Prevent, not treat: preventing caries in children

According to statistics, caries occurs more often in children than in adults. This is one of the most common reasons for visiting a dentist, because not only permanent teeth, but also baby teeth are susceptible to destruction.

Children do not like to be treated, and often parents feel sorry for the child until the last moment and do not take him to the dentist in order to avoid stressful situations. But you need to understand that the health of his teeth in adulthood will depend on how they care for their baby’s oral cavity in childhood.

What are the causes of caries in children

The appearance of caries can be due to various reasons.

Insufficient or incorrect hygiene

Children most often do not want to brush their teeth - they are capricious because they do not like the process itself or the taste of the toothpaste. And parents often follow the lead and let the situation take its course, without insisting on the need for this procedure. However, it is necessary to teach a child to brush their teeth from a very early age, so that by the age of two the child himself shows a desire to take care of his teeth. Dentists recommend starting caries prevention immediately after the first teeth erupt.

Prolonged contact with the pacifier

In dentistry there is such a thing as “bottle caries”. It can develop before the age of 1 year, when the child is fed too long and often from a bottle with a nipple. Most often, such caries affects the upper front teeth, and the consequences are really serious.

Transmission of infection from parents

Many people are familiar with the situation when a child suddenly dropped a pacifier on the floor, the mother quickly picked it up, licked it and returned it to the baby. It's not as harmless as it might seem. This is how bacteria are transmitted that cause caries. For the same reason, you should not lick the baby's spoon when feeding. The infection can be transmitted even through kissing, so parents and other relatives who are in close contact with the child should carefully monitor the health of their teeth.

Congenital problems

Often, dental problems are congenital in nature. This may be genetic or caused by health problems in the mother during pregnancy. Bad habits, past illnesses, deficiency of vitamins and minerals (especially calcium) - all this affects the dental health of the unborn baby.

Abuse of sweets and carbohydrate foods

This is the most common cause of dental caries. Too much love for sweets is not good for children's teeth. Sweets, juices, lemonades, buns and cookies - all this creates a favorable environment for the development of bacteria and subsequent destruction of enamel.

Lack or excess of fluoride

Fluoride is necessary for the normal formation of teeth and to protect them from damage. We get it from food and water, and it is better to periodically get tested for the content of this element in the body in order to adjust nutrition and care in a timely manner. Both deficiency and excessive amounts of fluoride provoke dental problems.

Deep fluoridation

Fluoride is known to be an important element in maintaining dental health. However, until recently, the only way to replenish this element in the enamel was toothpaste with fluoride. But its effectiveness is very low, and teeth are still susceptible to destruction. The lack of fluoride is especially felt by residents of those regions where there is a lack of it in drinking water and food.

Today, medicine offers a unique method for restoring tooth enamel and hard tooth tissues - deep fluoridation. This procedure replenishes mineral deficiencies, reduces tooth sensitivity and prevents the growth of bacteria that leads to tooth decay. For children, deep fluoridation is of particular importance, since the formation of permanent teeth occurs only in the child’s body. Insufficient intake of fluoride from food and irregular oral care can contribute to the premature destruction of tooth enamel. Using the deep fluoridation procedure, you can increase its hardness by 10 times!

What is the deep fluoridation method?

This method is based on a series of chemical reactions: they produce microcrystals of calcium fluoride that fill microcracks in the enamel. The deep fluoridation procedure itself takes place in several successive stages. First, the dentist brushes your teeth with a special paste to remove plaque and tartar. Then, using a jet of air, the teeth are dried and covered with a filling liquid, which “seals” the enamel (highly dispersed calcium fluoride and magnesium fluoride). After this, drying is carried out again and calcium and copper hydroxide are applied. A chemical reaction occurs between the first and second layers, during which microparticles of calcium fluoride are released, which very easily penetrate into the deep layers of enamel. At the same time, copper compounds formed as a result of the reaction have a strong bactericidal effect. Due to the described interaction of elements, anti-caries protection occurs.

When is deep fluoridation recommended?

This procedure is preventative and completely painless. It is aimed at long-term protection against enamel destruction and caries (the effect lasts up to two years). Therefore, it can be recommended to everyone who cares about dental health.

