to be dangerous. With repeated applications every six months, it allows you to save the tooth until it naturally falls out.
Silvering. It is carried out in the same way and with the same frequency as remineralization. The tooth is treated with silver nitrate, which forms a protective antibacterial film on it. A significant drawback of the technique is that the entire enamel is stained dark, which remains until it falls out.
Other non-contact methods include laser treatment, ozone, and chemicals that dissolve carious lesions. However, if dentin is involved in the destructive process, a tooth filling is required.
Disease prevention
The main preventive measure is teaching the child how to properly care for the oral cavity. To prevent the formation of skills from turning into a boring chore, you can buy special training toothbrushes. Their handles have a rattle built into them that only works with certain hand movements. Other models emit a sound signal two minutes after the start of brushing, indicating the end of the action. A regular toothbrush with soft bristles will do.
It is important to monitor the child's diet and reduce the consumption of sweets. At the same time, it is useful to increase the amount of solid food that requires thorough chewing. In this case, the production of saliva in the oral cavity will increase, which cleans the teeth naturally. Dairy products, greens, and eggs are very useful for children.
Non-specific measures include general strengthening of the child's immunity, prevention or competent treatment of various infectious diseases.
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