Milk teeth treatment

Treatment of baby teeth in the dental clinic "Your Dentist"

Many parents adhere to the point of view that milk teeth do not have to be treated at all, since permanent teeth will soon come to replace them. But it is simply necessary to remove the source of infection and stop the destructive process: the presence of a huge number of pathogenic microorganisms in the baby's mouth reduces his immunity, at times, increasing the risk of diseases. In the end, it will be necessary not only to remove the diseased tooth, but also to deal with the negative effects of infection on the body as a whole.

In the children's dental clinic "Your Dentist" your child will receive high-quality treatment of a sick tooth. With timely treatment, your baby will not have to face the procedure of removing baby teeth, and he will return home with whole and healthy teeth.

High-quality treatment of baby teeth in children

Timely treatment of baby teeth plays a huge role in the proper formation of permanent teeth in children. Thanks to the use of proven methods of treatment and high-quality materials, the doctors of our clinic treat children's teeth absolutely painlessly, if possible, without drilling and without resorting to the procedure of removing baby teeth.

Our advantages:

• modern prevention: effective professional oral hygiene, remineralization, deep fluoridation, germitization of teeth;
• early diagnosis: a visiographic examination in the bite, which allows our doctors to detect "hidden" contact dental caries at the initial stage of its development;
• effective methods of treatment: restoration of milk teeth with light-curing materials, dental treatment with biological methods that allow to keep teeth "alive" (without nerve removal)
• affordable prices.

Causes of early caries.

Bacteria settle in the remains of food that has not been cleaned from the teeth. These microorganisms feed mainly on carbohydrates and sugars. Therefore, the persistent advice of dentists to take care of the oral cavity as carefully as possible after each meal is not without good reason. This is true for both adults and toddlers.

When there is a lot of food for bacteria, they begin to multiply rapidly. Plaque is formed. Plaque is the bacteria themselves, the products of their vital activity and food residues. The plaque has a high viscosity, it is firmly attached to the surface of the teeth and it is very difficult to remove it with a conventional brush.

When the plaque has already formed, it is simply impossible to do this.

But microorganisms are not the only reason for the development of caries. The causes of its occurrence can be reduced to the following groups:

1. the presence of caries-forming microflora in the oral cavity;
2. the presence in the oral cavity of "food" for this microflora – carbohydrates, in large quantities contained in sweet, flour products (this factor includes issues of proper nutrition and carbohydrate consumption culture);
3. reduction of the overall resistance of the body (the presence of chronic or systemic diseases, stress, etc.).

Caries of baby teeth in young children

Unfortunately, more and more often it is necessary to observe the development of caries in young children, sometimes not even two years old.

Caries of baby teeth in young children

Caries in children is much more acute, that is, it develops systematically (almost all teeth are affected), much faster and, often, several foci in one tooth.
Oral hygiene in such young children is very difficult, which only aggravates the process.

The laying of baby teeth occurs in the first trimester of pregnancy (6-8 weeks). As a rule, the cause of caries of baby teeth is some unfavorable factor affecting this period of pregnancy. It can also be taking medications (especially some groups of antibiotics), infectious diseases, stress, etc.

Also, the cause of caries in children of such an early age can be improper eating habits. This is the constant presence of sweets in the mouth (the use of caramel, cookies, crackers), or bottles with a mixture, usually containing sugar. In the latter case, there is even a separate group of "bottle caries" - the defeat of the front teeth in contact with the nipple..

Symptoms of caries.

Various forms of caries are, in fact, its stages, following one after another.

Caries in the stage of a chalky spot.

The carious process begins with the defeat of the tooth enamel in the form of a white, lost luster, "chalky" spot. This stage is called the "white spot stage". As a rule, if this spot is in an inconspicuous place, the patient does not experience any manifestations of the disease, very rarely there is sensitivity from sour or sweet. Only a timely visit to the dentist can help cure caries in the spot stage.. The outcome of the white spot stage can be either stabilization of the process (in case of receipt of sufficient mineral substances to restore tooth enamel), or the process moves to the next stage.

Photo caries at the stage of a chalky (white) spot

Superficial and medium caries

As the disease develops, white spots turn brown, and then black. With superficial caries, an enamel defect is observed on the surface of the tooth: at first it is roughness, later it is a cavity.

