Cavities can not only occur in adults, milk teeth in children are also at risk for cavities. However, considering that the baby teeth in children will one day fall out and be replaced with permanent teeth, should the cavities of milk teeth be filled?
The first baby teeth usually grow when the child is 6 months old, then will continue to grow until the number reaches 20 by the age of 3 years. After that, one by one the baby teeth will fall out and be replaced by permanent teeth, when the child is 6-12 years old.
Milk teeth have an important role for children. Not only helping the process of chewing and talking, milk teeth also play a role in the child's growth and development process, especially for permanent teeth growth later.
If a child's milk tooth is hollow and sore, the child also usually becomes lazy to eat. This can interfere with the growth and development of children due to lack of nutritional intake. Therefore, don't neglect your child's baby teeth with cavities.
Causes of Cavities in Milk Teeth
Not only in school-age children, milk teeth cavities are also often found in toddlers. Milk teeth that have cavities in toddlers are called early childhood caries (EEC) or baby bottle caries (bottle milk caries). This condition usually affects the upper front teeth, although it can also spread to other teeth.
Milk teeth can be cavities due to the habit of consuming drinks with high sugar content for a long time, for example, children are accustomed to drinking formula milk in bottles while sleeping. Milk teeth can also be cavities because the mother or caregiver shares the use of eating utensils with the child, resulting in transmission of bacteria through saliva.
Impact of Milk Tooth Cavities
Milk teeth cavities will interfere with the function of these teeth, namely in terms of chewing food and talking. Milk teeth with cavities are also at risk of causing infection in the oral cavity which can be dangerous if not treated. Not only that, the seeds of the permanent teeth underneath can be damaged, so that the growth of the child's permanent teeth will be disrupted.
These things will have a negative impact on children's health in general, and interfere with learning concentration, comfort, and appearance of children. Therefore, there is no reason for cavities of milk teeth not to be filled, even though the child is still a toddler.
Preventing Cavities in Milk Teeth
Mothers and fathers certainly know that taking their children to the dentist is not an easy thing, especially for filling teeth. Therefore, take good care of your little one's teeth, before they have cavities.
The following are things parents can do to keep their child's baby teeth from cavities:
- Clean or brush your child's teeth since the teeth are growing.
- Avoid consuming sugary drinks before bedtime.
- Supervise and teach children over 2 years to rinse their mouth after brushing their teeth, but not to swallow the mouthwash.
- Check with the dentist since the child's first tooth grows.
- Pay attention to the child's diet. Replace foods or drinks that are high in sugar with foods that contain natural sugars, such as fruit.
So, take good care of your baby's milk teeth so they don't have cavities! But if you already have a hole, you should immediately take your little one to the dentist to get the right treatment.
Written by:
drg. Arni Maharani (Dentist)
