Your Child’s First Filling

A young girl getting a filling at the dentist

When it comes to the development of a child, few things can be chalked up as “simply for the baby.” Developmental experts will tell you about the importance of responding to your child when they vocalize, looking them in the eye, and mimicking their facial expressions, all so that they can get used to interacting with other humans.

How the child moves, how and what the child eats, how they sleep — each plays its own important part in the rearing up of the baby, not just from a sense of healthiness in the here-and-now but also in setting a standard for their later life.

Your kid’s dental care is no different, which is why it is so important to get them into a pediatric dentist as soon as their first tooth erupts from the gums.

Baby Cavities

Finding proper dental care for your children in Utah can be a stressful choice; you’ll certainly be consulting with trusted friends and family, as well as looking up testimonials. There’s so much to consider, too, when picking any type of medical professional; how experienced are they, is the clinic near my home, are they good with kids?

For many people, however, the tougher mental hurdle when it comes to their kids’ tooth care is not downplaying problems with baby teeth simply because they’re destined to fall out. In truth, childhood cavities are a true epidemic.

  • 20% of children aged 5 – 11 have at least one untreated decaying tooth.
  • Children of low-income families are twice as likely (25%) to get cavities than those from higher-income families.
  • Tooth decay is 4x more common than childhood obesity.
  • Only about a third of children brush their teeth twice a day; less than half of them floss.

Cavities in your kids’ baby teeth shouldn’t be ignored. Tooth decay is the most common and communicable disease children face and can lead to other health problems.

Getting Fillings

We’ve discussed how widespread cavities can be in young people but most parents looking for good dental care in Utah for their children want to know why treating them is so important. Why bother filling in cavities if the teeth will fall out on their own?

Your child’s oral health impacts more than the color or state of their teeth:

  • Their psychological health
  • Their physical comfort
  • Their facial structure and development
  • Their future oral health, including the healthiness of their adult teeth

Speaking with the professionals at Timpanogos Pediatric Dentistry will shed light on all the ways we can treat cavities, both early onset and advanced. The method most familiar to parents will likely be filling the cavities.

The Procedure

Once a cavity is discovered and fillings are prescribed for your child, the dentist will want to discuss options with you about how the procedure is to be performed. These are general questions that parents will likely have an opinion on:

  • Should we opt for metal or composite fillings?
  • Will there be sedation involved?

The team at Timpanogos Pediatric Dentistry has performed thousands of fillings on children of all ages; they are in no safer hands. 

Once your child is in the chair, the procedure only takes a few minutes. The dentist will administer a guard against the pain (either the sedation or a local anesthetic) and then clean and fill the cavity. The filling is then usually sealed with a UV light. 

The Best Dental Care For Children in Utah

The dentist can be a scary place for adults as well as children, especially if there are bad memories associated with pediatric dentistry from early life. We can help break that trend for your kids, however, by providing a safe and pleasant environment for them to receive dental care.

If you think you’ve discovered a cavity in your child’s mouth, or a filling has already been prescribed and you have questions about it, give us a call. Our team is ready to set your mind at ease.

25 North 1100 East

American Fork, UT 84003

(801) 207-9080

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Opening Hours

Monday: 9:00 - 6:00 Tues - Thurs: 8:00 - 5:00

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