For the question "Can a 5-year-old child have a tooth extracted?" doctors advise against it, except in cases where the child is starting the stage of losing baby teeth or if the child's baby teeth are infected, at risk of dental abscess, or completely dead pulp…
1. Recognizing tooth decay in 5-year-old children
Tooth decay in children progresses through different stages with various pathological manifestations. Parents can recognize whether a 5-year-old child has severe or mild tooth decay through the following signs:
1.1. Mild tooth decay
In the early stages, decayed teeth have not yet formed cavities. Parents may notice slight changes in tooth color. There may be white or black spots on the tooth surface.
The child's enamel begins to be attacked by bacteria. However, this sign is often not easily recognized and parents may overlook it. The cause of this condition is often due to the child eating sweets and not cleaning their teeth properly after eating.
Depending on the severity and location of the decayed tooth, the signs and symptoms will vary. Initially, when tooth decay starts, the child may not have any symptoms, but as the decay progresses, the following symptoms may appear:
- The child's teeth change color at certain points on the chewing surface or between teeth.
- Frequent toothache causing the child to lose appetite.
- The child's teeth become more sensitive, painful when eating sweet, hot, or cold foods, and food often gets stuck between teeth causing discomfort.
- Small cavities appear on the teeth.
- The area around the cavities changes from brown to black.
1.2. Moderate tooth decay
At this stage, the child's teeth are gradually eroded by bacteria, with the appearance of brown-black cavities on the chewing surface of the teeth. These cavities are small but gradually increase in size. This sign can be easily observed if parents pay attention.
The child may have bad breath, toothache, and even lose appetite. At this point, parents may consider whether a 5-year-old child can have a tooth extracted.
However, extracting a 5-year-old child's tooth should be carefully considered and instead, monitor to see if the tooth worsens to find the best solution.
When the enamel begins to decompose, the decay will continue to erode the enamel. If parents observe carefully, they may see white spots gradually turning brown.
Bacteria also contribute to weakening the teeth, and the eroded enamel will form small cavities called tooth decay. These cavities need to be cleaned and filled to prevent further decay.
1.3. Severe tooth decay
At this stage, the child's teeth have large bacterial cavities. The teeth gradually weaken, and the child will feel severe and continuous pain. The teeth also become loose and more brittle.
If left untreated, the decay can spread to the pulp. The pain becomes so severe that the child may need pain relief medication.
At this stage, bacteria begin to attack the dentin beneath the enamel. The dentin is usually softer and more sensitive to acid, so the decay bacteria develop rapidly at this stage.
The most typical sign when a child has severe tooth decay is often feeling sensitive and more painful with hot or cold foods.
2. So, can a 5-year-old child have a tooth extracted?
Baby teeth play a very important role in chewing as well as supporting the child's pronunciation. Therefore, having a healthy and beautiful set of teeth for a long time is what dentists aim for when treating tooth decay in children. Especially for a 5-year-old child, if they are not yet at the age of losing baby teeth, it is best to preserve the teeth optimally. This will help the permanent teeth grow without being misaligned, crooked, or protruding.
Early extraction of baby teeth often affects the child's oral health. Not only does it negatively impact the teeth, but early extraction also slows down the development of the child's jawbone, leading to a narrow jaw or lack of space for teeth to grow.
Therefore, for the question "Can a 5-year-old child have a tooth extracted?" doctors advise against it, except in the following cases: the child is starting the stage of losing baby teeth or encounters one of the mandatory cases below:
- The child's baby teeth are infected at the root, at risk of causing enamel deficiency and dental abscess.
- The baby teeth have completely dead pulp, easily infected to the permanent tooth germ below.
- The child's teeth are severely decayed, treated many times but without improvement, then extraction is necessary to prevent the decay from spreading to other teeth and the permanent tooth germ.
3. Treatment methods for tooth decay instead of extraction for children
Extracting decayed teeth too early can cause many serious problems, especially reducing chewing ability, food absorption rate, and slowing down the development of the jawbone. So if not extracting, what should we do to treat the decayed baby teeth?
Here are the treatment methods for tooth decay instead of extraction for 5-year-old children:
- Remineralization
Remineralization is the process of supplementing important minerals for the teeth such as calcium and phosphorus in the enamel layer. This method helps restore lost enamel and makes the teeth whiter and denser.
This method is used to treat cases of early tooth decay. The advantage is that it does not cause pain or affect the child's oral cavity.
When performing this method, doctors will use Calcium, Phosphate, Fluoride... to cover the cavities on the child's teeth. This process helps regenerate the damaged enamel. At the same time, it prevents harmful bacteria in the teeth from developing.
- Filling
Filling is a method used to restore the chewing function and aesthetics of decayed teeth.
Doctors will use materials such as composite combined with laser or halogen light to harden the composite and fix it to the real tooth. For severely decayed teeth, the pulp needs to be removed and filled to eliminate all infections and harmful bacteria.
In some cases, doctors will consider whether a 5-year-old child can have a tooth extracted. If not, they will apply one of the two methods above. Otherwise, early extraction and special care will be needed to avoid affecting the child's permanent tooth development stage.
4. Guidance for parents on daily oral care for children
Proper oral care for children is the best way to prevent dental complications. Ensuring that the child will have strong teeth from the inside out as they grow up. To do this, parents need to:
- Create a habit of oral hygiene for the child from the time the first baby tooth appears until the child is 3 years old. Parents can guide the child on how to rinse their mouth, observe their teeth after eating, use toothpaste, and practice brushing twice a day.
- Correct the child's bad habits if they often suck their thumb, bite objects, and grind their teeth, as these habits can directly affect the teeth and jawbone. Over time, this will affect the development of the jaw.
- Provide the child with a full range of nutrients, enough calcium and vitamins for the teeth to develop evenly with age. Limit giving the child sweets such as chocolate, candy, ice cream, as sweets are the main cause of tooth decay in children today.
- Create awareness for the child not to put dirty objects in their mouth to bite or suck. Especially, they must wash their hands before eating, not put dirty hands in their mouth. Only eat clean, cooked, and healthy food.
Therefore, whether a 5-year-old child can have a tooth extracted depends on the stage of tooth decay and the timing of losing baby teeth. To avoid this concern, what parents need to do is to carefully take care of the child's baby teeth.
At this age, besides dental issues, the child may also suffer from many other diseases. From 3-6 years old, the child is very active, likes to observe, and explore. The child's health is also easily affected by environmental factors, easily suffering from dental diseases, ear-nose-throat issues, vision, nutrition, height, hepatitis B, just like adults. Doctors recommend that from 4 years old, the child should have regular health check-ups once a year like adults to promptly detect any abnormal health issues. Especially, when the child shows symptoms of fatigue, loss of appetite, or skipping meals, they should be taken to a specialist for consultation, monitoring, and treatment.
How to choose toothpaste for children to prevent cavities?
To arrange an appointment, please call … or make your reservation directly HERE. You may also download the MyVinmec app to schedule appointments faster and manage your reservations more conveniently.