Deep fluoridation is especially useful in the following cases:

• to protect baby teeth in young children
• for teenagers whose bodies undergo changes associated with puberty, during which caries activity increases
• with fluoride deficiency due to poor diet or natural environment
• with increased tooth sensitivity
• with thinning enamel
• before installation and after removing braces

Due to the fact that the effect of deep fluoridation is quite long-lasting, it is enough to undergo the procedure 1-2 times a year. However, despite the obvious benefits of this preventive measure, we should not forget about other ways to take care of dental health: a balanced diet, regular brushing, regular visits to the dentist, and so on.

What are the stages of dental caries in children?

Tooth decay begins gradually, and with regular examination, parents and the dentist can catch the right moment in time and begin treatment.

It is better not to delay the examination, because caries in a child can develop quite quickly. The further you go, the more uncomfortable and worrying your first visit to the doctor will be.

Complications of caries

The most typical complications of caries are pulpitis and periodontitis.

Pulpitis is a pathological process in which the inflammatory process affects the soft dental tissue (pulp). Symptoms of pulpitis can develop over several hours. This is preceded by minor pain, then acute pain occurs, more often at night or as a result of exposure to temperature stimuli. Such signs indicate that the carious cavity is most likely very deep and the dental pulp is affected. In this case, urgent dental intervention is necessary.

In the event that toothache has been observed repeatedly, the child has swelling of the gums or cheeks, and a fistula with purulent discharge is visible on the mucous membrane near the tooth, pain occurs as a result of biting on the tooth, then this indicates the spread of the pathological process beyond the tooth and inflammatory the process developed in the tissues that surround the tooth and a pathology such as periodontitis arose. When treating it, the doctor will choose the treatment tactics individually, but such a baby tooth is unlikely to be cured and will need to be removed.

Is it necessary to treat caries of baby teeth?

Despite the “temporary nature” of children’s teeth, treatment and care for them must be thorough and complete. Chronic inflammation in the oral cavity leads to serious problems.

• A baby tooth affected by caries can decay so deeply that it affects the germ of a permanent tooth. The infection will spread to it, and it will grow up with enamel defects or simply die.
• When a baby tooth is removed, the adjacent tooth moves into its place, causing the permanent tooth to erupt in a different place than intended. As a result, the bite is formed incorrectly, and in the future it has to be corrected with braces.
• Advanced caries reduces immunity and causes ENT diseases and even allergies.
• Painful sensations prevent the baby from biting and chewing food correctly, which causes digestive problems.
• The child will be embarrassed about his bad teeth, which will prevent him from communicating with his peers.

It is necessary to treat caries at any age at the initial stage, and it is better to accustom your child to this in advance.

Methods to prevent the development of the disease

After establishing the cause of this disease, you can begin to take preventive measures. Prevention of caries in preschool children includes:

• reducing the amount of sweets, lollipops, chocolate and baked goods;
• teaching the child the rules of oral hygiene;
• dieting.

These rules are quite simple to follow. The only thing that is absolutely necessary is the desire of the parents. Prevention of caries in school-age children is practically no different from that in preschool children. The only thing is that the child should not be taught the rules of oral hygiene, but should be monitored for their implementation. The NovaDent clinic in Moscow hopes that preventing caries in baby teeth will become the responsibility of every family member. But if the disease does manifest itself, treating children’s dental caries will not take a lot of money and effort, since prices for services are affordable, and the professionalism of doctors is beyond doubt.

Expert of the article you are reading: Lapshina Maria Aleksandrovna Dentist, pediatrician

20 years
Clinical experience

Krasnogorsk

Moscow region, Krasnogorsk, Podmoskovny Boulevard, 5

+7

Free consultation with this specialist

Can a filling be placed on a baby tooth?

If the doctor diagnoses not the first stage of tooth decay and insists that it is necessary to put a filling, it is better to agree with him. This is the fastest and most reliable way to solve the problem of infection and protect permanent teeth.

Modern filling materials are as safe as possible for children’s teeth. Depending on the stage of caries, the doctor will select a suitable filling option. Before installing a permanent filling, the dentist may place a temporary filling for several days to fix the medication inside the diseased tooth.

If the damage is not yet serious, the doctor will limit himself to preventive measures. There are different approaches and tools for different problems.

