Early Warning Signs of Tooth Decay In Children

Generally, when we mention tooth decay, it may refer to an adult or even a teenager who suffers from cavities owing to diet issues, including consuming a lot of sugar and carbs. The most overlooked and common issue that plagues dentists worldwide is tooth decay, which can affect infants and young children.

Childhood cavities require treatment because, as we speak. There are terrible repercussions when one fails to treat this ailment. However, it may not be readily appreciated by parents trying to identify primary tooth caries at a glance. For parents, we are here to assist you with early symptoms of tooth decay in young children and what you should do when you find its effect on your child.

Tooth Decay in Children

This is a disease characterized by the decay or rotting of teeth, whereby the strong enamel covering of the teeth is broken down by a combination of bacteria, sugar, and acid, resulting in a cavity.

Cavities are dental diseases in which tooth enamel, the outer protective layer of a tooth, is eroded. Dental decay causes diseases known as caries, commonly referred to as cavities. These are holes in the teeth. Yes, cavities do become larger as time passes through if they are not treated. A cavity can extend even within the tooth’s surface where the sensitive nerves are found, causing discomfort.

How Does a Child Get Cavities?

Cavities develop from bacteria and other things. It can occur when edibles rich in carbohydrates, such as sugars and starches, can stay on the teeth. Such foods include Milk, Soda, Raisins, Candy, cake, fruit juices, cereals, and bread.

The bacteria naturally found in the mouth alter these foods and convert them to acids. Food and acid mix with the bacteria present in saliva and other particles to form a sticky material known as plaque that will coat the teeth. The acids they produce dissolve tooth enamel progressively over time, resulting in a cavity. After some time, the type of acid that is produced inside a child’s mouth dissolves the tooth enamel, leading to the formation of cavities.

However, other factors bear a risk of cavities in children. Among them are constituents that cause dry mouth, such as mouth breathing, diseases, medication, and others, disruption of the oral microbiome, and lack of vitamin D and K2, which are necessary for calcium absorption.

What Symptoms Mark the Beginning Of Tooth Decay?

Cavities can develop in kids starting from six months up to a year of age; therefore, proper knowledge of how they can be recognized is crucial. If you’re interested in preventing tooth decay, you must know what to look for. These signs and symptoms of tooth decay include:

• Loose teeth and sensitivity of gums: Sensitivity can be an early sign of decaying teeth. When cavities start to form, they’re not visible to the naked eye –but as far as the teeth and gum nerve endings are concerned. Thus, cavities are small holes in the teeth, and as the outer layers of the teeth, including the enamel chip off, the core nerves sense and respond to certain food and drinks.
• Bleeding gums: Periodontal-related diseases occur together with caries and are indicative of rotten teeth. Bleeding gums are not a rare sign in children with teeth-related diseases, which include tooth decay. Visit your pediatric dental surgeon if your child’s gums are bleeding in any way.
• Discolored teeth: Pigmented and Chocolate brown or black are considered early indicators of Cavities and Tooth rot. You can also observe a whitish line around the edges of the tooth, near the gum part, most often indicating a rotten tooth.
• Foul breath: Bad breath can be cited as one of the initial symptoms that indicate teeth have begun to rot. Having a large amount of bacteria in the mouth causes the smell to become unpleasant and results in bad breath. And not long after that, decaying teeth also became possible. One should go a step further, as bad breath is an early sign that tooth decay is on its way.
• Toothache: Toothache is one of the earliest and most common symptoms of the cavity for kids or early stage of tooth decay. It may take a couple of days to complain of toothache, which can be attributed to tooth decay. Sometimes, you may have a severe toothache, but most of the time, it suddenly occurs after you have eaten a meal or even a beverage.

How to Prevent Tooth Decay

Interested in children’s dental check-ups? Follow these four simple guidelines:

• Mind the diet: Those extra spoons of sugar are directly responsible for tooth decay in our children. Introduce your child to a better diet, particularly the green and yellow vegetables.
• Rinse after meals: In addition, this simple suggestion will get rid of bacteria and plaque.
• Floss regularly: Make your child floss at least once per day. This habit is thus important for dental health throughout the entire lifetime.
• Consume enough hydroxyapatite: Fluoride and/or hydroxyapatite in toothpaste and mouthwash, when used as a prophylactic, makes the enamel more resistant to wear, and thus, acid cannot corrode it. Fluoride is present in many toothpastes, and tap water is often fluoridated to control cavity rates. As long as your child is capable of rinsing the toothpaste out, do not prohibit him or her from using it.
• Have yourself checked by your dentist regularly: Children require a checkup and teeth cleaning at least twice a year or after every six months. One of the benefits of dental visits, in addition to early detection of tooth decay, is the prevention of gum diseases.

How is Tooth Decay Treated in a Child?

Tooth decay is treatable in children but requires one to consider your child’s condition, symptoms, overall health, age, and extent of decay. In most occasions, its management requires extracting the affected portion of the concerned tooth in the child and making the filling.

They are referred to as restorations that are put into the child’s teeth to ensure the filling of any gap that cavities might have caused. Different types of fillings can be suitable for children:

• Direct Restoration: This type of filling may take one visit to the dentist to put a filling directly into the hole that has been prepared. Direct restorations can be made of resin, silver, acrylic acids, or fine glass particles. More often than not, they are the same color as the child’s teeth.
• Indirect Restorations: This type of filling may take at least two appointments to the dentist, depending on the extent of the damage. These fillings include onlay, inlay, crown, veneer, and bridges. The direct restorations can be made of gold, ceramics, base metal alloys, or composites and normally have the characteristics of natural tooth enamel.

Wrapping It Up

If you are still unsure about the current status of your child’s teeth, you should visit a dentist as soon as possible. Delays in such cases can lead to permanent tooth damage. Along with your child, you can have your own teeth checked as well. Contact Liberty Dental if your child faces tooth decay.