Such a disease as caries in children has recently become a common problem. In this article, we will look at what causes the development of milk teeth disease, how to recognize that it is caries, methods of treatment, as well as how you can help your child at home and what prevention methods dentists recommend.
Many people wonder why caries is so common in baby teeth? It depends on their features. Dairy incisors are smaller in size, the enamel is thinner and softer. Temporary teeth are subject to natural abrasion more than permanent teeth. It is these factors that contribute to the appearance of dark spots. But here it is important to notice them at an early stage, then the treatment process will be safe and painless.
What is caries?
Only a third of young children have he althy baby teeth. At the same time, it is quite difficult to diagnose diseases in the early stages, since the baby cannot yet recognize the degree of discomfort. And most often the diseaseis revealed already in the running form.
What is caries? This is the process of decay of the hard tissue of the tooth. First, the enamel is destroyed, then the disease passes to hard tissues, which is accompanied first by yellow and then black spots on the tooth. Most often, this dental problem affects the upper front incisors, as they are involved in the chewing process.
First signs of dental caries in children
Most often, the disease in children affects more than one tooth, but spreads to several at once. In most cases, caries affects the outside of the jaw and rarely the inside.
The very first signs of a dental problem are the appearance of white or yellow spots on the tooth enamel. Over time, they increase in size and change color from brown to black. At the same time, the baby does not particularly feel discomfort. But when the process penetrates deeper, then it becomes painful for the child to chew and the teeth react to temperature changes and solid food.
It is worth paying attention to the possible development of caries in milk teeth in children, if the baby refuses food, starts chewing on one side and he develops bad breath. In young children, the disease develops rapidly, may even be accompanied by fever. But if the pathology is recognized in the early stages, then the therapy will be painless.
Features of the disease depending on the age of the baby
Children's dental diseases have their own distinctive features independing on the age of the child. Quite often, young children suffer from caries. At the age of 2, a child's teeth are not yet strong enough, as they are only in the process of building them, which is why they are subject to the influence of external factors such as food or medicine.
Features and causes of caries in a child 2 years and younger:
- At this age, the process of mineralization and hardness of the teeth is actively underway, so at this time they are more susceptible to caries.
- Teeth tissues are not yet sufficiently saturated with calcium and fluoride.
- Pathology can develop in a baby in the womb.
- The cause of the disease may be taking certain medications or the child's unwillingness to give up the pacifier for a long time.
- Falling asleep with a bottle can cause bottle caries, because in this case, milk formula, especially sweet, comes into contact with tooth enamel.
- At this age, the disease is actively spreading to nearby teeth, it is important to clean them regularly with fluoride-containing paste.
Features of the course of the disease and caries therapy in a child older than 3 years:
- The disease develops in stages, but at the same time it passes from a yellow spot to brown in a fairly short time. It is important at this stage to recognize caries as early as possible. In a child of 3 years old, he is easily amenable to painless therapy.
- First, the enamel is affected, which is not painful for the child.
- No treatmentleads to the fact that caries penetrates deep into the tooth, then there is pain during meals, primarily a reaction to sweet and sour.
- May develop a cyst on the gum or flux.
- If there is no therapy, this can subsequently lead to the removal of more than one tooth, while the permanent ones have not yet formed.
Therapy at this age depends on the emotional mood of the baby. For example, a dentist can silver the surface of the tooth to prevent the spread of disease, or saturate the enamel with minerals, apply deep fluoridation or fill.
Stages
Today, one of the most common dental diseases is caries in children.
Caries of milk teeth can be divided into several stages, on which the chosen method of therapy directly depends:
- Initial. When spots of a yellow tint appear, the child does not feel discomfort. Here it is important to consult a dentist until the disease has become chronic and has not spread to the entire dentition. Visual changes may not be visible, so dentists perform diagnostic measures such as x-rays or other methods.
- Surface. The enamel of the tooth is affected and the child begins to feel pain when eating sweet, s alty or cold. In this case, they fill or carry out remineralizing therapy, as well as silvering. Although the latter method of therapy is the most popular, the color of the tooth darkens significantly.
- Average. The enamel of the tooth and part of the dentin is affectedpathology. The spots turn brown or even black. Here, pain appears already when taking solid food, and caries quickly spreads to the entire dentition.
Deep. Enamel and dentin are severely affected. This can lead to tooth loss
Reasons
At 3 years old, caries in a child can develop for the following reasons:
- Violation of the formation of teeth occurred in the womb. This can happen if the woman has taken certain medications or has suffered from the condition herself, especially in the later stages of pregnancy. In this case, caries develops before the child reaches 2 or 3 years of age.
