Tooth cavity, decay or caries is a pathological process of the oral cavity. Unfortunately, primary teeth cavity occurs very early, as a consequence of bad habits, eating and hygienic, as well as parental ignorance of the importance of primary teeth and all the options they have for keeping them healthy. Primary teeth cavity usually affects a large number of primary teeth and it progresses very quickly. Primary teeth are covered with a much thiner layer of teeth enamel (rarely over 1 mm), which is therby less mineralized and more prone to complications and faster spreading of primary teeth cavity. Great delusion between parents is that primary teeth are not to be treated because they are ,,going to come out anyway.’’ Untreated primary teeth cavity, the same as permanent teeth cavity, can cause severe pain, fever, swelling and other complications whose remedation is not painless. This is exactly where a child can develop a fear of the dentist that can follow them through life. Don’t allow your child’s first contact with the dentist to be uncomfotrable and stressful. Get regular check-ups and allow your child to adopt healthy habits in time.

Nursing bottle cavity is the most difficult form of primary teeth cavity. Caries process progresses rapidly and most commonly occurs on the incisors of the upper jaw. While the child is being breast fed or is eating from the bottle, teeth of the lower jaw are protected by the tongue, so nursing bottle cavity in these is rare.

Treatment of this type of cavity is hard and complex, because it quickly captures deeper tooth structures and it effects all the teeth. Most commonly, patients are coming too late, when the process is already in the advanced stage and complications develope.

In addition to the conservative care of carious lesions, proper oral hygiene implementation is very important as well as correcting bad eating habits.  Also, the use of fluoride agents alleviates the progression of caries and reduces the appearance of new carious lesions. Parent’s education is crucial in a fight with nursing bottle cavity, as well as timely remediation. Parents need to understand that taking care of primary teeth is very important. Their loss leaves lasting consequences on the oral health of their children. Unfortunately, it is usually realized when it’s already too late.

Primary teeth are extremely important. They should be taken care off and everything should be done so they do not develop cavities. However, with permanent teeth showing up, little patients are getting one more big responsibility to keep them healthy, because permanent teeth don’t have replacements. If you ever looked at your teeth, you probably noticed small holes and lines on the chewing surfaces of the teeth. Those are called fissures. Those places exactely are the places where caries development is most usual, since food is easily retained in them and therefore bacteria multiply. When we use the term – fissure sealing, we mean the procedure by which those holes (fissures) are filled with sealants, dental material that prevent the development of teeth cavity.

When is it necessary?

It’s necessary to bring the child for a check-up just before first permanent teeth – so called six year molars come out. The dentist first needs to determine if the coming out of the tooth is done and if the tooth is healthy. If all the conditions are fullfilled, we can say that that tooth is a perfect candidate for fissure sealing. To provide the best possible care for your children’s permanent teeth and to protect them in time, contact our dentists today.

How is it done?

If the child is cooperative, it is a procedure that is very short and it lasts less than ten minutes. Also, it is very important to say that it’s completely painless.

1. The surface of the tooth needs to be clean, otherwise the sealant will not bond to it properly. The dentist will place a small brush in their dental drill and use abrazive tooth paste to do so. Etching the tooth surface  with orthophosphoric acid, so the outher part of the enamel is ready for the sealant.

2. A thin layer of sealant is apllied and cured by a light.

The effect of fissure are multiple.  It’s not only a physical barrier in between the tooth and bacteria, but the sealant over time releases fluoride as well, which is an important factor in preventing cavities.

Can a sealed tooth go bad?

It’s important to understand that fissure sealing do not replace teeth brushing and maintaining regular oral hygiene. To bring the child to regular preventive check-ups in order to notice possible changes in the teeth in time is also crucial.

With little patients that are in high risk of developing cavities it is possible to apply highly concetrated fluoride in the dentist office, or to do a so called fluoride cavity prevention. The goal of this treatment is increasing the resistance of teeth not affected by caries, remineralizing the initial and slowing down the advanced caries.

The procedure is short and painless. After cleaning the tooth, the dentist will spread a special type of gel that it shouldn’t be swallowed. Fluoride that is inbild in the tooth enamel make the tooth more resistant to the acids produced by bacteria and additionally slows down the occurrence of tooth defects. This treatment is recommended for children in preschool and school age.

Through play and fun activities we will explain to you and your child how to wash teeth properly, how to use dental floss and why is it all very important. Special solutions that color the plaque purple will allow children to see where these deposits really are. This way, children will become aware that their teeth will be, dirty’’ if they don’t wash them properly. For training on proper tooth brushing, we use a toy-model of teeth so that children can learn something new through play time.

More about orthodontic treatment you can find HERE.