{"id":220,"date":"2024-04-22T17:14:56","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T17:14:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/?p=220"},"modified":"2024-04-22T17:14:57","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T17:14:57","slug":"do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Baby Teeth Really Need Fillings?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Happy-young-child-in-dental-treatment-chair-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Happy young child in dental treatment chair\" class=\"wp-image-221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Happy-young-child-in-dental-treatment-chair-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Happy-young-child-in-dental-treatment-chair-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Happy-young-child-in-dental-treatment-chair.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If your child has been complaining lately about dental sensitivity, or you have noticed a small hole or dark spot on one of their teeth, they may have a cavity. At first, you might be tempted to dismiss it as a minor issue. After all, baby teeth are going to fall out anyway, so you could reason that they do not need <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/tooth-colored-fillings.html\">fillings<\/a>. However, that type of thinking is dangerous. All cavities, including those in baby teeth, should be evaluated by a qualified dentist. This blog post explains why. It also touches on possible treatment options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Importance of Treating Decay in Baby Teeth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though baby teeth are designed to fall out eventually, they do serve an important purpose. Failure to treat decay in one of these teeth could lead to some serious consequences for your child:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Pain and dental sensitivity. <\/strong>These issues may affect your child\u2019s behavior and performance in school.<\/li><li><strong>Difficulty eating. <\/strong>Your child might become reluctant to eat a balanced, nutritious diet.<\/li><li><strong>Dental infections. <\/strong>Severe decay can open the way for serious infections, which have the potential to spread into nearby tissues and cause systemic illness. In very rare cases, people have died from untreated dental infections.<\/li><li><strong>Premature loss of baby teeth. <\/strong>Decay can sometimes lead to the need for an extraction. The premature loss of a baby tooth can adversely affect the development of future permanent teeth.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Treatment Options for Cavities in Baby Teeth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on the severity of the cavity and the state of your child\u2019s mouth, there are a few possible ways to treat decay in baby teeth:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Changes in oral hygiene. <\/strong>If a cavity is in its early stages, and the tooth is likely to fall out within the next 6 \u2013 12 months, it may be best simply to refine your child\u2019s oral hygiene routine. That should be able to manage the decay and keep it from worsening while also sparing your child from the need to get a filling.<\/li><li><strong>A filling.<\/strong> Modern dentistry offers tooth-colored fillings that blend in seamlessly with the surrounding dentition and are completely free of mercury and other metals. This is the most common way to address cavities in both baby teeth and permanent teeth.<\/li><li><strong>A crown.<\/strong> Advanced decay may need to be treated with a crown, which is a custom tooth-shaped cap that covers the entirety of the tooth that is visible above the gumline. It can protect the tooth from additional damage and restore its function.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When you bring your child in for their exam, their dental team will examine the tooth, take some X-rays and recommend a personalized treatment plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cavities in baby teeth should be taken seriously! Fillings and other treatments can get your child\u2019s oral health back on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Meet the Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simply Pediatric Dentistry &amp; Orthodontics is home to four talented dentists, including a board-certified pediatric dentist. Our team is passionate about helping young smiles to thrive. If you suspect that your child has a cavity or other oral health problems, we are ready to evaluate the situation and make a treatment recommendation. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/contact-cdfc.html\">Contact our Pelham, NJ, office<\/a> at 603-635-1166.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If your child has been complaining lately about dental sensitivity, or you have noticed a small hole or dark spot on one of their teeth, they may have a cavity. At first, you might be tempted to dismiss it as a minor issue. After all, baby teeth are going to fall out anyway, so you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Do Baby Teeth Really Need Fillings?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If your child has a cavity in one of their baby teeth, will they need a filling? Maybe. Learn more about cavity treatment for youngsters.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Do Baby Teeth Really Need Fillings?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If your child has a cavity in one of their baby teeth, will they need a filling? Maybe. Learn more about cavity treatment for youngsters.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Simply Pediatric Dentistry &amp; Orthodontics Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-22T17:14:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-22T17:14:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Happy-young-child-in-dental-treatment-chair-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"simplypedo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"simplypedo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/\",\"name\":\"Do Baby Teeth Really Need Fillings?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Happy-young-child-in-dental-treatment-chair-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-22T17:14:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-22T17:14:57+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/cd85332bc31f28d92bdb1c058254ec11\"},\"description\":\"If your child has a cavity in one of their baby teeth, will they need a filling? Maybe. Learn more about cavity treatment for youngsters.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Happy-young-child-in-dental-treatment-chair.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Happy-young-child-in-dental-treatment-chair.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Do Baby Teeth Really Need Fillings?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Simply Pediatric Dentistry &amp; Orthodontics Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/cd85332bc31f28d92bdb1c058254ec11\",\"name\":\"simplypedo\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f73a15de2a9b107bd638cbe619e8b27f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f73a15de2a9b107bd638cbe619e8b27f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"simplypedo\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/author\/simplypedo\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Do Baby Teeth Really Need Fillings?","description":"If your child has a cavity in one of their baby teeth, will they need a filling? Maybe. Learn more about cavity treatment for youngsters.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Do Baby Teeth Really Need Fillings?","og_description":"If your child has a cavity in one of their baby teeth, will they need a filling? Maybe. Learn more about cavity treatment for youngsters.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/","og_site_name":"Simply Pediatric Dentistry &amp; Orthodontics Blog","article_published_time":"2024-04-22T17:14:56+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-04-22T17:14:57+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Happy-young-child-in-dental-treatment-chair-300x200.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"simplypedo","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"simplypedo","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/","url":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/","name":"Do Baby Teeth Really Need Fillings?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Happy-young-child-in-dental-treatment-chair-300x200.jpg","datePublished":"2024-04-22T17:14:56+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-22T17:14:57+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/cd85332bc31f28d92bdb1c058254ec11"},"description":"If your child has a cavity in one of their baby teeth, will they need a filling? Maybe. Learn more about cavity treatment for youngsters.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Happy-young-child-in-dental-treatment-chair.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Happy-young-child-in-dental-treatment-chair.jpg","width":800,"height":533},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/do-baby-teeth-really-need-fillings\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Do Baby Teeth Really Need Fillings?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/","name":"Simply Pediatric Dentistry &amp; Orthodontics Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/cd85332bc31f28d92bdb1c058254ec11","name":"simplypedo","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f73a15de2a9b107bd638cbe619e8b27f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f73a15de2a9b107bd638cbe619e8b27f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"simplypedo"},"url":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/author\/simplypedo\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":222,"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220\/revisions\/222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.simplypedoorthopelham.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}