What to do if your child has a hole in his tooth

Holes in young children's teeth are mostly caused by tooth decay, which not only causes tooth defects, but also often causes symptoms such as swollen and painful gums. Cavities in teeth should be prevented and repaired in a timely manner. The defective parts should be filled in time. In addition, good oral hygiene habits should be developed. Children should eat less candy, rinse their mouths after eating, and brush their teeth every morning and evening.

1. Prevention and repair

If it is just the early stage of tooth decay, the tooth decay has only eroded the surface of the tooth. In this case, we just need to do daily oral care to protect the tooth enamel from further loss. Of course, you should also go to the hospital regularly for relevant examinations, and if necessary, you can do pit and fissure sealing or tooth filling;

2. Fill your teeth in time

If a relatively large cavity has formed, simple repair and prevention are no longer effective in controlling tooth decay, and a filling is required. It is worth noting that after filling a tooth, the acid environment in the mouth should be improved to prevent tooth decay from worsening for a longer period of time.

3. Eat sugar in moderation

Sugar is the main culprit that causes tooth decay. Therefore, parents should limit their children's sugar intake. Tell your children to rinse their mouths or drink some water after eating candy, so as not to leave any candy in their mouths, and not to eat candy for more than half an hour.

4. Regular dental care

When a child's deciduous teeth have all grown out, you should take him or her to have their teeth checked and the plaque on them removed. You should also have local fluoride treatment or pit and fissure sealing done to more effectively prevent tooth decay. This method can be used to prevent tooth decay between the ages of 2 and 14, when tooth decay is most likely to occur, and the earlier the better.

5. Don’t let your teeth lack fluoride

If the fluoride content in the local drinking water is low, you can use fluoride toothpaste to brush your teeth to supplement the teeth's need for fluoride. Of course, the fluoride intake should not exceed the standard, which can easily lead to dental fluorosis. In addition, try not to use fluoride toothpaste before children are 6 years old, so as to prevent children from accidentally ingesting toothpaste during brushing due to their young age and causing dental fluorosis.

6. Let your children develop the habit of brushing their teeth in the morning and evening from an early age

Choose a small toothbrush with soft bristles. When brushing your teeth, brush vertically along the gaps between teeth, brush the upper teeth from top to bottom, and the lower teeth from bottom to top. Never brush your teeth horizontally in a sawing motion, because long-term sawing motion will damage the cementum and gums at the roots of the teeth, exposing the dentin, causing the teeth to lose protection and become more susceptible to erosion.