What are the treatment options for baby teeth?
If baby teeth are about to fall out, cavities in the teeth do not need fillings as the tooth will soon be lost. However, for baby teeth that will be present for at least one year, a filling should be placed. Usually these fillings are white, and can be either composite resin or compomer.
- Composite resins are the type typically used in adult teeth
- Compomer fillings are better for baby teeth, as they are more susceptible to recurrent decay
- These are half composite and half glass ionomer with fluoride releasing agents to help prevent recurrent decay
- These fillings are available in typical white, or fun colors for children such as yellow, blue, green, and red
If the child has 1 or 2 cavities, this can often be treated by local anesthesia (needle), and possibly a relaxing gas (nitrous oxide). However, some children who have multiple cavities cannot stand the stress of major treatment and will need to have sleep dentistry (general anesthesia) for their dental work. We provide all three treatment choices. Unlike adult teeth, baby teeth have very large nerves. The nerves balloon upwards at the top of the teeth. This means that there is very little distance a cavity has to travel from the outside of the tooth to the nerve before the tooth dies. Baby teeth cavities don’t have to be very deep to threaten the tooth survival. If the tooth dies an abscess will form leading to pain, swelling of the area, and possibly even a fever. Infected baby teeth are often extracted.