Cavities in 7 year old

[Useruser]

Hi,
My 7year old had a dental check and have been told that he has little cavities. And they told us to come for fillings.
Do fillings necessary for the baby teeth? Will the cavity remineralise on it's own? Or fillings needed?

 

[Gordon]

Yes.
Not likely.
Probably, hard to say without any more information.

Time to have a look at his diet, if he's got cavities already.

 

[Useruser]

Yes.
Not likely.
Probably, hard to say without any more information.

Time to have a look at his diet, if he's got cavities already.

Thank you. I will try to get the xrays from the dentist office and post here.

 

[MumOfBoys1985]

If you left the cavities then he could end up with toothache. Even though they're baby teeth, it could still be several years before those teeth fall out, lots of time for the decay to get worse and spread to his adult teeth.

Not judging you but i would probably take over brushing his teeth for now if you dont already. At 7 they are still quite little and need the help in my opinion.

 

[MountainMama]

My daughter had a small cavity at 9 years old. It was tiny and could be filled without any anesthesia because it was just in the outside layer. The dentist used a water jet drill to do it so it wasn’t as scary or noisy. My daughter said it was easy and didn’t hurt at all. I had to monitor her brushing for awhile after that but having a cavity definitely made her brush better. The dentist gave us some of those disclosure tablets that they chew after brushing and they show where they need to brush better.

 

[Useruser]

My daughter had a small cavity at 9 years old. It was tiny and could be filled without any anesthesia because it was just in the outside layer. The dentist used a water jet drill to do it so it wasn’t as scary or noisy. My daughter said it was easy and didn’t hurt at all. I had to monitor her brushing for awhile after that but having a cavity definitely made her brush better. The dentist gave us some of those disclosure tablets that they chew after brushing and they show where they need to brush better.

Thank you.
I haven't heard of these disclosure tablets. I will ask the dentist about it.
He said it's a mild cavity only and he wanted to treat it before it gets bigger. I have to brush him properly. He is not letting me brush and wanted to do on his own and rushing up with his brushing.

 

[Useruser]

Yes.
Not likely.
Probably, hard to say without any more information.

Time to have a look at his diet, if he's got cavities already.

@Gordon doctor, how should be the flossing techniques? How to floss it? So they need floss everyday? My kid doesn't let me to floss. He floss on his own with a floss stick. Is the traditional floss during string is better than this? Which is better to use?
Also, he use electric toothbrush. Is electric toothbrush better or the normal??

 

[MumOfBoys1985]

I use an electric toothbrush for my 5 and my 7 year old. They use different toothpastes as I use the relevant one for their age. I dont floss their teeth and our dentist has never said its required. I find it easier to brush their teeth with the electric brush but they both struggle more with it if doing their own teeth I think because its bigger than a manual.

How about you let him brush first and then you do it after?

You can get the disclosure tablets from amazon or a pharmacy.

 

[Useruser]

I use an electric toothbrush for my 5 and my 7 year old. They use different toothpastes as I use the relevant one for their age. I dont floss their teeth and our dentist has never said its required. I find it easier to brush their teeth with the electric brush but they both struggle more with it if doing their own teeth I think because its bigger than a manual.

How about you let him brush first and then you do it after?

You can get the disclosure tablets from amazon or a pharmacy.

My kid's dentist told to start flossing since he was 5. We were flossing him on and off.
I will check out that tablet in Amazon.

 

[Thephilsblogbar]

Could always check out your local drug store/chemist/pharmacy to get these tablets, the dental practice you go to may sell them.

 

[letsconnect]

Time to have a look at his diet, if he's got cavities already.

Basically, what Gordon is saying is to make sure your son eats sugar and carbohydrates less frequently. We've got more information here:

How to prevent and stop tooth decay

Find out how to prevent tooth decay and how to stop existing decay from getting worse.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

Simply put, decay is mostly down to diet. Not snacking between meals and not sipping drinks all day (apart from water) will pretty much prevent decay. Give sweets like chocolates or cakes as a dessert at mealtimes, rather than in between meals.

Snacks which don't cause cavities include nuts, cheese, raw vegetables, and boiled eggs. Avoid boiled sweets which stay in contact with the teeth for a long time (unless they're sugar-free ones).

 

[Gordon]

Flossing isn't really necessary for a 7 year old. It's also very difficult for them to do, you would absolutely have to do it for him.

 

[MumOfBoys1985]

Flossing isn't really necessary for a 7 year old. It's also very difficult for them to do, you would absolutely have to do it for him.

Sorry to jump in - what age is it recommended that kids start to floss? There's no way I'd be able to do my 7 year olds but I am curious.

 

[Gordon]

When they've got their adult teeth all in place generally.

 

[Useruser]

Hi. Updating this thread.
I went back to my dentist and my 8yrs old has an exam. This is the new dentist btw.
He took x-rays and immediately said he need to fill those cavities. As per him, there is one cavity on the left side lower and 3 other teeth on the right side. He said he will fill the left side cavity and do something called SDF on the other side teeth to to prevent cavity growth.
I don't really get what he said . He said it's need to be done immediately and needed fillings and that sdf.

I am attaching the xrays. Please take a look and let me know if it's need to be done asap?
Attaching 4 more pics in the comment section.

 

[Useruser]

Attaching few more xrays.

 

[MumOfBoys1985]

@Useruser im not being judgemental but do you supervise his brushing? 4 cavities by age 8 sounds a lot to me and I'd be concerned that he isn't managing properly. My eldest is 8 and autistic (due to this he has poor dexterity) - I brush his teeth with an electric brush in the morning and at night he does them with a manual first and I do them after with the electric. My dentist told me at 8 they still need a lot of supervision with brushing.

 

[Useruser]

@MumOfBoys1985 yes I do brush for him. Dentist said he has one cavity and other 3 are in initial stage. He said one need to be filled and other 3 can be remineralised.
I wanted to know if this cavity has to be filled immediately. I know that's his baby tooth and might fall off soon.

To be honest, I am scared to go for this fillings for him.

 

[MumOfBoys1985]

@Useruser it's hard to know what to do for the best where our children are concerned isn't it. Teeth are a huge worry for me with my two boys, I worry that my fears over dental and teeth will pass to them too which makes it worse.

Personally, my worry would be that decay can pass to adult teeth so if it was me I'd be wanting to get it fixed ASAP I think to try and prevent any further cavities on his adult teeth.

 

[Gordon]

@Gordon doctor, how should be the flossing techniques? How to floss it? So they need floss everyday? My kid doesn't let me to floss. He floss on his own with a floss stick. Is the traditional floss during string is better than this? Which is better to use?
Also, he use electric toothbrush. Is electric toothbrush better or the normal??

Do not floss, not at all! There is no benefit in flossing deciduous teeth, in fact there is more possibility of harm than any benefit.
A good electric brush is better, e.g Oral B, Sonicaire etc. especially for kids who don't have the manual dexterity to use a manual brush very effectively.
You need to keep in mind though that no amount of tooth brushing can compensate for a bad diet.