Milk tooth decay is the number one infectious disease in children worldwide. While the number of teeth affected by caries in all other age groups has been falling for years, it continues to rise in the primary dentition. Our primary goal is therefore to prevent tooth decay from the outset! But why is this so difficult? There are many reasons:

• The enamel of milk teeth - the outer protective layer - is only half as thick as that of permanent teeth. This means that decay is twice as fast in destroying the enamel. The nerve in milk teeth is much larger than in permanent teeth. This can lead to fistulas, abscesses or pain very quickly.
• Children often don't like having their teeth brushed. Good oral hygiene can then be very challenging.
• Children usually eat more snacks than adults, so their saliva does not have time to neutralise the acids produced. This takes 1-2 hours! Drinks, especially diluted fruit juices, also contribute to an increased risk of tooth decay.
• Hardly any saliva is produced at night. Every (!) drink that comes into contact with the teeth at night therefore causes tooth decay particularly quickly.
• Crowded milk teeth are particularly at risk, as caries starts hidden in the space between them and is difficult to recognise even for a specialist. Prevention is only possible with dental floss. We will be happy to show you how this works, even in such a small mouth, during an oral hygiene appointment.

What? That's almost impossible to implement - nutrition, drinks, good oral hygiene for a small child? Yes, you can - come and see us for prophylaxis. We will show you and explain how to do it.

The incisors fall out around the age of 6, but the milk molars do not fall out on average until the age of 10 - 12. Until then, they are important for chewing function and as placeholders for the permanent teeth. Milk molars that are lost early can therefore require braces later on, which might otherwise not have been necessary. An abscess under a milk tooth can damage the permanent tooth even before it is ready to come through. Decay on a milk tooth can also infect the permanent teeth, which break through at the age of 6.

Today there are many options. Starting with minimally invasive therapy, various filling materials and paediatric crowns. This depends on the location and size of the caries, but also on the age of the child and their level of co-operation.

We work with paediatric hypnosis, nitrous oxide/laughing gas or, if necessary, general anaesthesia.

This form of caries always affects the upper incisors first in young children and is characterised by the fact that it progresses very quickly. It is usually triggered by drinking at night (no matter what and from what). As soon as you notice white lines near the gums on your child's upper teeth or a whitish coating that cannot be brushed away, please make an appointment, as these are often the first signs. However, the process can still be stopped at this early stage.

If your child has acute pain, please call us as without too much delay and we will do our best, to give you an appointment as soon as possible. Unfortunately, toothache does not go away by itself and painkillers cannot and should not be given forever. Unfortunately, a local anaesthetic (injection) in the inflamed area does not work as we would like it to. Therefore, we may first prescribe an antibiotic for your child and then make an appointment for treatment a week later.

This will save your child from unnecessary bad experiences. Especially if a child is already complaining of pain at night, it may be that the tooth is so inflamed that it needs to be removed. If the cheek is already very swollen, we may also have to send you to the clinic, as abscesses can spread quickly.

Please call us as soon as possible after a dental accident and tell us exactly what has happened so that we can assess what needs to be done.

A damaged milk tooth is usually not really bad. If a tooth is only loose, it usually becomes firmly set again by itself. Broken pieces can be replaced with plastic. However, chipped milk teeth cannot usually be put back because the risk of the remaining bacteria causing damage, is too high. Sometimes milk teeth darken in colour over time. As long as they do not cause any discomfort, nothing needs to be done.

The situation is different for dental accidents involving permanent teeth. Here, prompt treatment is often decisive for long-term success! If a tooth is chipped or even the whole tooth is missing, please bring everything you can find with you. Chipped pieces can be glued back on. Even teeth that have been knocked out can also be re-implanted. However, how to store the tooth is of utmost importance until you come to us. So-called tooth rescue boxes are ideal.

You can buy these at any pharmacy and also store them in your medicine cabinet for longer periods of time. If such a box is not available, please store the tooth in cold UHT milk. If this is also not available, saline solution, water or saliva can also be used if necessary. It is important that the tooth does not dry out! Please handle the tooth as little as possible, only touch it at the crown, never at the root and never clean it! Dislodged or loose permanent teeth must be splinted.

Please also remember: feeling nauseous can be a sign of concussion!

These names provide information on whitish to dark brown discolourations that are already visible when the teeth erupt. This disorder of enamel development currently occurs very frequently. Unfortunately, the exact cause is still unknown. It mainly affects the first permanent molars, sometimes also the incisors. The teeth can be very sensitive to hot and cold and can break quickly after eruption, making it necessary to treat them quickly. However, treatment is often difficult or even impossible due to the extreme sensitivity of the teeth. We will advise you and explain the treatment options.