What can be done about caries in children?

Even in childhood and on milk teeth, caries is removed and the resulting cavity is treated. However, the dentist can only initiate the right therapy after a detailed clarification. If the tooth is worth preserving, the dentist starts removing (drilling out) the caries.

Subsequently, the tooth can then be treated with a filling or a steel crown. But as with adults, the size of the caries is clearly important. In addition, the importance of preservation, the age of the child, as well as the permanent tooth play a major role in children.

If the tooth cannot remain in the mouth, it must be extracted in order not to damage the following tooth. Often no children are given a space maintainer. This is a brace that is designed to take the place of the extracted tooth so that the adjacent teeth do not move into the gap.

This leaves enough space for the following tooth to break through in accordance with the standards. It must therefore be worn until the next tooth has broken through. Only the dentist can decide on the exact therapy by taking anamnesis and diagnostics.

In order not to damage the later teeth, a visit to the dentist should be made in case of caries in childhood. The caries incidence of milk teeth is still relatively high despite the increasing number of preventive examinations. The therapy consists of a dental treatment. The carious area must be removed to prevent further spread – also from tooth to tooth. So there is no escape from “drilling”.

Can caries in children still be cured?

Caries is an infectious disease which is passed on by a droplet infection. This can happen, for example, through a kiss while cuddling. Carious spots can be removed and then treated with a filling.

However, proper oral hygiene must then be ensured to prevent the caries from returning. Such spots can reoccur for a lifetime. A real “healing” of the caries, in the sense that it never returns after removal, is therefore not possible.