Cavities

I can tell you a little (a lot) about cavities. I noticed what I thought was a cavity in my then 2 1/2 year old son. We were moving and I didn't have a chance to get him to the dentist. By the time we got him to one about 5-6 months later, the cavities ( he actually had them on both sides) were so deep they had to do a mini root canal and then crown them. He had two "silver" molars in back. A year later one absesses and had to be pulled. Because it was a baby tooth he then had to have a space maintainer put in to keep the space for the permanent tooth. He just turned 5 yesterday and his last appt was OK w/ no cavities.

Bottom line, you need to take your kids to the dentist. Only they can tell you for sure the best course of action. BTW, he had to be put under for the crowns at the time our insurance didn't cover it so we had to pay $250 out of pocket--an expense that could have been avoided had I taken him in sooner.

One last thing. I had taken him to the dentist 6 months prior to noticing the cavities so that should tell you how fast they can happen and turn bad. Good luck.

she could have those teeth for 4 more years and yes it will hurt once the cavity hits the nerve and ya cant just yank em out becuase the adult teeth wont grow in right

They need to be filled. Baby teeth lay the foundation for her adult teeth. Not only that but it is dangerous to leave a cavity unfilled. It can deteriorate and become infected (that is called abscess).

I would have them filled because depending on what teeth they are they could take years to fall out. I personally have 3 baby teeth still in my mouth because I dont have teeth under them and I'm 25. Plus the longer you wait the worse it will get and you could end up needing a root canal.

Oh you definately want to fill them. My daughter had 3 cavaties at age 3.... If I didn't fill them they would probaly be huge by now and rotting and painful. I'm not positive but I think the cavaties/infection stuff can pass on to the permanent teeth before they even come in.

My daughter is now 6 and thankfully hasn't had anymore. It has nothing to do with her brushing her teeth she does a good job at that she just has bad genetics. Her dad has horrible teeth and I donot and she's taking after her dad. Or it could be that she was on the bottle til 2.5 years old. Although at bedtime I only allowed water. But in the daytime she had juice and other things. And it's all her back teeth that were effected.

Because my daughter has such a problem mouth I have always taken her to a pediatric dentist. My insurance covers this so I take advantage of it. They are just more kid friendly etc.

You never know when your kid will loose her teeth that have the cavaties. My daughter is 6 and hasn't lost any teeth, and probaly will be more like 9 or 10 before she looses the specific teeth she has the fillings in.

I'm very pro-dentist, my parents were with me and I am with my daughter. I guess you just see kids that don't go like my next door neighbors and at 12 they're teeth are horrible and nasty and look more aged than most adults teeth.

If you don't have dental insurance or adequate insurance there are programs out there, like at the colleges and stuff that will do it for free or very low cost.

As far as getting it filled it was hard on me. I was almost balling watching my daughter flip out in the dentist chair. She has issues with the easy stuff at the dentist like flossing. They had her cavaties filled and done in 1/2 hour and thankfully we haven't had to do that again. Just regular check ups.

It is very important take care of baby teeth. If they are allowed to rot that affects the adult teeth as they are developing. Rotten teeth cause bad breath as well as other health problems that can lead to infection of teeth, mouth and system. Please take good care of your daughters teeth so she can grow up healthy with a lovely smile.
R.

yes, it is necessary to have the cavities filled...if left untreated, they may need to pull the teeth which can be very painful. our 4 yr old had a cavitiy too....we go to a pediatric dentist. we paid extra for the laughing gas as it was not covered by insurance, but well worth the money. It totally calmed my daughter down and she sat very still during the procedure.

YES! get them filled. I asked my sister in law about this as she is studying to be a hygienist and she said "yes, they will fall out but while they have them cavities need to be avoided and if found, filled or they may "grow" and get into the root resulting in a lot of pain for them and having to have a root canal done AND can even cause damage to the adult teeth growing beneath them" I am sure you want to avoid having to put your daughter through a root canal, if nothing else, so yes it is very important to have them filled and take care of their baby teeth just as you would adult teeth.
K. H

Hi L.,
You really want to have them filled even if they are only baby teeth. If you don't they could start to hurt and even worse it could affect her "adult" teeth.

Good Luck
J.

Definitly fill them if you don't they will get infected and hurt and there is no knowing when they will come out some kids keep there baby teeth for a long time. My sons didnt lose any baby teeth until they were almost 7. I used to work in a dental office I was a registered dental assistant. We saw many kids with cavities and parents didnt realize itwasnt just from candy, other things like pop, juice. My kids still drink juice that is watered down. When you have them filled unless you know your daughter will sit perfectly still for the fillings, I would take her to a pediatric dentist they have lots of little tricks to make it easier for everyone. Well good luck. Feel free to contact me with more questions.
J.

Hi L.,

Things may have changed a bit based off experience over time, but I remember when I was 7 or 8 I had cavities for the first time. I'm 26 now, so 18? 19? yrs ago... Anyways, we did NOT get them filled because it was on teeth that were going to fall out SOON and were not very deep.

I'm sure it partially depends on where the cavities are located and how long those teeth will still be there. If your daughter is going to have those teeth for 5, 8, more years, then they will probably rot out, cause infections, AND spread to other teeth (yes in my experience the can spread to nearby teeth if left untreated) before they fall. Also, if the cavities are pretty deep already, then it won't be long before they get worse.

Both of these factors are best determined by a dentist, so if he/she says they need to be filled, then they probably need to be filled.

Hello L.,

Yes, those cavities should be filled. I have read about this issue and it is important to fill them even though they are baby teeth. The health of the baby teeth significantly affects the health of the permanent teeth underlying them. Tooth decay can also lead to other non-dental health problems. My two sons have both had fillings in their baby teeth. They are 8 and 11. Good luck!

C.

My little guy had cavities and fell asleep when they were working on him. You have to get them filled that's what a cavities is, part of the tooth rotting out. If you do nothing it will just get worse and hurt. I know it's expensive and the thought of paying for something that's just going to fall out doesn't make sense, but it needs to be done.

Something to ask about. My son has very deep molars and our dentist said that no matter how good we brush he will have problems with cavities. So she put a sealer on them. Insurance doesn't cover it on kids, but she did it for free. It might be worth asking.