“Is it normal for my 1 or 2 year-old kid to get cavities? Is it necessary to treat them? Many friends of mine tell me to leave it alone, but I just can't stop worrying the situation may get worse. So I'd like to ask the doctor, is it true that there's no need to fill cavities in toddlers?”

Is that true?

According to the dentists of Shenzhen AKJ Dental Hospital, this is certainly not true! Cavities in deciduous teeth will bring a lot of harm. You can not ignore them, instead you should have them treated in timely manner, and take good care of the teeth, otherwise more serious consequences may arise.

1. Compared with permanent teeth, the enamel of baby teeth is not fully developed, so it is more prone to tooth decay. And once the decay occurs, it develops rapidly. It may only take a few weeks for a black spot to become a black hole. Therefore, cavities in the deciduous teeth should be treated promptly.

2. The cavities in the back deciduous teeth will impact the normal chewing action, giving rise to the habit of unilateral chewing, which will further lead to asymmetrical face in the long run as the muscles in the chewing side is better developed than the other side.

3. The cavities in the anterior deciduous teeth has a great influence on the kid's appearance. It may disincline the child to laugh and to communicate with others due to lack of self-confidence, affecting the kid’s mental health.

4. If the cavities are not treated, they will get worse, and even cause the deciduous teeth to be lost in advance, which will affect both the development and alignment of the permanent teeth, as the permanent teeth won’t be guided to grow into the right position.

5. If the cavities spread to the root or root tip of the deciduous teeth, the cavity-causing bacteria will keep going deep to affect the permanent tooth germs under the gums, causing hypoplasia of permanent teeth.

Tips for Cavity Prevention in Toddlers:

1. Take your child to the dentist regularly and make a dental health record;

2. Clean your baby's mouth when the first tooth erupts, and gradually teach the kid to brush teeth at 2 or 3 years old;

3. Ask your kid to rinse mouth with water after drinking milk or eating snack at night;

4. Apply fluoride agent or fissure sealant;

5. Limit sugary foods and carbonated beverages.