In this situation, as a rule, the defect is visible to the naked eye in the form of darkening, "holes in the tooth", as the patients themselves say. The affected tooth becomes sensitive, especially to sweet, salty and sour. If caries develops between the teeth, then patients complain of constant food sticking there or soreness in the gingival papilla (usually from injury with a toothpick). If this stage of caries remains untreated, then deep caries occurs.

Superficial caries.

Medium caries.

Deep caries

All the hard tissues of the tooth are already affected. Food remains are constantly stuck in the deep cavity, an unpleasant smell from the mouth appears. Patients complain of severe pain from any stimuli, but this pain is quickly passing.

Deep caries.

If deep caries is left untreated, then it is possible to develop more serious complications - pulpitis and periodontitis.

What methods of caries treatment exist today?

Many parents believe that there is no point in treating baby teeth, because they will change anyway. However, it is simply necessary to stop the destructive process and remove the source of infection from the oral cavity. After all, the presence of a huge number of putrefactive and other pathogenic bacteria in the child's mouth reduces immunity, increases the risk of all kinds of acute respiratory infections, pharyngitis, laryngitis and even diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. And one more thing: a child, like any person, suffers from imperfections. If the baby's teeth are destroyed, if they are black, if an unpleasant smell is felt from the mouth – it is unlikely that this will give confidence to your child and endear him to adults and children who communicate with him.

Treatment of caries at the initial stage is necessary not only for the preservation of baby teeth, but also for the formation of healthy permanent ones. Modern dentistry allows you to treat caries at this stage without drilling teeth, absolutely painlessly, which has a positive effect on the child's attitude to dentists in the future. In medical practice, methods of treating initial caries are used: deep fluoridation, remineralization and aesthetic restoration

Remineralization of tooth enamel.

Today, it has been reliably proven that tooth enamel is capable of recovery at the initial stages of caries. This is possible due to the special structure of the tooth enamel. Tooth enamel consists of a protein matrix and crystals embedded in its structures. If the protein matrix has not collapsed (in the white spot stage), but only the loss of the mineral component has occurred, then the enamel is capable of recovery – remineralization.

Such restorative (remineralizing) therapy is carried out by various methods (applications, electrophoresis, application of lacquers and gels) and preparations based on fluorine, calcium and phosphorus ions (2% sodium fluoride solution, 10% calcium gluconate, fluorine varnishes and gels).

Dental fillings.

Medium and deep caries in children requires preparation of demineralized, softened tissues infected with bacteria and filling of the carious cavity with anesthesia.  Anesthesia in the treatment of medium and deep caries in children is a necessary component that will allow you to cure your teeth painlessly, as well as prevent the formation of reflex memory for pain during dental treatment. Depending on medical indications, different types of local anesthesia are used in the treatment of caries in children. Application - is carried out by applying a gel or aerosol with an anesthetic, applied before injection anesthesia. Infiltration (injection) - pain in the area of the diseased tooth is blocked.

Selection of materials.

Modern composite materials are durable, hygienic and aesthetic. The dental market offers a wide selection of filling materials for children. For the treatment of permanent teeth in children (with finally formed roots), materials that are used in the treatment of adults are suitable. These can be high-quality cements or composites. These materials are non-toxic and safe. For the treatment of baby teeth, compomers with high adhesion to the surface of children's teeth are best suited. These preparations contain calcium and fluoride, which are necessary for strengthening tooth enamel. Modern dental clinics can offer the baby a colored seal, a seal with sequins — everything so that the child gets the maximum amount of positive emotions from communicating with the doctor.

Pulpitis of baby teeth

The carious process can destroy the dentin so much that microbes get into the pulp of the tooth.

Children's pulpitis is much more common than an adult. Dentists explain this pattern by the peculiarities of the structure of milk teeth, in which the connective tissues are looser, the root canals are wider, and the dentin is less mineralized than in the indigenous ones. Another explanation for the fact that pulpitis in children is much more common is an imperfect immune system. This means that the probability of catching a cold or inflammation in childhood is ten times higher than in adults. However, nature has balanced this nuisance by the fact that pulpitis of the milk tooth in 65% of cases proceeds almost painlessly. That's where the danger lies.

