Why it's important for your baby

When parents mistakenly say, “They are only baby teeth, they are going to fall out anyway” they have the wrong impression. The Age One Dental Visit sets the tone for lifelong dental health. The fact is, milk teeth serve as the guides for the permanent teeth and are critically important to the health and function of their adult successors. What's more, milk teeth are the child's teeth for most of childhood — children don't usually begin losing them until about age six, and the back milk teeth aren't lost until around age twelve. It's just as important to care for them as for the permanent teeth that come later. 

Prevention

  1. Teeth cleaning
  2. Nutritional counseling
  3. Fluoride intake
  4. Monitoring with follow-up visits 

Diagnosis

Mainly BBTD (Baby Bottle Tooth Decay) was believed to be associated with the use of  a sleep-time bottle containing a liquid with natural or added sugars. It occurs generally between the ages of  twelve to eighteen months.

 The term Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is now being used to reflect a broader concept of the problem of tooth decay in infants and young children. ECC includes cavities associated with many causative factors, mostly sugars. These include continuous use of a “Sippy-cup”

ECC (Early Childhood Caries)

  1. Develops rapidly
  2. Occurs in six months or less
  3. Affects upper front milk teeth followed by back teeth
  4. Severe stage affects lower front milk teeth

Progression of ECC

  • Specific bacteria (Streptococcus mutans) in dental plaque
  • Unprotected teeth
  • Improper diet such as natural or refined sugars

Treatment

  • Low risk may not need any restorative therapy.
  • Moderate risk may require restoration of progressing and cavitated lesions.
  • High risk may require earlier restorative intervention of enamel proximal lesions & pulpectomy, pulpectomy followed by Stainless steel crowns.
  • Siri Dental Hospital offers all dental services. Visit us as www.Siridentalhospital.com