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Health

Milk teeth treatment

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 19.11.2021
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Treatment of infant teeth is more a necessary procedure, for the reason that any dental problem should be treatable.

Often, parents think that there is no point in treating dairy teeth, since they will in any case fall out. This statement is not true, the treatment of milk teeth is necessary because the destructive process in the tooth is the focus of infection and a large number of pathogenic bacteria that provoke the development of various kinds of pharyngitis, laryngitis, acute respiratory infections, up to gastrointestinal diseases. And one more reason why it is necessary to treat baby teeth is, of course, their aesthetic appearance.

Treatment of infant teeth in children

Very often you can hear such a statement that children do not need to have milk teeth. This is an erroneous thought, since the teeth need to be treated in any case, be it dairy or permanent. The most common problem in children is tooth decay, which on the milk teeth reflects a little differently than caries in adults on permanent teeth. The enamel of the baby teeth is highly refined, especially in the areas between the teeth, so if there is at least the smallest damage to the enamel of the tooth, it becomes very easy for bacteria to reach the dentin (the main tooth tissue). Externally, caries can be overlooked, in the carious tooth enamel there can be only a small hole, although in fact inside the tooth there can be significant carious fractures.

Caries of baby teeth in children is very easy to treat, so curing it is not a problem. During the treatment, the dentist removes all the patients affected by caries tissue, sterilizes the entire space where there has been caries and hermetically closes the hole in the tooth with special materials. Thus, the carious tooth is cured and the bacteria do not have a stroke to the tooth.

Methods of treatment of milk teeth

Usually, when the painful process is not started, dentists use the most gentle methods of treatment. But if the disease progresses (especially caries), then it is necessary to resort to the removal of the affected tooth tissue and tooth filling. In modern dentistry, there are several of the most common methods of treatment of infant teeth. Among them:

  • Plating of teeth with fluorine-varnish. This is the most gentle method of treating the initial caries of teeth. Use this method only when the first symptoms of caries are manifested, when there is no need for sealing. Thanks to this procedure, you can turn away the progress of caries and protect the tooth enamel.
  • Enamel silver enamel. This is one of the most effective methods of caries treatment in the initial stages. Its essence is to apply a solution of silver nitrate to carious teeth. Silver nitrate, in turn, produces excellent antibacterial action and tooth decay stops.
  • The advantage of the method is its painlessness, but also the method has one significant drawback: teeth treated with silver nitrate are made black and remain so until they change to permanent.
  • Ozonation. Essentially the same as enamel silvering, only here instead of silver ozone is used, which also helps get rid of pathogenic and pathogenic microorganisms. The advantage of this method is that there is no black coating on the teeth.
  • Remineralization. This method is more the prevention of caries, rather than the direct way of its treatment. The essence of the method consists in applying special pastes with fluorine, calcium or phosphorus. They strengthen and renew enamel, and can also be used in caries in the "stain" stage.
  • Fissure sealing. This method is the most modern in pediatric dental practice, it allows for the treatment and prevention of caries. With this method, a special vitreous substance is applied to the chewing surface of the tooth, which covers it with a dense layer. The tooth surface becomes smooth and protected from caries and pathogenic microorganisms. The procedure for sealing fissures is painless and can be performed at any age.
  • Photodynamic therapy. This method has become popular relatively recently, its essence is to impose special materials on the tooth, which are subsequently irradiated with a laser. Therefore, under the action of the laser, the materials release therapeutic substances and thus contribute to the treatment of tooth decay of the baby teeth. The method is absolutely painless, which is very convenient to use even for young children.
  • Treatment with a drill. One of the most reliable methods in the fight against dental diseases. The dentist removes the affected tooth tissue and seals the tooth.
  • Prosthetics. This method is rarely used, but still it is used to prevent the formation of an incorrect bite.

Treatment of caries of a baby tooth

Despite some beliefs that caries in children should not be treated, there is still a need for its treatment. The first reason is that carious teeth are always the focus of infection for the whole organism, since inside the carious tooth in all cases it is possible to detect a pathogenic flora in the form of streptococcus, staphylococcus and other bacteria. They can contribute to the development of ENT diseases, and also complicate the treatment of these diseases. The initial stages of caries treatment, when it is only superficial, are reduced to the minimum application of the drill. In these cases, ozonation, remineralization or silver enamel is used. In more complex cases, when the caries destroyed the enamel and internal dental tissues, a drill is used and all the cavities are permanently sealed, so that the disease does not completely damage the entire tooth. If the caries has completely covered the entire tooth and there is no "living place" on it, then the best way is to remove the diseased tooth.

Treatment of pulpitis of infant teeth

Pulpitis is an inflammation of the neurovascular bundle of the tooth. There is a pulpitis due to deep caries and averting this disease is quite realistic, it is enough only to visit the dentist regularly and treat all early manifestations of caries. But if, after all, pulpitis has arisen, then in this case the treatment of milk teeth is more complicated and involves the use of both conservative and surgical methods, it all depends on the stage of the disease and on the individual characteristics of the child.

Conservative treatment involves the treatment of the tooth with the possibility of saving pulp. It is used for acute partial pulpitis and for chronic fibrotic pulpitis. The essence of the procedure is to open the carious cavity and remove the affected tissues of the tooth, then the cavity is treated with antiseptic solutions and sealed. Conservative treatment under local anesthesia and only in the absence of multiple caries.

