Why are baby teeth prone to decay?

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Baby tooth decay is quite common in young children before the age of 13 - the age at which most teeth have finished replacing teeth. Although baby teeth will be replaced by permanent teeth, decaying baby teeth will also greatly affect the health of children, making them uncomfortable, painful, having difficulty eating,... So why Baby teeth prone to decay?

1. What are baby teeth?

Baby teeth, also known by many different names such as primitive teeth, baby teeth, ... can simply be understood as the first teeth of a child, usually erupting when the child is 5 to 7 months old. These are temporary teeth, which will be gradually replaced by permanent teeth. In fact, baby teeth are formed when the baby is still in the mother's womb, developed as soon as the fetus is 6 weeks old.
Baby teeth have a total of 20 teeth, divided equally in each jaw, 10 in the upper jaw, 10 in the lower jaw. Each baby will have a slightly different time for teething and tooth replacement due to many reasons such as growth rate, jaw structure, tooth structure, ... different. Although they only last a short time compared to permanent teeth, baby teeth are very important because they need them to be able to learn to chew and eat in the early stages of life. Baby teeth are also the agents that help children learn to speak, create aesthetics for the face and especially help orient the eruption position for permanent teeth.

2. What causes tooth decay?

There are many causes of baby tooth decay in young children, including both objective causes due to external influences and subjective causes caused by children's habits such as:
Bacterial transmission from mother: During pregnancy During pregnancy, if the mother has oral diseases such as gingivitis, periodontitis, ... it is easy for the baby to be born with a defect in enamel. Therefore, children are susceptible to infection with gingivitis bacteria from the time they are in the womb. Bacteria from food: Most young children love snacks, foods containing a lot of carbohydrates such as milk, candies, juices, etc., which have a sharp taste but are not self-conscious about hygiene. daily dental care. Therefore, bacteria living in the mouth convert these items into acids, creating plaque on the teeth, eroding teeth over time leading to tooth decay. Enamel: Baby teeth in children have a much thinner enamel structure than permanent teeth, as well as children with congenital enamel defects that will be easily attacked by bacteria. Teeth position: In many children, teeth that are misaligned, uneven, crowded or too sparse will increase the ability to retain plaque or leftovers. This is a favorable condition for bacteria that cause tooth decay to attack. Oral hygiene: This is an important habit that adults need to guide, monitor and create for children to do every day. This habit is the element of mechanical cleaning, which helps to remove leftovers, minimize bacteria and thoroughly protect the child's oral environment.

3. How to do with deep milk teeth?

Tooth decay is the most common oral disease but also an easy disease to treat if detected early. Each different stage of tooth decay will have a suitable treatment method:
In case of early tooth decay: This is the gentlest stage of treatment, which is inexpensive and does not cause much pain for the child. In this case, a tooth decay medication can be used to reduce the pain as well as disinfect the child. In case the tooth decay has created a hole: At this time, the condition of the child's teeth has been partially affected, creating a hole in the tooth. Depending on the specific case, the dentist will decide to remove the decayed part of the tooth and then fill the hole to restore the chewing function for the child. In case the tooth decay is too severe: When the decay has eaten up most of the child's teeth, it cannot be treated with the above methods but must be removed and extracted to avoid affecting the surrounding teeth.

4. How dangerous is baby tooth decay?

Although it is a temporary tooth, if the baby teeth are decayed and not treated soon, it will cause serious consequences to the health of the child:
Cavity teeth will make it difficult for children to eat and drink, causing pain during the grinding process. foods. Over time, it will make children anorexia, lazy to eat or even afraid to eat. Baby teeth that are too deep for too long will make children more susceptible to early tooth loss. This situation is not good, causing children to have language limitations, slow speech, and affect their pronunciation when learning to speak. Early loss of decayed teeth will cause permanent teeth to not be oriented to the growth position, causing children's teeth to grow slowly, grow misaligned or overlap, affecting the jawbone and teeth structure of children in the long run. Tooth decay is a very contagious disease if not detected and treated early. Especially for baby teeth, in case a tooth is decayed, bacteria will also quickly grow, affecting other teeth or creating conditions for other more dangerous dental diseases. At Vinmec International General Hospital, all dental services are performed according to strict infection control standards, ensuring maximum safety and hygiene for customers. Highly qualified doctors who successfully treat oral diseases from simple to complex will help patients overcome receding gums effectively.

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