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The office is closed between July 26 and August 23 included. Until we see you again in the fall, we wish you a wonderful sunny vacation!

The office is closed for the end of year vacations between December 18th and January 6th included.

Everything About Cavities And How We Treat Them

Causes, Treatment, Prevention

What are cavities?

Cavities are an infectious and contagious form of tooth decay.

Caries - What is a cavity? - Child Dentist

Where do cavities come from?

Cavities are the result of one or more of the following factors:

What are the symptoms? - What is a cavity? - Child Dentist

What Are The Symptoms?

Once you see that your child has symptoms of cavities , you should immediately contact a pediatric dentist.

How Are Cavities Treated?

Cavities (whether in baby or permanent teeth) need to be treated. The specific procedure depends on the level of progression of the cavity, but the general principal is to remove the decay and then restore the tooth.

How Do We Diagnose Cavities?

Dr. Agachi uses a variety of modern devices and techniques to diagnose cavities and their stage of development- even when they’re invisible to the naked eye and X-ray.

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Intraoral Cameras

Intraoral cameras help enhance what we see through autofluorescence and chromatic amplification. But more simply, these cameras render affected areas of the tooth in red, and their capacity to do so often catches cavities that are invisible to X-ray imaging.

Digital Radiology - How is a cavity diagnosed? - Children's Dentistry

Digital X-Ray Machines

Our digital X-ray machine records retro-alveolar images that precisely reveal the structure of teeth as well as the presence of cavities.

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Surgical Loupes

Dr. Agachi employs advanced surgical loupes that magnify and enhance regions of tooth decay up to 100x, revealing details invisible to the naked eye and X-ray!

What matters most to us is the health of your children’s teeth. That’s why we offer an entire range of treatment options specially adapted for children, that are designed to be natural, painless, and non-invasive.

Currently, conventional dentistry is in the process of evolving towards more natural treatments that incorporate the innate healing abilities of the tooth’s hard tissues.

          Dr. Adriana Agachi, Pediatric Oral Surgeon

Caries Treatment - Staff - Child Dentist

How Do We Treat Cavities According To Their Different Stages?

1

The Beginning Stages Of A Cavity

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To remove a cavity in its beginning stages, there is no need for drilling!

Instead, we use a device specially designed to gently treat beginning cavities.

In certain cases, we can also treat the cavity with flouride.

Because cavities are often very small in their beginning stages, there's often no need for a complex restoration process.

2

The Cavity Progresses

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If the cavity has been allowed to progress, now is the time to stop it! By using a laser, we both minimize the both the region removed as well as discomfort.

The hole left behind is then filled with the tooth restoration material that is best adapted to your child (monomer-CVI or composite glass cement).

3

The Cavity Reaches The Dentin

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Once the cavity has reached the dentin, it’s important to be as conservative as possible while removing the decay. To do this, we use a specialized ceramic drill that is only capable of removing decayed tooth- once it makes contact with healthy tooth, it stops!

Once the decay is removed, we protect the dentin and fill the hole with a composite whose characteristics match those of the tooth as closely as possible.

Attention! We do not perform metal fillings in this office!

Is treating baby teeth necessary even though they'll eventually fall out?

Absolutely! It’s a common misconception that baby teeth don’t require treatment because they’ll eventually fall out and be replaced by permanent teeth.

It's therefore absolutely necessary to treat baby teeth as soon as they become affected. In cases where cavities are exceedingly deep, we we do everything possible to prevent the loss of a baby tooth.

4

The Cavity Reaches The Pulp

Treated Caries - Caries Affects Dentin - Child Dentist

Pulpotomy: the tooth is living

We perform a pulpotomy to remove any affected pulp tissue within the crown of the tooth. 

Afterwards, a special material is placed to prevent bacterial growth and calm the remaining nerve tissue. This treatment maintains the vitality of the affected tooth.

This is followed by a final restoration involving materials such as glass ionomer cements or composite fillings. 

If the tooth decay was excessive, a preformed pediatric dental crown is placed over the tooth.

This is followed by a final restoration involving materials such as glass ionomer cements or composite fillings. If the tooth decay was excessive, a preformed inlay-onlay is placed over the tooth.

5

The Cavity Kills The Tooth

Treated Cavity - Cavity Killed the Tooth - Child Dentist

Pulpectomy: the tooth has died

We perform a pulpectomy is necessary when the pulp tissu is necrotic. In this case, it is completely removed, both from the crown and from the root. The canals are cleaned and disinfected prior to restoration.

With baby teeth, at this point we remove the tooth and put in a dental space maintainer to preserve tooth alignment while awaiting the permanent tooth. 

Alternatively, it's possible to fill the canal with a resorbable material and then cover the tooth with a custom pediatric dental crown.

With permanent teeth, the canals are filled with a non-resorbable material and then covered with an inlay/onlay.

Is treating baby teeth necessary even though they'll eventually fall out?

Absolutely! It’s a common misconception that baby teeth don’t require treatment because they’ll eventually fall out and be replaced by permanent teeth.

It's therefore absolutely necessary to treat baby teeth as soon as they become affected. In cases where cavities are exceedingly deep, we we do everything possible to prevent the loss of a baby tooth.

What instruments do we use to treat cavities?

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Air Abrasion

Air abrasion is used to treat cavities in their beginning stages without drilling and without pain.

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Lasers

Lasers can replace the need to drill, allowing for gentler, more precise treatments.

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Ceramic Drill Bits

We use specialized ceramic drill bits that minimize tooth removal in only removing decayed regions of the tooth, one layer at a time.

How do we ensure that our dental procedures are pain free and not scary?

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 Nitrous Oxide

(Laughing Gas)

In cases of extreme anxiety, we administer nitrous oxide, which is a mild gaseous anesthetic administered via respirator that helps your child relax without putting them to sleep.

Dr. Agachi's Children's Dental Office

Osteocentral

Anesthesia

We use an intraosseous anesthesia, which precisely targets the affected region, eliminates pain entirely, significantly increases comfort levels, and avoids numbing your child’s lips, tongue, and cheek so there is no risk of biting oneself.

Healthy Mind

Virtual Reality

Headsets

Healthy Mind is a virtual reality headset, developed in close collaboration with doctors and neuroscientists, that’s clinically proven to reduce pain and anxiety- all while transporting your child to their favorite animated world of oceans, mountains, forests…

How can I prepare my child for treatment?

As parents, you are your child’s first companions! You know how to reassure your child when they’re afraid, and calm them when they’re feeling anxious. With your collaboration, we can take every step to ensure that your children associate nothing but positive experiences and happy memories with dentistry and dental care.

What material do we use to fill cavities?

Once the cavity has been removed, Dr. Agachi will restore the tooth, which naturally means filling the hole left by the cavity. To do this, she the restoration material that is best adapted to your child (monomer-CVI or composite glass cement). Both options are also aesthetically designed materials, and have many other valuable qualities outside of their resilience:

Why do we use dental surgical drapes?

We use special surgical drapes called umbrellas to create an isolated environment during treatment. This is an elastic barrier stretched around the tooth that: 

How can I protect my child's teeth against cavities?

Along with maintaining exemplary oral hygiene and scheduling regular dental visits, we also offer several treatments, specially designed for children, to protect their teeth from cavities: