Children
Child with a cavity in Greenwich, CT: baby teeth still matter
The tooth may be temporary, but the infection is not, and the permanent tooth forming underneath is affected by what happens above it.
How urgent is it?
Within a few days
Same day if your child is in pain, not sleeping, or the gum is swollen. Infections in children can move faster than they do in adults.
Opening hours
Mon–Tue 8a–7p · Wed–Thu 8a–5p · Fri 9a–2p
What this usually means
The causes we see most often
01
Frequency rather than quantity of sugar
Grazing and sipping throughout the day matters more than a single dessert, because the mouth never gets a real chance to recover.
02
Sticky and slow-release snacks
Fruit leathers, gummy vitamins, crackers, and juice pouches all sit on the teeth for a long time.
03
Brushing that misses spots
Children usually cannot brush well on their own until around age eight. The back teeth and the gum line are the areas most often missed.
04
Deep grooves in new molars
Some children's molars have grooves too narrow for a bristle to reach. Those teeth can decay through no fault of anyone's.
What to do right now
Before you get here
- 01
Brush for them, or right after them, twice a day, roughly until age eight. It makes a bigger difference than any product on the shelf.
- 02
Move sugar to mealtimes and cut back on all-day sipping. Water between meals is the simplest habit to build.
- 03
Do not tell them it will not hurt. Tell them we will explain everything and that they can ask us to stop. Children tend to handle honesty better.
- 04
Use a fluoride toothpaste appropriate for their age, a smear rather than a full stripe for a toddler.
What we would do
At the appointment
We let a child sit in the chair, look at the instruments, and ask questions before anything happens. Tell, show, do.
Small cavities in baby teeth are often filled quickly and comfortably. Deeper ones may need more, and we explain that to the parent while the child listens along, rather than talking over their head.
We also address the reason it happened: sealants on grooved molars, fluoride where it will help, and a straightforward conversation about the snacks that contributed.
How we fix it
The treatments this usually leads to
Q & A
What patients ask us about this
It depends how long that tooth has left. A tooth due to come out in a few months may not need filling; one with years still ahead of it can abscess, hurt, and affect the permanent tooth beneath it. We tell you which situation applies to your child.
Around the first birthday, or whenever the first teeth arrive. Early visits are short, cheerful, and mostly about getting comfortable with the office.
We see children as part of the family. Where a very young child needs extensive treatment, a pediatric specialist is genuinely the better setting, and we will tell you when we believe that is the case.
Where we are
211 East Putnam Avenue, Suite 2-6, Cos Cob
Minutes from central Greenwich on East Putnam Avenue, with parking at the building.
Patients travel to us from
Describe it in your own words when you call. We will tell you whether it needs us today.