Children’s Dentistry – Dental Infections in Children

Tooth decay, cracks and chips in kid’s teeth, if left untreated (and sometimes even when treated) can lead to dental infections.

Kids teeth are particularly susceptible to infection because the hard parts of the teeth that the bacteria in decay need to get through in order to infect the teeth are much thinner, and the nerve part of the teeth, which is the target of the bacteria, is much nearer the surface. As a result, relatively small holes can cause pain and abscess.

In kids this can show up in a number of ways. It may start as sensitivity to cold, and then heat, much as in adult teeth, or there may be no symptoms at all until the infection shows up as a pimple on the gum. A potential reason for the lack of symptoms in some cases is that the adult tooth may have already cut of the nerve to the tooth, as it eats through baby tooth and pushes its way to the surface.

Once a nerve is infected, we have to make a treatment decision based on a number of factors, such as the child’s ability to co-operate with treatment, how long we need to keep the tooth in its place to preserve space for the adult tooth to follow, and how successful the treatment is likely to be.

Once we have diagnosed a dental infection, we are left 3 options. We can take out the tooth, with the risk that we lose space, and create the need for braces in the future, we can take the tooth out and attempt to preserve the space with various devices, or we can take out the nerve tissue and seal the tooth with medicine inside to kill the infection. In many cases the last option is done in conjunction with placing a stainless steel crown.

All of these options have their pros and cons. The problem with the last option, aside from expense is the high failure rate (30%), which leads to the tooth being lost anyway. The problem with the first two, is that taking out teeth from children can be a challenge, and space maintainers of the second option can create their own problems. On the plus side, all three can eliminate the infection.

You will notice that I have omitted from the options, the option to do nothing. Leave the infected tooth where it is, until it comes out on its own, and treat it occasionally with antibiotics. In my view, this is only an option if the tooth is already wiggling. There are very good reasons why we just don’t leave infections around the body. When infections spread, they can be very aggressive, eating away structure which will often scar or change shape as a result. We are also now beginning to understand the whole body consequences of untreated dental infections in particular.

By far and away the best way to treat dental infections in children is to avoid them with preventative care. Get to your local dentist and catch problems early. Your dentist can provide you with dietary advice, and help you develop a routine of oral care that will keep your kids teeth healthy, and where they should be. Riverside Dental Spa provides the best family & children’s dentistry on the Central Coast.