Summer Season for Student Dental Checkups: Be Sure to Check for Baby Tooth Cavities and Your Child’s Orthodontics!

Student dental checkup

When summer vacation begins, many parents come to the dentist holding their child’s hand. Caregivers who noticed their child saying they felt uncomfortable while eating, or who received a suspected cavity finding during a school dental exam, usually ask similar questions as they enter the treatment room.

‘Baby teeth will fall out anyway, so do we really need to treat them?’

As a mother raising two children myself, I completely understand. You want to avoid unnecessary treatment, and since your child may be scared, you may want to delay the visit as much as possible. But at the same time, you may worry that it could affect the permanent teeth.

Is cavity treatment really necessary?

After diagnosing the tooth, if the cavity area is stable without signs of inflammation, the tooth is expected to fall out soon, and the child is not particularly uncomfortable, it may be enough to observe that baby tooth for the time being. However, even when a cavity looks simple on the surface, if inflammation has spread inside, it can affect the enamel formation of the permanent tooth growing nearby, making it thinner, and in some cases the permanent tooth may erupt earlier, so extraction may be recommended first.

In particular, the baby molars, or primary molars, are important teeth that handle chewing function until the upper elementary school years. If a primary molar develops a cavity while there is still a long time before it should be replaced, it must be treated so it can be used firmly and well, allowing the child to eat properly and grow healthily.

That is why at Every Dental Clinic, we do not divide baby tooth cavities simply into “yes” or “no.” Instead, we make decisions by comprehensively considering the child’s age, the location and depth of the cavity, and how cooperative the child is during treatment. If the tooth still has a long use period ahead, we may lightly fill it with resin. If the tooth will fall out soon, we may intervene as little as possible with a material covered by insurance. On the other hand, if the decay is extensive, root canal treatment and a crown may be necessary.

However, the important principle here is to provide only the treatment that is truly necessary. If there is a cavity but the child is afraid of treatment, rather than proceeding right away, we may apply fluoride or take steps to slow progression, and we recommend frequent checkups to the parent. Through long-term observation, we check whether inflammation has developed and monitor the child’s condition.

Also, if a cavity develops in a front tooth, because tooth replacement usually happens around age 7 anyway, we wait a little longer unless it has decayed severely. In the end, treatment for baby tooth cavities is divided into many different paths depending on the situation or condition, so Every Dental Clinic provides care centered on “minimal intervention, maximum effect.”

How should you decide when to start your child’s orthodontic treatment, and what should you watch out for?

While discussing baby tooth cavities, another common question from parents is, “When is the best time to start orthodontic treatment?” Once a child’s teeth start looking misaligned, it is only natural to worry. It is difficult to judge whether starting too early will make the child struggle for a long time, or whether starting too late will make orthodontic treatment harder.

The most important thing when deciding the timing of orthodontic treatment is to distinguish between whether it is a time to support growth or simply a time to adjust alignment. To do this, we examine cephalometric X-rays and spinal growth plate images together, make a diagnosis, and provide accurate information about orthodontics. If we can guide jaw growth during an active growth period, orthodontic treatment can be more effective and unnecessary extractions can be avoided.

For example, the maxilla (upper jaw) usually stops growing around age 10, but the mandible (lower jaw) may continue to grow until middle school in girls and until high school in boys. However, if maxillary growth ends early while the mandible is still growing, skeletal problems such as a prognathic jaw can become fixed. For that reason, before that happens, if we secure time for the maxilla to grow through medical intervention and establish the skeletal structure, we can avoid moving on to extraction-based orthodontic treatment.

Starting orthodontic treatment too early can place a burden on the child, and on the other hand, starting too late may leave regret depending on when the child’s growth stops. In other words, the most important thing is to perform orthodontic treatment appropriately at the right time.

Orthodontic treatment process at Every Dental Clinic

At Every Dental Clinic, we believe orthodontic treatment can succeed only when children are in an environment where they can regularly come to the clinic and be properly monitored. That is why, during the first diagnosis, we carefully assess the child’s growth potential and oral condition, and through consultation with both the parent and the child, we share the orthodontic goals, timing, appliance type, treatment period, and cost. Children also tend to participate more actively in orthodontic treatment when they understand the details.

Children’s orthodontics can be described as treatment created together with the child. That is why trust with the parent is above all important, but at the same time, it is necessary to think first from the child’s perspective in the treatment room. The orthodontic care we provide is not simply about making the teeth straight; it aims to care for the child’s daily life and emotions while reading the timing of growth.

When a child comes to the dentist, we often see them tense up because of unfamiliar sounds and tools, possible pain they may experience, and the fact that they have to lie down on the chair away from their parent. This kind of treatment is not easy even for adults. But by proceeding step by step and explaining things at the child’s eye level, even the reassuring look on the parent’s face can help the child feel more at ease.

We understand the feelings of both parents and children, and we carefully provide only the treatment that is truly necessary. For every treatment, we consider the child’s growth and daily life together, and we will decide whether treatment is needed based on the child’s condition and explain it carefully. From the first visit to the very end, Every Dental Clinic will look after your child with the same heart as a parent. Take some time during summer vacation to check your child’s oral health at Every Dental Clinic in Naebalsan-dong!

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