Early Childhood Caries

Early Childhood Caries, once known as “Baby Bottle Tooth Decay” or “Nursing Caries,” happens when very young children get tooth decay.  Unfortunately, some children develop severe dental problems at very young ages.  A combination of genetics and environmental factors causes some children to get tooth decay as early as eight or ten months of age.  A visit to the dentist at the age of one year is very valuable in preventing early childhood caries (tooth decay in very young children) because it promptly addresses the causes of the disease.  If detected early, this problem can usually be corrected.

In certain cases, early childhood caries is treated in an outpatient setting so that the treatment may be completed in only one visit.  This allows the child to have little or no memory of the procedure, and helps ensure that their dental visits are positive ones.  Fortunately, regular checkups and good oral hygiene beginning at age one can often prevent early childhood caries.