What Happens When You Kid Has A Cavity?
If your child complains about an ache in a tooth, this could potentially mean a cavity is present. To help prevent infection and the risk of premature tooth loss, we can help! In today’s blog, your team at Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda in Dallas, TX, talks about how we halt, treat, or even prevent a cavity!
The Causes of a Cavity
What causes a cavity to form in your child’s tooth? The outer enamel protects the sensitive inner structures from bacteria and decay, but various factors could cause this protective layer to weaken and erode. For example, when kids do not brush and floss daily and have a diet high in sugar and starch, this could create plaque and tartar buildup that erodes the outer enamel. Teeth grinding could weaken enamel, as could an injury to the teeth, such as a crack or chip. A lack of professional cleanings to remove all plaque and tartar could also be a major component of weakened enamel and tooth decay.
Warning Signs of a Cavity
How do you know if your child has a cavity? Well, we urge parents to bring their children in for a routine checkup every six months, so we can monitor their smiles and catch issues like tooth decay early, often before kids even experience painful symptoms. Because otherwise, you may not know your children need treatment until they experience pain in their smiles, such as tooth sensitivity during meals or a toothache that forms and does not fade after a day or two. Don’t ignore persistent pain, contact our team for a consultation and exam!
The Risk of Infection
While treating tooth decay provides relief from painful symptoms, this can also help prevent the decay from becoming an infection. When a tooth is infected, the symptoms can increase in severity, but you also risk the loss of a tooth, or one requiring extraction to prevent infection from spreading to other parts of the smile. By preventing or treating tooth decay, we can safeguard smiles against infection and tooth loss, limiting unsightly gaps and the risk of misalignment down the road.
Silver Diamine Fluoride and Curodont
When a tooth is decayed, we often treat the issue with a filling. However, if we catch the issue early enough, we may be able to essentially halt decay and prevent the need for a restoration. To do so, we can offer two unique treatment options. With Silver Diamine Fluoride, we can apply a special fluoride varnish to the teeth that fills the weakened areas and prevents decay from progressing any further. With Curodont, we again apply a special agent to the teeth that stops the progress to decay, keeping the tooth intact and free of discomfort. Both options only take seconds to apply, and can protect kids from painful aches and sensitivity.
Dental Fillings
If the cavity has already formed, then we could help with a dental filling. The procedure only takes one visit to complete, and can offer results that blend with the same better than traditional metal options. We will use a special metal-free composite resin, which bonds with the tooth and has the ability to last for years to come. This is safe for kids of all ages! We will numb the tooth to ensure your little one is uncomfortable, and then remove the decay and clean the tooth. We apply the composite resin to the teeth and sculpt the tooth while the material cures under a light. The last step is to polish the tooth for a brighter appearance.
Fluoride and Dental Sealants
Our team can also offer treatments designed to help prevent cavities entirely. Following their routine cleaning every six months, we could apply fluoride to the teeth to keep the outer smile strong and prevent cavities. Application takes seconds, and results can last for months. Kids need to avoid food and drink for about 30 minutes as the material cures.
We also have dental sealants for the rear teeth, which coats them so that food and drink particles cannot be trapped where kids have trouble reaching. Sealants take seconds to apply and can stay intact for years to come, protecting smiles of all ages from cavities. If you have any questions about how we treat or prevent childhood cavities, then contact our team today.
PDC Kids Is Ready to Take on Childhood Cavities
Our team is here to help prevent and treat cavities in little smiles. To find out more about children’s dentistry, then call Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda in Dallas, TX, today at (214) 321-4880.
filed under: Cavities/Tooth Decay