3 Ways a Filling Can Save Your Child’s Smile

Posted October 8, 2020

Typically, the goal of dental health treatment for your child is to help them preserve their smiles, which entails helping them prevent the common conditions that could threaten it. However, if a problem does develop, such as a cavity in your child’s tooth, then saving their smile means addressing it as soon as possible. With cavities, which can be one of the most frequent concerns for children’s smiles, treating and saving the tooth can often be accomplished by placing a biocompatible, tooth-colored filling in the cavity before it progresses further.

1. It relives the pain in your child’s tooth

A cavity is often the source of tooth sensitivity and pain for children. The level of this discomfort largely depends on the severity of the cavity, but once it develops, the toothache won’t go away until the cavity is treated. During a tooth filling procedure, your child’s dentist will carefully assess the extent of the decay that has caused the cavity, then clean away the infection and harmful bacteria from the tooth’s structure. In addition to stopping the decay from progressing, this also alleviates the source of your child’s chronic toothache.

2. It stops the tooth’s cavity from growing

Relieving your child’s toothache is a nearly immediate benefit to having their cavity treated. However, the longer-term benefit involves stopping the decay behind the cavity from getting any worse, which could have serious implications for your child’s oral health. For example, if treated early, the cavity can often be treated effectively with a filling. However, if the decay progresses, the cavity will grow larger, and the problem could become much more serious for your child’s immediate and long-term oral health.

3. It preserves the permanent tooth underneath it

When a cavity develops in your child’s primary (or baby) tooth, the symptoms and consequences of the decay are the same as they are in a permanent tooth. However, if the decay in a primary tooth progresses, it may impact that permanent tooth structure underneath it. In addition to treating the primary tooth for the cavity, your child may also require additional treatment to address the decay in the developing permanent tooth and preserve its health and integrity.

Learn if a filling can save your child’s smile

If your child develops a cavity in their tooth, then a custom, biocompatible tooth filling could be the key to saving their smile. To learn more, schedule an appointment by calling Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda in Dallas, TX today at 214-321-4880. We proudly serve patients who live around Casa Linda and all surrounding Dallas communities.