How many times has it happened to many parents that they just visited a pediatric dentist for a regular checkup, only to find out that their child has developed an oral cavity. While cavities are not a pleasant experience, they are especially worrisome in baby teeth. Experts at many kids dental clinics often get the question about whether a parent should let the cavity in their child’s teeth go untreated since the baby teeth are going to fall off anyway. While the chain of thought may be innocent, the resulting circumstances are way more serious.
Leaving cavities untreated and unresolved in baby teeth can have a number of dire consequences. It can alter the placement of the permanent teeth that will erupt late or can let the infection spread to the permanent teeth that may cause children to lose teeth at an early age. In addition to these, here is a list of other consequences that your child may have to face as a result of delaying or ignoring treatment for cavities in baby teeth.
Problems Caused By Cavities When Left Untreated
- Hinder Nutrition Intake
Leaving cavities can make the experience of eating really uncomfortable and painful. As a result, children, trying to avoid the pain, tend to eat less and that begins to affect their overall nutrition. There are foods that have all the essential nutrients for a child’s growth but children don’t tend to eat them because they are hard and cause pain. But that does not call for losing essential nutrients in the name of pain, as it can adversely affect their growth and development.
- Speech Issues
Because of the issues in teeth placement and jaw alignment caused by cavities running rampant, a number of children develop speech issues growing up. The cavities can affect the sound that they make which impedes correct pronunciation, while teeth falling out due to cavities can worsen this issue. They can make speaking properly really difficult with lasting impressions on confidence and their ability to communicate.
- Confidence & Appearance
Missing teeth or having a discoloured tooth can cause the development of a poor self-image in children, which comes as a huge blow to their confidence in the future. They may not smile in fear of showing their teeth, which itself is a factor of lack of confidence. They stop believing in themselves and this further affects their social life.
- Infection In Other Teeth
Cavities will not stop at just one tooth. It is a myth that a cavity will stop affecting you once it has completely destroyed a tooth with infection. Because cavities are bacterial actions, they will continue to spread, will reach the nerves underneath and then travel to another tooth to affect it as well. A cavity left untreated is an invitation for the bacteria to feast on other teeth, and that is exactly how it will pan out. It can spiral out of control really quickly.
It is important to stop cavities in their way before they can cause permanent damage to your children’s teeth. Make sure that you keep up with regular dental checkups for your children and get them all the necessary treatments that are recommended to them.
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