School dentist

In this case, the work of a pediatric school dentist is very important. It is the school pediatric dentist who must competently convey to parents and children how important preventive dental examinations and timely treatment of caries are. In principle, schools currently provide entire treatment and preventive programs. Participation in them is not strictly obligatory and the decision to participate in these programs, of course, is made by parents. If you decide to refuse the services of a school dentist, we advise you to definitely find a good pediatric dentist, since in any case, healthy teeth are the result of the right approach to treatment and preventive monitoring of their health.

What are the treatment methods for caries in children?

Treatment methods depend on the stage of caries development. The more serious the problem, the longer it will take to fix it.

Preventive

At the initial stage, a delicate intervention is sufficient, which can stop or reverse the process of destruction that has begun. In this case, for example, remineralization (treatment of teeth with a solution of calcium and fluoride) or deep fluoridation (treatment with fluoride) is used. Such procedures are carried out in courses until the condition of the teeth is stabilized.

There is also a treatment method without drilling, which allows you to quickly and completely painlessly prevent the development of inflammation. The procedure is suitable for children from 4–5 years of age and causes them minimal discomfort.

Medicinal

For medium and deep caries, classical filling with preliminary preparation of teeth for the procedure is already necessary. To ensure that the treatment is calm and painless, the most modern and effective anesthesia is used. Your baby doesn’t even have to endure the pain of the needle because the injection site is first numbed. The drill is used to a minimum in the treatment of childhood caries - if something can be done manually, then the doctor will do so.

If a child has a complex case of caries, or is very restless in the dentist's chair, treatment is carried out under anesthesia. After consulting with an anesthesiologist and passing all the necessary tests, the baby will be selected the appropriate drug and dose, he will be put into deep sleep, during which the doctor will carefully monitor the condition of the body. Time will fly by in a dream - the child will wake up with healthy teeth, a clear head and an unspoiled mood.

What's next?

All children at 3 years old have 20 baby teeth. The first cavities in the teeth appear along with sweets in the diet. Doctors try to use various treatment methods, including without the use of a drill. One of them is ICON - the enamel is coated with a deeply penetrating drug that prevents the spread of infection. Another method is ozonation, when caries is eliminated using ozone. Silent and non-contact treatment of caries using AirFlow air-kinetic treatment is carried out by an air stream with water and abrasive, and ends with the fluoridation procedure of tooth enamel.

How to prevent tooth decay in children

The best way to combat tooth decay is prevention. To maintain the health of children's teeth, you need to follow several rules.

• Follow your diet. Reduce your consumption of sweets as much as possible. Make sure your child gets enough calcium from their diet - dairy products, nuts, legumes and sesame are especially rich in it.
• Teach your child to brush their teeth. From the first tooth that emerges (age 6–8 months), you can already use a small baby brush. Gradually accustom your child to self-care - buy tasty toothpaste, turn the process of brushing your teeth into a game, encourage your baby’s interest.
• Visit your dentist regularly. Children need to undergo preventive examinations, as well as professional hygiene procedures more often than adults - approximately once every three months. The doctor will be able to identify problems in a timely manner and give advice on the proper care of children’s teeth. In addition, visits to the doctor will become routine for the baby, and he will not be afraid of them.

Try to carefully monitor the condition of your child’s teeth and pay attention to his complaints. The sooner you see a dentist, the faster, more effective, and most importantly, painless the treatment will be. Explain to your child that dentistry is not scary. And our experienced doctors will help him make sure of this.

Children's baby teeth are especially vulnerable to tooth decay. Read the article on how to avoid it. From this article you will learn: 1. How baby teeth are formed 2. Where do children get caries and how does it develop 3. How to protect baby teeth from caries How baby teeth are formed When the baby gets his first tooth, parents worry and rejoice. From this moment on, they carefully monitor the teething and their condition. However, you need to start taking care of your child’s healthy smile much earlier. Here's how baby teeth are formed: • 6th - 7th week of mother's pregnancy - the crowns of the teeth are formed; • 8th - 42nd week of mother's pregnancy - enamel and dentin, dental pulp are formed; • 4 - 5 months after birth - cementum and tooth roots are formed; • 6 - 8 months - central incisors erupt; • 8 - 12 months - lateral incisors erupt; • 12 - 16 months - first molars erupt; • 16 - 20 months - fangs erupt; • 20 - 30 months - second molars erupt.

There are usually only 20 primary teeth: 2 incisors, 1 canine, 2 premolars - on each side of the upper and lower jaw. Baby teeth begin to fall out after permanent teeth form. As a rule, the process lasts up to 13 - 14 years.

