Caries of milk teeth

Poor oral hygiene in combination with an incorrect diet quickly leads to the black spots on the teeth. Especially the front teeth are often affected. This is called ECC (Early Childhood Caries) or “Nursing-Bottle-Syndrome” (teat bottle caries).

It develops when children drink sugary drinks from a bottle at an early age and over a longer period of time. Due to the long exposure time, the front teeth can be severely destroyed. A filling can often be considered as a therapy for smaller areas, but in case of severe destruction there are also prefabricated child crowns made of steel.

Whether and how the decayed teeth can be restored, has to be decided by the dentist in each individual case. If there are already many decayed areas in the milk teeth, the risk for bad teeth is also increased later on. Therefore, parents are obliged to maintain good oral hygiene together with their children every day. Only in this way can children learn how to keep their teeth healthy for a long time.

Detection of caries in milk teeth

Although the child’s teeth differ in color and shape from the adult’s teeth, the caries here looks very similar. The first signs are the typical black dots on the teeth. These can be recognized by a close look at the teeth.

These are small black spots at the beginning and later larger ones. With time, the enamel begins to soften and painful eating occurs.With the help of a mirror and a probe or an X-ray, the dentist can estimate the size and initiate an adequate therapy. This can be done under local anesthesia, in very restless and anxious children but also under general anesthesia.

However, one should not confuse caries with discoloration. These are brownish stains on the tooth enamel, which are caused by various foods. Even if you cannot remove them with your own toothbrush at home, your teeth will be bright white again after a professional cleaning at the dentist.