Tooth Decay in Children

Untreated decay in baby teeth, like adult teeth, can lead to pain and infection with long standinginfection possibly leading to damage of developing permanent teeth. Dental decay and pain caninterfere with eating, sleeping and cause poor behaviour and appearance.Back baby teeth only start to fall out at the age of 10-12 years when the adult ones are due toerupt. For teeth that are fit for restoration, it has been found that children tend to cope better withfillings rather than extractions. Filling or restoration of baby teeth allows these teeth to be retainedand function in eating and preservation of space for the adult tooth. Early loss of a baby toothallows unwanted movement of other teeth into its space thus there may be no space for theadult tooth to grow. Keeping baby teeth can help to reduce the need for extractions and braces.