Where does caries come from and how does it develop? There are many microorganisms in the human mouth. Caries is caused by streptococci - Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguis: they multiply in an environment favorable to them, which is created if the child: • brushes teeth irregularly or inappropriately; • eats a lot of carbohydrate foods (bread, chocolate, honey, sweets) and few raw vegetables; • suffers from hypovitaminosis - a lack of vitamins in the body; • drinks low-quality water (low in fluoride, phosphorus and calcium); • suffered from rickets, tuberculosis, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or has a weak immune system. This is how tooth decay develops.

The enamel of baby teeth is very thin, so all processes in the child’s oral cavity occur quickly and asymptomatically.
Even if a small brown spot is visible on the surface of the enamel, caries can be deep. That's why it's so important to notice it in time. To keep your children's teeth healthy, visit the dentist regularly with your child. The specialist will determine whether the child has caries and assess the degree of its development using the following methods: • vital staining of enamel: dye is applied to the cleaned surface of the enamel, areas of damaged enamel change color. The method is used for early diagnosis of caries and its prevention;

• examination using ultraviolet irradiation: teeth are cleaned of plaque and dried, healthy enamel glows under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, in contrast to areas affected by caries;

• X-ray - using an X-ray, the dentist determines the degree of tooth destruction and the condition of nearby tissues.

How to protect baby teeth from caries: 5 ways! There are several simple rules that will help you prevent the development of caries in your child:

1. Visit your dentist before you plan to become pregnant. A specialist will help identify caries and cure it. If this is not done in time, bacteria intensively form in the mother’s mouth, which reduces the quality of breast milk and colostrum, and can also cause caries in the baby;

2. Conscientiously visit doctors during pregnancy, because the health of your child largely depends on you. The structure of the baby's enamel begins to form in the 6th - 8th week of pregnancy: the formation of tooth buds occurs, and the process of their mineralization occurs. Toxicosis, viral diseases, stress and bad habits negatively affect the formation of enamel.

3. Take care of the child’s proper nutrition, especially in the period from 1 to 3 years. Pediatric dentist Katerina Kuznetsova (Novosibirsk, SKYDENT) o. Here are some nutritional tips from our expert to help slow down or prevent tooth decay:

• teach your child to eat healthy: eliminate unhealthy foods, give vegetables and fruits more often. Offer bananas, grapes and dried fruits infrequently - they contain a lot of sugar, they “cling” to the teeth and contribute to the formation of acids that destroy enamel;

• it is better to eat 4 - 5 times a day in small portions every 2 - 3 hours;

• pamper your child with sweets before lunch: then all simple carbohydrates will dissolve and have minimal harmful effects on the teeth;

• add foods that have an anti-caries effect to your child’s diet: - buckwheat, hard cheese, walnuts and carrots. They contain vitamins, have an antibacterial effect and reduce bleeding gums. Ordered snacks, proper nutrition and healthy foods help the body restore the alkaline balance in the oral cavity, so the mechanism of enamel destruction does not start.

4. Choose a soft children's toothbrush with a comfortable handle. The baby will happily squeeze it in his small fist, and it will not injure his gums;

5. Choose the right pasta. This is what it should be:

• safe - without fluorine, parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, chlorhexidine. If this is the baby's first toothpaste, he will taste it and swallow it. The task of parents is to make the child enjoy the process: turn brushing teeth into a fun game. Also, buy an hourglass and don’t forget to lead by example: brush your teeth together for 3 to 5 minutes. To avoid damaging children's fragile enamel or gums, consult a dentist: he will show you how to properly brush children's teeth;

• with natural ingredients;

• with a pleasant taste, but not cloying: then the baby will brush his teeth with pleasure.

Advice from pediatric dentist Katerina Kuznetsova (Novosibirsk, SKYDENT): “For the youngest children (from 0 to 9 months), treating teeth with gels and using dental wipes is suitable. Use toothpastes that contain hydroxyapatite: it contains particles that strengthen children's enamel. At an older age (from 3 to 4 years old), you can use dental floss and mouthwash.”

6. Contact your dentist promptly. This is important for the processes of chewing, development and formation of the jaws. An untreated baby tooth can lead to major complications such as tooth extraction, death of the permanent tooth germ, and malocclusion.

Follow these simple tips and let your child’s healthy smile make you happy every day.