A hole in a tooth – how does tooth decay develop?
Tooth decay is the most common condition affecting milk teeth. When tooth decay – commonly known as a ‘hole in the tooth’ – develops, several factors come into play: firstly, there are decay-causing bacteria, such as Streptococcus mutans, which are often passed on from parents to their children. The bacteria find fertile ground: they encounter carbohydrates, such as sugar, which the bacteria convert into acid. In the process, important minerals are leached from the tooth enamel. If this process of demineralisation is not stopped in time, tooth decay develops. It can be recognised by brown discolouration or small holes in the tooth. Sometimes tooth decay is so well hidden between the teeth that it can only be detected using a digital X-ray.
How does a pediatric dentist treat cavities?
The sooner we detect tooth decay, the lower the risk of pain and the less invasive the treatment required to remove it. During your children’s check-ups, we examine whether there is any tooth decay or an increased risk of it. In most cases, it doesn’t even get to the stage where we need to remove tooth decay. If we do need to, we use our little ‘shower’ and the ‘tickle brush’: these two tools help us to remove tooth decay safely – and, of course, they’re specially designed for small children’s mouths and milk teeth. We tailor the treatment gently and in a child-friendly way, using all the methods available to us as required.
How high is your child’s risk of tooth decay?
At our paediatric dental practice in Munich, your paediatric dentist can assess each young patient’s individual risk of tooth decay. To do this, they carefully examine brushing habits, diet and the condition of the teeth, including:
- Tooth structure (How well is the enamel mineralised?)
- Tooth shape (e.g. depth of the so-called fissures, the grooves in the molars)
- Tooth alignment (e.g. teeth that are close together, or possibly even overlapping)
- Saliva (a saliva test provides information on saliva composition, consistency or pH level)
Assessing an individual’s risk of tooth decay enables us to plan further treatment and preventive measures in our paediatric dental practice in Munich in a targeted manner.
Range of Treatments
A hole in a tooth – how does tooth decay develop?
