What causes a baby tooth to crumble suddenly without pain?

Question

Hello doctor,

I had an experience with a tooth as a child for which I have never received an answer. My baby teeth were always kept pretty clean and well taken care of, but this one incident happened where one tooth literally disintegrated in a matter of seconds. I was sucking on a sucker and noticed that small, white, hard particles were all over it.

I was not sure what was happening inside my mouth and realized that about 3/4 of a molar baby tooth was gone, and I was spitting out hundreds of small pieces of the tooth. I went to my dentist to remove the rest of the tooth, and my adult molars came in fine. What could have happened?

Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have gone through your query and understand your concern.

Please answer the following:

When did it happen (at what age)? How many molars?
Any history of bottle feeding?
Diet history?
What was the history of dental checkups and dental treatments during that period? More history of the details would help.

It could be tooth demineralization caused by occult caries or backward caries. This cannot be diagnosed clinically by the dentist and may not be apparent to the eye. It can only be seen in a radiograph. Primary or baby teeth are more prone to decay, even if well-maintained.

If not decayed, the baby molar could have demineralized and become weak enamel by birth. Sometimes medicines taken by the mother during her pregnancy (typically during the in-vitro formation of that tooth bud) could have caused this demineralization, if not decay. But the most common likelihood is by hidden decay.

I hope this helps.

Kindly revert in case of further queries.

Thank you.