Complaints are associated with the occurrence of severe pain from all kinds of irritants, but more often from cold, they do not go away after the cause is eliminated. Pain can occur spontaneously, more often in the evening and at night.

Methods of treatment of pulpitis in children.

The main task in the treatment of pulpitis– elimination of the focus of inflammation and thereby preventing complications in the form of the spread of inflammatory disease to the periodontium and other tissues. In the treatment of pulpitis of milk teeth, it is important to prevent the spread of the disease to the rudiments of permanent teeth, to create conditions for proper resorption of the roots of the baby tooth.

Methods of treatment of pulpitis are divided into conservative and surgical. With conservative methods, the main goal is to preserve the pulp. With surgical methods, either part or the entire pulp is removed.

The conservative method allows to preserve the viability of the entire pulp (possibly with acute partial pulpitis and chronic fibrous pulpitis). Relative contraindications to conservative treatment are multiple caries, as well as some somatic diseases. With conservative treatment, the carious cavity is first opened under anesthesia, it is cleaned of necrotic tissues. Then the cavity is treated with antiseptic solutions, therapeutic pastes (preparations based on calcium hydroxide) are applied, after which the carious cavity is sealed. The conservative method also includes physiotherapy procedures.

Surgical methods include more extensive intervention. Thus, the method of vital amputation of the pulp is used to treat pulpitis during the formation of the root. The method is aimed at preserving the vital activity of the root pulp, while removing the crown pulp and pulp from the mouths of the channels. Next, the same therapeutic pastes are applied to the wound carefully, without pressure, which are used in the conservative treatment of pulpitis. In the future, it is necessary to have a dispensary observation with an appearance to the doctor in 3 months, and then 2 times a year.

The vital extirpation method is used to treat pulpitis of milk and permanent teeth with incomplete root formation. This method of treating pulpitis has not been widely used, because it is time-consuming, painful, long, which leads to the fact that children are not always able to withstand such a long treatment.

Devital amputation method. In this case, an arsenic paste applied for 24-48 hours is used to necrotize the pulp. This method is currently the main one in the treatment of pulpitis in children. It spares the child's psyche to the greatest extent, allows for the second visit without anesthesia to painlessly remove the necrotic pulp. After removing the dead pulp, a tampon with resorcinol-formalin mixture (liquid) is inserted into the tooth cavity, which is replaced with resorcinol-formalin paste on the third visit. The paste mummifies the pulp remaining in the canal and protects it from putrefactive decay.This method in milk teeth does not give complications from the periodontal.

We can only say that the later treatment is started, the worse the prognosis of the affected tooth. Such a badly destroyed tooth may not live to see its shift (milk teeth begin to be replaced with root teeth from 6-7 years old, they usually finish at 12-13 years old).

Periodontitis.

The next complication of caries is periodontitis. Bacteria from the root of the tooth enter the surrounding tissues, the bone becomes inflamed. All this can be accompanied by tooth cyst, fistula on the gum and with other unpleasant complications, serious pain can already begin here, the child's temperature rises, soft tissue edema may appear. Periostitis – inflammation of the periosteum – is a very serious and dangerous disease, which should not be allowed in any way.

With periodontitis, treatment is possible, but, as a rule, the tooth is removed. So: to treat or remove carious teeth in children?

Of course – to treat.

Early removal of baby teeth leads to a number of serious violations. First of all – to the difficulty of eruption of a permanent tooth. Adjacent teeth begin to move from their places, filling the empty space, and a permanent tooth may erupt out of place.

Then, in adolescence, the child and his parents will face the problem of teeth alignment and correction of malocclusion. The absence of baby teeth negatively affects the normal chewing of food, but the digestion of food begins in the mouth. There is a violation of the development of bite, diction, facial skeleton, cosmetic defects are formed.

Dental treatment for the youngest requires a lot of psychological preparation. Parents should set up the baby in advance that a good doctor will rid him of evil germs, etc. You can even come up with an appropriate fairy tale. But you can't resort to deception and say that the doctor will only look and do nothing. Calm the child down and tell him that you will be with him if he wants it. Psychological support of parents is the key to the child's peace of mind. An hour before the baby goes out, it should be well fed, preferably with a favorite dish. And after the end of treatment — take the child to a children's park or a play center.