How to treat children with dental caries?

Written by Li Bao Hua
Dentistry
Updated on March 07, 2025
00:00
00:00

To treat cavities in children, first, the extent of tooth decay needs to be assessed. If the decay is mild, the decayed part can be removed and directly filled. If the decay is severe enough to inflame the dental nerve, an X-ray of the tooth is required. If it is a deciduous tooth that is about to fall out soon and is not worth saving, treatment might be unnecessary. However, if the tooth root has not been absorbed and the permanent tooth will take a long time to erupt, root canal treatment can be considered. In cases where a young permanent molar is decayed and the nerve is infected, a vital pulpotomy should be performed to preserve the living pulp and promote further development of the tooth root.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Cui
Dentistry
1min 2sec home-news-image

How to treat a tooth that is half decayed?

When a patient has a cavity that has already damaged the dental tissues, causing severe damage to the dental tissues, the general advice for the patient is to go directly to a regular dental hospital for treatment. The best approach is generally to extract the tooth; extraction is the best option, but it should be done when the body is in good condition to remove the damaged tooth. Additionally, patients should pay attention to oral hygiene and can take some anti-inflammatory drugs orally to effectively control inflammation. Furthermore, during tooth extraction, it is crucial to pay attention to local hygiene, be mindful of food residue inside the mouth, eat and drink before the extraction, keep a relaxed mood, and follow the doctor's advice after extraction. Generally, do not eat for two hours after the surgery, do not brush your teeth or rinse your mouth within a day, avoid touching the wound, and manage your diet reasonably.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Fang Xiao
Dentistry
52sec home-news-image

Can cavities be detected in an X-ray?

In clinical practice, not all cavities require X-rays, nor can all cavities be detected through X-rays. The purpose of taking X-rays is to understand the depth of the cavity and the distance between the cavity and the dental nerve. Some cavities occur on the surfaces between teeth which cannot be seen with the naked eye; in these cases, X-rays can provide a clear diagnosis. However, early-stage cavities only involve changes in the enamel, showing as chalky changes or small black dots and lines on the tooth surface. For these superficial changes, X-rays will not show any abnormalities. Therefore, it is important to maintain oral hygiene by brushing teeth morning and evening, and rinsing after meals to detect and treat cavities early, to prevent other complications.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Bao Hua
Dentistry
58sec home-news-image

Tooth decay lacks what element

Cavities are a type of dental hard tissue defect caused by bacterial infections. The factors leading to cavities primarily include bacteria, food, host, and time, mainly due to bacteria using food residues to produce acid demineralization in teeth, resulting in cavities. Cavities may also be due to incomplete enamel development during the prenatal calcification of teeth, which can occur if there is a calcium deficiency in the mother during pregnancy. Therefore, teeth are more susceptible to decay after they emerge, so cavities might be caused by a calcium deficiency during prenatal development. In addition, cavities are also related to postnatal factors, such as not brushing or rinsing promptly which allows food residues to remain, or due to the consumption of sweet foods, especially sugars, which bacteria break down to produce acids that cause tooth decay.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Cui
Dentistry
51sec home-news-image

Will tooth decay affect other teeth?

When a patient suffers from tooth decay, generally not taking measures to treat it may cause other teeth to also develop cavities. Some patients with long-term cavities may have one or more teeth affected, and even some patients might have entire teeth significantly decayed. Therefore, when cavities occur, certain measures must be taken for treatment. Depending on the condition of the cavity, a specific treatment plan should be formulated, whether it's a dental filling or tooth extraction. Thus, patients must pay attention to oral hygiene in their daily lives, brushing their teeth morning and evening. After meals, it's important to promptly remove food residues from the mouth and develop proper habits for brushing and eating. If a cavity develops, the patient should treat it early to prevent it from affecting other teeth.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yao Li Qin
Pediatrics
52sec home-news-image

What are the treatment methods for children's dental caries?

If children have dental caries, it is crucial to treat them actively, even if the caries are on primary teeth, timely repair is necessary. Once a child's teeth begin to erupt, it is important to start brushing their teeth and maintaining good oral hygiene. If caries have already developed, take the child to a pediatric dental clinic for tooth repair. This is especially true for the back molars, which, even though they may be replaced at the age of six, still need to be repaired throughout the process. Otherwise, it will affect the eruption and alignment of the permanent teeth later on. Therefore, if children develop dental caries, it is essential to visit a hospital as soon as possible for dental treatment, and once all the molars are in place, fissure sealants should be applied.