If you’re a new parent, you may not have thought about the fact that your child could get dental cavities, even when they’re a toddler or younger. Even if you have thought about this, you might not think it’s important; after all, children lose their baby teeth, so why would it matter if the teeth are decayed? The reality is that dental cavities and tooth decay during childhood can pose risks to a person’s health and affect their future oral health and should be addressed promptly by a qualified dentist. While you may not have a pediatric dentist you’ve worked with, ask your friends, family, and your general dentist for a recommendation for a pediatric dentist who can fix your toddler’s cavities and address any other oral health needs they may notice during the examination.
Keep an eye out for the common symptoms of tooth decay in toddlers, checking your child’s teeth and gums regularly and making sure to take them in for regular checkups and cleanings with their pediatric dentist. When you assess your child’s teeth and gums, look for dark spots or other areas of discoloration, including anything that looks like a crack or crevice or a lack of enamel. If your child’s gums are inflamed or red, or if they’re complaining about mouth or tooth pain or discomfort, there’s a good chance they have a cavity and you should make an appointment with their dentist right away. The procedure for treating cavities in toddlers is much the same as treating cavities in adults, and sedation can be used if your toddler is very anxious about the procedure.
While cavities in the primary teeth, or baby teeth, might not seem like a big deal, these teeth actually play multiple important roles and need to remain whole and healthy until they are gradually pushed out as the adult, or secondary, teeth erupt. Primary teeth help hold space in a child’s mouth as the bones and muscles form and grow, allowing the secondary teeth to erupt properly and evenly. When tooth decay compromises the primary teeth, potentially even changing their shape, the eruption of the secondary teeth can be adversely affected, and additional health issues like gum disease are more likely to occur. Dental cavities and tooth decay can also cause irritation and discomfort, and treatment relieves these symptoms.
Even if it’s the normal thing to do because it’s how you were raised, putting a young child to bed with a bottle or cup of milk or juice is actually setting your child up for cavities and other oral health issues. The areas of the teeth that rest against the bottle or sippy-cup straw as the child idly suckles, usually the backs of the front teeth, gradually start to decay; this syndrome is called baby bottle mouth syndrome and is caused by the acids and bacteria that accumulate on those teeth. In some cases, the decay caused by baby bottle mouth syndrome is severe, causing irritation to the gums while eating away at the teeth and possibly even permanently changing the alignment of the mouth and teeth.
Poor oral hygiene is another common cause of cavities in toddlers. You should start brushing your child’s teeth as soon as those teeth begin to emerge, which usually happens when a child is six months old but could happen a few months earlier or later. As they get older, you and their dentist will continue to teach them effective oral hygiene methods and habits that they will carry into adulthood; early practice helps establish good habits that support excellent oral health for a lifetime.