How to manage decayed teeth in a 4-year-old child?

Question

Hello doctor,

My son has a decayed tooth from the age of two. After slipping down accidentally, one of his teeth broke in half. Day-by-day adjacent teeth are also getting decayed. However, when I consulted a local doctor, he said that these were milk teeth, and there was nothing to worry about. But, his gums are weak. He is 4 years old. Please advise.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern.

I went through your query, and the attached image (attachments removed to protect the patient's identity). I am very sorry about your kid's discomfort. Caries are present in the lower right deciduous first and second molars (milk tooth). Kindly let me know if the kid is on a bottle feed. As you have mentioned, the kid had an injury and broke the tooth. Please tell me whether the tooth is mobile. There is a great possibility of food lodgement in the broken tooth. Food accumulation might result in caries of the tooth adjacent to it. Kindly mention if any other tooth on the other side of the jaw or on the opposite jaw has caries. I suggest you do the following:

First and foremost, cleaning is essential.
If he is feeding on a bottle at night before bed, it must be strictly avoided.
Avoid sticky or sweet foods, such as chocolate and chips as much as possible. Train the child to rinse his mouth whenever he consumes such foods
Use Kidodent toothpaste (Sodium Fluoride, Triclosan, and Xylitol) and Cheerio (Sodium monofluorophosphate) oral gel.
Teach him to brush twice daily.
Syrup Ibuprofen can be given, if needed.

Get the infected tooth filled. A temporary filling will be enough since it is a milk tooth, but it has to stay there till 10 to 12 years of age as the permanent tooth will erupt only during that period.

I hope it was helpful. Kindly reply to the basic queries for further instructions. I pray for the kid to stay healthy.

Thank you.