Surgical treatment is used in more complex cases and involves the use of several of the most popular methods. Among them:

  • Vital pulp amputation - this method of treatment is used during the formation of the root. In this case, the coronal pulp is removed, and the root remains viable.
  • Vital pulp extirpation is used only when the tooth is fully formed and this procedure is performed on the principle of adult patients - the pulp is completely removed. But in pediatric dentistry this method is not very widely used due to the increased morbidity of the procedure.
  • The devital amputation of the pulp is the most popular today. Its essence is to remove the coronal pulp by temporarily inserting into the cavity of the tooth an arsenious paste that promotes the "necrosis" of the pulp and the painless removal of the pulp.

Treatment of milk teeth under anesthesia

In pediatric dentistry, there are cases when it is normal and qualitatively to treat a child with the teeth is simply unreal because of the restless and hysterical nature of the child, when it is necessary to treat more than 4 teeth for 1 time or when emergency urgent treatment is needed. In such situations, dentists are forced to perform dental treatment under general anesthesia, because anesthesia will allow for rapid, high-quality, effective treatment and will not cause stress to the child.

Not every dental clinic can perform dental treatment under general anesthesia, as it requires a special license and a team of specialists consisting of an anesthesiologist, an anesthetic nurse, a pediatric dentist and his assistant. For today in stomatology only one kind of the general or common narcosis is spent - inhalation. General inhalation anesthesia is inherently safe and does not cause harm. Almost in all cases, drugs "Sevoran" or "Supran" are used. These drugs have almost no side effects and are very quickly removed from the body from the moment they stop feeding (after 15-20 minutes).

Before giving the child general anesthesia, he needs to undergo extensive medical examination and pass many tests to make sure that there are no contraindications to anesthesia. The algorithm for general anesthesia is as follows: the child does a few breaths through a special mask and after 2-3 minutes he falls asleep, then the doctors start treatment, during the whole treatment the narcosis is not stopped, after the treatment is completed, the narcosis is completed and after 15 minutes, 20 minutes the child comes to himself. After awakening, he will be sleepy and sluggish for 6-12 hours, so he needs to be allowed to fully sleep, especially this is important the first 6 hours after anesthesia.

Another very important point is informing the child's parents about the progress of the general anesthesia procedure and its possible consequences. In fact, general anesthesia during the treatment of baby teeth is not dangerous and does not lead to any disruption on the part of the child's health, especially from the nervous system, so there should be no cause for concern for the parents.

Treatment of periodontitis of infant teeth

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the peri-toothed tissues, which include bone, ligaments, gums and mucous membranes. Parodontitis in children is much less common than in adults, but at the same time in its distribution it is the second after caries. This complex disease and its treatment should be long enough. The cause of its occurrence is most often the age-related changes in children and suffer them mainly children 8-10 years old.

A feature of childhood periodontitis is that it affects immature and constantly forming tissues. In addition, local factors such as poor oral hygiene, tartar, a short frenum of the tongue or lower lip, anomalies and deformations of the teeth and jaws, and gum injuries will also play an important role. Children with endocrine diseases, hypovitaminosis, diabetes mellitus are also at risk of this disease. Concerning the course of the disease, chronic and acute periodontitis, local and generalized, prepubertal (during teething) and pubertal (in adolescence) are distinguished.

The method of treatment of periodontitis depends on what factors caused by the disease and at what stage it is taking place at the moment. In order to carry out qualitative treatment of milk teeth during parodontitis, dentists use both surgical and conservative methods. Conservative methods include the elimination of local causes of the disease, sanation of the oral cavity, removal of calculus and plaque, treatment of caries. To surgical methods resorted to a more severe course of the disease. These include plastic bridles, surgical treatment of interdental and gum pockets, applications with medicinal products. After the treatment, both surgical and conservative, one must adhere to the rules of oral hygiene, use antibacterial rinsers, and conducts vitamin therapy. If you keep all these complexes, then in the future you can turn back the relapse of this disease.

Treatment of milk teeth without drilling

Milk teeth are not always treated with a drill and drilling. Often children have superficial caries, which does not require drilling. The main methods of treatment of teeth without drilling are silvering of the enamel, ozonation, remineralization, photodynamic therapy and tooth-coating with fluoride-varnish. These methods allow you to slow down the progression of caries at the earliest possible time and destroy pathogenic microorganisms that are on the surface of the teeth.

Treatment of hypoplasia of enamel of milk teeth

Hypoplasia of the enamel of the baby teeth is a defect in the development of the teeth, when during the formation and eruption of the milk tooth, its enamel is not sufficiently formed. For temporary teeth, this is not very dangerous, but it is still necessary to take medical measures, since this disease can provoke the appearance of deep caries, pulpitis, and the formation of an incorrect bite. The cause of hypoplasia in 90% of cases is the pathology of pregnancy in the mother of the child. It can be various toxicosis, prematurity, birth trauma, blood system diseases.

Also, the cause may be transferred infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, allergies. The best way to prevent this disease is control over the pregnant woman and in particular control over her well-being and balanced nutrition. But if hypoplasia in the newborn is already present, then it is necessary to resort to its treatment by increasing the mineralization of the tooth and tooth enamel, caries treatment (if available) and restoring the external aesthetic appearance of the teeth.

Treatment of infant teeth is a very important stage, which in no case can not be ignored, as sick infant teeth are the focus of infection (especially staphylococcal and streptococcal), which can spread to any body system, especially if the child has weakened immunity. Therefore, parents should constantly monitor the health status of their child's teeth and regularly make preventive visits to a pediatric dentist.

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