If you notice your little one is dealing with a cavity, you should bring them in to see a Valencia pediatric dentist as soon as possible. The tooth will need treatment to help restore the child’s oral health.
Cavity treatment may conclude with a dental filling or a crown. Keep reading to understand which option might be more suitable for your child.
They do! But baby teeth fall out on a specific schedule, and both you and your child’s pediatric dentist should make sure premature baby tooth loss doesn’t happen.
Your child needs their baby teeth to learn how to speak, chew their food, and develop a healthy smile. Premature tooth loss may lead to multiple issues down the line with their speech or even create alignment problems when their permanent teeth erupt.
Both dental crowns and fillings can be used as part of pediatric cavity filling treatment, but why is that?
A cavity is essentially just a permanent hole created by harmful bacteria. As part of the treatment, a pediatric dentist will remove all the decayed tissue and bacteria from the tooth, and then fill the hole with the appropriate filling material.
Leaving it as-is isn’t an option since it would let the bacteria reach the more sensitive parts of the tooth and even cause premature loss.
Let’s take a closer look at crowns and fillings and when they are necessary:
Fillings are one of the most common ways to restore a tooth after tooth decay treatment. It’s a special material that fills the hole and is hardened with a special light.
Dental fillings are usually the best solution when the cavity is small to medium, meaning the decay hasn’t affected too much of the natural tooth. With the right care, the filling should last until the baby's tooth falls out naturally.
Pediatric crowns are necessary to treat large cavities that eat away at most of the tooth’s natural tissue. Without a crown, the only other solution would be to extract the baby tooth, which we try to prevent from happening.
Moreover, dental fillings would likely fail to restore large cavities. The filling and even the tooth could potentially be damaged when the child is eating and leading to even more dental issues.
If you’ve recently noticed your child has a cavity, it’s important to bring them to see Dr. Laura Greenwald as soon as possible.
If the cavity is still small, your child may just need a simple dental filling. But even if they don’t, Dr. Greenwald can provide a pre-formed dental crown and complete the restoration in minutes.
Request an appointment at All Kids Dentistry online, or call our team at (661) 349-8636 for more information.
