It is hardly possible to find a person for whom problems with teeth will be a mere trifle. And for children, even more so, sick teeth are a true source of fear, pain and worries.
Bottle caries is a common dental disease that can occur in infants who are not yet fed from the common table. If you notice dark spots on the surface of the tooth in a newborn, then it's time to sound the alarm.
What is bottle caries?
This is a disease that affects young children: from 6 months to 3 years. “Bottle” is a common name that has many other colloquial analogues: milk, nursery, kefir. Bottle caries affects mainly the frontal teeth of the upper row. The fact is that it is they who have the main load while feeding the baby with a bottle or breast. Accumulated plaque and leftover food have a detrimental effect on delicate enamel.
Milk caries in children begins in the cervical region: bacteria entering the bodyfrom the outside, secrete acids and destroy the enamel. At the first stage, small dark areas appear, which eventually turn into full-fledged carious cavities.
The main "source" of caries formation are sugary drinks, from children's juices to ordinary sweetened water. Breast milk has similar properties, because it also contains sugar, although not in significant quantities. Evening and night feeding of a child is the most dangerous period: after sleeping in the oral cavity, the bacterial flora becomes active, while saliva is practically not secreted, thereby not preventing the activity of bacteria inside the body.
Reasons for appearance
Causes of bottle caries can be very diverse. The most common is the habit of the mother to feed the baby before daytime and nighttime sleep. Pieces of food remain on the surface of the teeth, which eventually leads to trouble.
Sweets are also detrimental to milk teeth: juices, cookies, sweets and other foods containing sugar in large quantities. Breast milk itself can also be one of the factors in the occurrence of caries in a baby.
In addition to the obvious reasons, there are a number of other factors that have a negative impact on the condition of the teeth:
- Changes in baby's saliva (viscosity, minerals, and pH values);
- General vulnerability of the body, weakened immunity due to other, more serious diseases;
- lack of fluoride in the body;
- poor or no oral hygiene;
- hereditary predisposition.
Extremely often caries can be transmitted from parent to child. If you have dental disease, refrain from parental caresses for the duration of treatment, and even more so discard the habit of holding a pacifier in your mouth before giving it to your child.
Experts recommend getting rid of dental problems at the stage of pregnancy planning in order to avoid serious consequences not only for the baby, but for all family members in the future.
How to recognize milk caries: photo, early diagnosis
Milk caries in babies, as mentioned above, does not affect all teeth, but only the front upper area. It is they who come into contact with food more than others.
Detecting bottle caries in children is quite simple. It appears as brown-yellow and brown-black spots on the cervical region. Affected teeth not only spoil the baby's charming smile, but can also cause him serious discomfort. Caries is often accompanied by high sensitivity to cold and hot food, less often by pain.
The criteria for the final diagnosis are:
- early age up to 3 years;
- availability of night and evening feedings;
- 4-6 front teeth damage;
- visible signs of poor oral hygiene.
To identify caries in a baby, photo fromthe internet is not enough. If you notice disturbing notes in the behavior of a child, feel free to go to a specialist.
Only a pediatric dentist can recognize bottle caries with 100% probability as a result of careful examination of the tooth surface. For this, as a rule, popular techniques of drying, stomatoscopy, as well as special staining, which makes the affected areas much more visible, are used.
What is dangerous? Consequences and possible risks
One of the most dangerous diseases affecting baby teeth in children is caries. Its danger lies in the rapid progression. In a matter of months, it can spread from one tooth to the next, causing serious consequences.
Without timely treatment, the development of bottle caries can cause pulpitis, and at the same time the complete loss of a tooth.
The absence of one or more teeth can affect the future he alth of the baby. The formation of malocclusion, some jaw deformities, as well as speech and even breathing disorders are inevitable.
Stages of development of bottle caries in children
Milk caries, like any other disease, has its stages. Depending on the neglect of the situation, it is customary to distinguish 4 stages of damage to children's teeth.
The first stage. Small white spots form in the area of the cervical part of the tooth. They are not visible to the naked eye, but appear when completely dried. If hygiene procedures are neglected, thesein places, a yellowish coating may form. This is a clear sign of demineralization of the tooth surface.
Second stage. At this stage, the lesions become more pronounced. Dentin is exposed, which leads to increased tooth sensitivity, especially to cold. The surface of the tooth becomes softer, which ultimately leads to discomfort and pain. The baby may not yet speak, but frown, show his displeasure while eating or cleaning.
