Dental caries is an infection of the tooth which affects all the three layers of tooth – enamel, dentin and pulp. In early childhood or infancy, nursing habits can affect your child’s teeth. Demineralisation of teeth due to a nursing bottle or suckling is quite common and in severe cases, it can lead to nursing bottle caries and rampant caries.

The negative pressure of suckling or pacifier causes extreme dryness which leads to demineralisation and further decay. This sets up a sequela of destructive events which can be intervened with good oral hygiene and by incorporating prophylactic measures at home. Rampant caries and nursing bottle caries are aggressive conditions and require a visit to your Pedodontist or Child Dental Specialist.

Can Food Habits Influence Tooth Decay?

Yes, dietary habits greatly influence tooth decay. Processed, sticky or starchy foods with high sugar and acidic content do cause dental caries or tooth decay. This with poor oral hygiene can be lethal.

Contrary to the belief, plain chocolates do not cause cavities as chocolates do not leave a residue on the tooth surface and have rapid clearance, unlike starchy and fibrous food. An apple can cause more tooth decay than plain dark chocolate. Candies, gummies and aerated drinks are quite harmful too.

How to prevent tooth decay in early childhood or in infants?

1. Avoid nursing when the child is about to sleep
2. Avoid using a pacifier as an excuse to keep your child occupied
3. Avoid high sugar milk or synthetic milk while bottle-feeding
4. Encourage teethers
5. Encourage brushing and good oral hygiene practices
6. Clearing the mouth of an infant with wet cotton is a good practice
7. Prophylactic varnishes can prevent tooth decay and act as a vaccine against caries
8. Casein from milk also protects teeth from tooth decay ( but avoid sugar in milk )

 

What is the best treatment for rampant caries?

In rampant caries, it’s very important to identify the cause of decay and then restore all the affected teeth with either glass ionomer cement or composite restorations. In severely damaged cases, extraction of the afflicted teeth and preserving the extracted site with a space maintainer can be recommended too. Fluoride releasing cement is ideal in rampant caries due to their anti-cariogenic properties.

Is treating multiple teeth decay, same day harmful?

No, tooth or teeth restoration with cement is a conservative dental procedure and it only requires your child’s compliance. Since kids can be moody and apprehensive it is recommended not to force all restorations on the same day and schedule them instead.

Cost of nursing bottle caries treatment in Hyderabad?

Kids with Nursing bottle caries present with the decay of all upper front teeth, this affects them in more than one way:

1. Physically – Eating habits are affected
2. Socially – They may experience bullying as a result of compromised aesthetics
3. Speech – Severely decay and early loss of anterior teeth can lead to speech slurring and lisping

The treatment of nursing bottle caries involves:

1. Habit Breaking
2. Restoration with fluoride-releasing cements
3. In severe cases restoring after extraction with a prosthesis
4. Prophylactic Varnish application on unaffected teeth
5. Instilling good oral hygiene measures in your kids

The cost of treating nursing bottle caries depends on a number of teeth affected, type of cement, the extent of decay and type of treatment. We recommend consulting a Pedodontist at ALUX DENTAL Hyderabad.