08/26/2025
The baby teeth are going to fall out anyway, is it really even necessary to treat the cavity? This is a common question we hear from parents when they discover their children have cavities. The answer is that, left untreated, cavities in baby teeth can become an extremely BIG DEAL leading to pain, infection, and long term dental issues (including crooked teeth and bite problems). Here’s why:
𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡
The longer you wait to treat those cavities, the greater the chance that bacteria (sugar bugs as we like to call them) will affect other teeth. As children begin losing baby teeth, they enter a phase where they have both permanent and milk teeth. If baby teeth have untreated cavities, that bacteria can spread to permanent teeth and could ‘make holes’ in them as well.
𝐂𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡
Baby teeth differ from permanent teeth because their enamel (the thick outer white covering we see) is much thinner. Cavities tend to grow and spread much faster than they do in permanent teeth.
𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡
Losing a baby tooth before it should naturally fall out can cause problems for the permanent teeth. It can lead to space loss in the child’s mouth, misalignment, or even impaction of the adult tooth. While no one can predict if your child will need braces, preventing early tooth loss will benefit your child in the future.
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝?
•If a child’s tooth is still in the early stages of decay and has not yet become cavitated, it is sometimes possible to treat without the use of invasive procedures. When this is the case, your child’s dentist will work with you and your child to develop an appropriate tooth decay treatment plan, which may include: preventative measures such as fluoride varnish treatments, dietary modifications, and improved oral hygiene practices.
•Depending on how far the disease has progressed. A minor cavity in a child’s tooth may be treatable with a simple dental filling, whereas treating a deep cavity may require pediatric pulpotomy or even baby tooth extraction.
•If invasive procedures are necessary, keep in mind that, in many cases, it can be difficult or impossible to safely perform such cavity treatments on babies and toddlers without the use of pediatric dental sedation.
It’s important to remember that while most children have a complete set of primary teeth by the time they are 3, shedding happens between 6 to 7 years of age and continue until about 12 years of age. Leaving untreated bacteria in the mouth for that many years is not a wise choice.