Third stage. Primary lesions are increasing, becoming more and more noticeable. The disease reaches the pulp, which, in turn, causes pain during eating, hygiene procedures, and sleep. Caries begins to touch and neighboring milk teeth. The age of the child during this stage, as a rule, reaches 1 year 8 months - 3 years.
Fourth stage. The last stage of tooth decay. In fact, this is the stage of necrosis, in which the connection between dentin and enamel is completely destroyed. The incisors are almost 95% destroyed, and the canines and molars acquire a brownish tint. In addition, the baby constantly feels pain, which obsessively worries him during sleep and rest. Appetite may be partially lost, and in some cases, interest in food may disappear completely.
Bottle caries treatment
It is best to fix the problem at the first stage, when it has not yet begun to progress. Otherwise, you will have to resort to radical methods of treatment that require the use of general anesthesia.
In any case, you should not leave withoutattention to the ailment that has arisen, otherwise the result of inaction can be deplorable: the formation of pulpitis, the transition of the disease to other milk teeth, as well as permanent teeth formed under them, impaired speech and breathing of the baby.
In order not to bring the child to the extreme degree of illness, it is important to cope with caries at its initial stage, when the surface of the tooth becomes like a miniature sponge with many pores. Good sealing will save the situation. Fortunately, there are several methods of dental treatment for children, and they are all equally effective.
Remineralizing gels
Treatment of milk teeth at an early stage is one of the easiest tasks for a parent. However, it should be understood that it is strictly forbidden to independently prescribe a remedy to a child, having read medical articles on the Internet. Such self-treatment may be ineffective, and with the wrong dosages, lead to serious consequences - fluoride oversaturation and further development of fluorosis.
It is essential that the child be diagnosed by a qualified specialist and given appropriate treatment. In the early stages - remineralizing gels. They effectively cope with the beginnings of the problem, carefully restoring the surface of the affected tooth, while not creating discomfort for the baby and difficulties for parents.
ICON System
An effective way to eliminate milk caries is the so-called ICON system. It involves isolating diseased teeth from the rest with a special latex plate - a rubber dam. The surface is covered with a gel designed to expandpores, which are subsequently sealed with a special composition after drying the tooth. At the end of the work, the teeth are shined with a special lamp to ensure good hardening, and also polished for aesthetics.
ICON is an effective way to heal. You can get rid of the disease at an early stage in just one appointment, however, for small children, general anesthesia will be required.
Silver plating
Controversial among dentists, but quite a budgetary way to treat teeth from bottle caries. The affected areas are covered with finely dispersed silver, which creates a natural protection. The procedure needs to be repeated in a month.
This method has one serious drawback: unaesthetic appearance. Silver deposits on the surface of the tooth, forming black spots, which affects the attractiveness of the smile. But there are pluses: the absence of pain and the need for anesthesia.
Filling
Similar treatment of milk teeth is necessary if their hard part - dentin - is affected. If you notice dark spots too late, then removing the surface of the affected areas with a drill is indispensable.
During the treatment, the specialist cleans the damaged cavities and then fills them with filling material. The procedure is not the fastest, and therefore you will have to resort to general anesthesia, since children under 3 years old cannot sit in one position with their mouth open for a long time.
Delete
This method is used extremely rarely and only if the damaged tooth can no longer be restored. Some of the parentsthey prefer to immediately resort to this method of “treatment”, so as not to cause discomfort to the baby. However, it should be understood that caries easily spreads to neighboring teeth. Removal of several can lead to impaired speech, as well as the shape of new, permanent teeth.
The only way out is to install a prosthesis in place of the removed carious teeth, which is categorically contraindicated in early childhood. Therefore, before making rash decisions, it is necessary to consult a specialist who will accurately determine the method of treatment.
Prevention
Preventing tooth decay is much easier than treating it. The only condition is to discard laziness and devote enough time to caring for the baby. As preventive measures it is necessary:
- Select with the help of a specialist suitable products and pastes for hygiene procedures.
- Get out of night feedings, nipples and bottles in favor of special baby cups.
- Protect the child from contact with an aggressive "adult" environment: at least use individual spoons.
- Teach your baby to sweets at a later age.
- Regular visits to the pediatric dentist.
- Following all the recommendations of a specialist, especially when identifying the initial stage of caries.
Caries is an unpleasant disease for adults. Not to mention the kids! However, if our he alth depends on ourselves, then the well-being of the child is the responsibility of every parent! Watch your child, and his smile will always beradiant and happy.
