Milk Tooth Filling

Milk tooth treatments should be applied to relieve the child’s pain and prevent the existing problem from growing. Infections occurring in milk teeth are important not only for the general health of the child, but also for guiding the emergence of permanent teeth.

The main cause of tooth decay is frequent consumption of carbohydrates and simple sugar foods. Chocolate and sugary snacks, which children frequently consume, cause tooth decay when in contact with the teeth for a long time. Since the enamel layer in milk teeth is damaged more easily, decay progresses much more easily and quickly. In order to be protected from the disadvantages that milk teeth have due to their nature, frequent consumption of junk food should be avoided and the habit of brushing teeth should be acquired as early as possible.

In case of decay of milk teeth, milk tooth fillings can be used. The earliest age at which a child can open his mouth and have a filling is usually 3 years old. Starting from this age, filling treatments can be applied by dentists. Ensuring that children get used to dentists and clinics with periodic check-ups starting from the age of 1 is very important for the feasibility of dental treatments in the future. Otherwise, performing dental procedures on young children is only possible under sedation or general anesthesia.

Filling treatment for primary teeth is performed by anesthetizing the tooth with local anesthesia, cleaning the decay and filling the resulting gap with filling materials. They have similar properties to fillings placed on permanent teeth. Filling materials used in children today can be of many types and colors. Resin-based filling materials, namely composite fillings, are frequently used. The use of glass ionomer-based fillers is also quite common.

When the decay in primary teeth is very deep, amputation or root canal treatments may be required. In some cases, milk teeth may need to be coated with materials such as stainless steel and zirconium, similar to the veneer treatment applied to permanent teeth. These treatments aim to keep the baby tooth in the mouth without any problems until it is time to fall out, and to meet the child’s needs such as aesthetics and chewing function.