- Contacts. The baby's immunity is not yet strong, so kissing a parent who has caries on the tooth enamel can transmit the disease to the baby. The same goes for sharing cutlery.
- Hereditary predisposition. If one of the relatives suffered from a dental disease, then the risk of developing it in a child is high.
- Lack or lack of hygiene. As soon as the first tooth appears, it needs to be cleaned, and the baby should be taught to do this regularly.
- Wrong diet. Excessive consumption of sugary foods destroys fragile tooth enamel.
- Nipples or bottle. Keeping these objects in the mouth constantly not only leads to improper bite formation, but also to the development of caries.
Diagnosis
Caries in children can bediagnose not only visually when the disease is already running, but also with the help of certain dental tests, especially in the early stages:
- x-ray or drying - good for early diagnosis;
- transillumination or photopolymerization - in the process of diagnosis, the baby's teeth are translucent;
- electroodontometry - using a weak discharge current, the sensitivity of the teeth is checked;
- vital staining - blue is applied to the dentition, the affected areas are painted in a dark color;
- Ultraviolet diagnostics.
Therapy
The appearance of caries in children requires immediate treatment. Although many parents believe that treatment of milk incisors is not necessary, since they will fall out over time anyway. In fact, pathology can develop already on permanent teeth, even in the process of inception. In addition, if you start the disease, it can lead not only to pain, but also to various complications.
Therapy for getting rid of stains on the teeth depends on the individual characteristics of each baby. At the same time, it is important that at the first visit, the pediatrician endears the child to him, and does not scare away the sight of the drill.
First, the doctor examines the oral cavity to determine the stage of pathology. Usually a visual inspection is enough, but sometimes, when caries is not yet completely visible, it is worth taking an x-ray.
Treatment primarily consists in cleansing the oral cavity of bacteria andinfections. If the tooth enamel is slightly susceptible to caries, then it will silver the teeth. The essence of the procedure is that the dentist applies silver nitrate to the affected area, which has antibacterial properties. The only disadvantage of this method is that the color of the tooth changes. He may remain black, ugly.
Reminalization is possible, which will help preserve the integrity of the tooth before it falls out and prevent the spread of caries. During the procedure, a special solution is applied to the tooth, which contains calcium, fluorine and phosphorus.
If deep penetration into the dentin has already occurred, then filling the tooth is indispensable. Be sure to use local anesthesia, and a special pad is applied to protect the nerve.
How to help a baby at home?
In some cases, when dental caries occurs in children, you can help the baby at home. Most often, this comes in combination with a visit to the dentist and his treatment.
What is home help?
- Using a rinse or toothpaste that has an anti-caries effect (a toothpaste without fluoride is chosen for a child under 4 years old).
- You can rinse your mouth with a weak solution of sea s alt, chamomile infusion or sage decoction.
Possible Complications
Caries in children (photo in the article) can cause complications if not treated in a timely manner. The baby may develop flux, periodontitis, which in turnwill cause the permanent tooth germ to die.
As a result of the lack of therapy, an infectious process can also begin, affecting the entire dentition, which will subsequently have to be pulled out. If milk teeth are prematurely removed, then an incorrect bite may form in the future. Also, in the absence of some elements in the dentition, it will be difficult for the baby to chew food and thus, there may be problems with digestion and digestive organs.
How to prevent caries?
Prevention of caries in children is as follows:
- Oral hygiene should be done regularly as soon as the first incisors appear.
- The toothbrush is changed every quarter as bacteria accumulates on it.
- It is worth introducing restrictions on foods that contain harmful carbohydrates (sweet and soda).
- Don't eat immediately after brushing your teeth, refrain from feeding your baby for at least half an hour.
- Rinsing the mouth after eating.
- Prophylactic dental check-ups at least once a year after the child reaches 2 years of age.
- As soon as yellow spots appear on the teeth, consult a specialist, at the first stage the problems are solved painlessly.
- Child should have solid foods daily (carrot, apple), chewing solids removes plaque on the teeth and prevents the spread of bacteria.
Conclusion
Despite the fact thatmany children are faced with various dental diseases, it is possible to solve the problem in the early stages, while being as comfortable as possible for the baby. The main thing is to maintain proper hygiene, teach your child to brush their teeth, reduce the amount of sugary foods in the diet and contact the dentist in a timely manner.
