When Your Child’s Tooth Decay Gets Serious

Posted October 20, 2020

There are many different concerns that your child might experience with their dental health, but that they can largely avoid with good dental hygiene and right level of preventive care. Tooth decay is one of the more common of these concerns, and fortunately for many kids, preventing and treating it can often be minimally invasive. However, when tooth decay becomes a more severe problem for your child’s tooth, the extent to which it can become a threat makes it a much bigger issue.

Treating the tooth early

Like most other oral health concerns, tooth decay only needs time for it to grow more severe. Its progressive nature is the most important reason why you should have your child’s cavity treated as early as possible. The more it progresses, the more of the healthy, natural tooth structure it erodes. If your child complains of a toothache, or if the dentist detects one during your child’s regular checkup and cleaning appointment, then it’s important to address the problem as soon as possible with a filling.

What it means for a tooth to decay

Tooth decay is a similar process for everyone who develops it, whether they’re a child or adult. It involves the erosion of a tooth’s outer layer of enamel, and the subsequent infection of its main structure. The bacterial infection in the tooth erodes the structure, and causes a cavity to form as a result of it. Filling the cavity with biocompatible material is often the preferred way to stop it from getting worse and save your child’s tooth. Yet, in more severe cases, the decay might reach the pulp and root canal of the tooth, and removing it could require more involved treatment.

If your child’s tooth is severely decayed

When tooth decay progresses, it gets closer to the tooth’s nerves and blood vessels, which rest in the tooth’s pulp and root canal. For adults, treating infected root canals often means root canal therapy, which involves completely removing the infected tissues and nerves from the tooth’s pulp and root canal. For children, however, root canal treatment isn’t always viable given the smaller nature of their teeth’s structures. A more conservative version of the procedure, known as pulpotomy, may be necessary, though you can reduce your child’s need for it by having their cavity treated early.

Learn how to save your child’s tooth

Tooth decay is always serious, and if your child develops it, then saving the tooth will depend on how severe it’s allowed to become. 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.