Do your little one is afraid of dental drills or fills? Are you afraid of getting a numb shot for your toddler? Are you very busy and forget your kids regular dental follow-ups? Is your kid is having any behavioral issues or any disabilities to cooperate with?
Here is a solution for the parents of alpha generation kids. A magical liquid which is a breakthrough medicine in pediatric dentistry called SDF which takes care of the cavities medicinally.
What is Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF)?
SDF is made of:
silver: helps kill bacteria
water: provides a liquid base for the mixture
fluoride: helps your teeth rebuild the materials they’re made of.
ammonia: helps the solution remain concentrated.
How is it used?
Most dentists use a liquid form of SDF containing at least 38 percent of the SDF solution. It’s applied topically, meaning that it’s applied directly to the surface of your teeth.
Many dentists use the following steps:
- Apply Vaseline/petroleum jelly over the soft tissues including lips and surrounding mucosa.
- Cotton or gauze is placed near the affected teeth to prevent saliva from moistening the teeth.
- Moisture is removed from the surface of the teeth using a vacuum suction tool and also by jet of air.
- SDF is applied to the area affected by the cavity
Your pediatric dentist may also use the following to mask the areas affected by cavities:
- Fluoride varnishes
- Glass ionomer
- Opaquer
- Crowns
SDF is most commonly used in areas affected by cavities. SDF can be just as helpful when used as a preventive measure by being applied to healthy tooth surfaces.
Research also suggests that dentists don’t need to treat cavities with fillings or tooth surface modification (drilling) before using SDF.
How does it benefit your kid’s oral health?
SDF has widely been shown to be effective to help stop cavity development after a cavity has formed. Dentists call this process arresting dental caries.
SDF helps kill the bacteria that break down tooth surfaces while also keeping them from spreading to other teeth.
SDF is often suggested as a more comfortable alternative to drilling cavities. This can be helpful for children or adults who have anxiety about the dentist or may not be able to fully engage in dental procedures, such as those with special healthcare needs.
SDF can be helpful as a cavity treatment if you’re overly sensitive to the instruments and substances used during cavity treatments.
SDF can help keep cavities to a minimum or prevent them entirely if you feel that it’s difficult to make time for regular dental check-ups or feel uncomfortable about cavity procedures. It’s quick, requires no special equipment, and generally only needs to be done twice per year.
Although staining on anterior teeth is undesirable, most parents prefer this option to advanced behavioral techniques such as general anesthesia or sedation.
Risks Related to SDF include, but are not limited to:
The affected/treated area will stain black PERMANENTLY. A healthy tooth structure will not stain. Stained tooth Structure can be replaced with a filling or a crown.
Tooth-colored fillings and crowns may discolor if SDF is applied to them. Color changes on the surface can normally be polished off. The edge between a tooth and filling may keep the color.
If accidentally applied to the skin or gums, a harmless brown or white stain may appear. This stain cannot be washed off and should disappear within 2 to 14 days like a henna tattoo.
A patient may notice a metallic taste in his/her mouth, which will go away in very little time
If tooth decay is not arrested and continues to progress, the patient may require further treatment, which could include re-application of SDF, a filling, crown, root canal, or extraction.
Example: Here is an example of a 2.5-year-old girl with moderate early childhood caries involving her upper front teeth and also all her back teeth. Being in the pre-cooperative stage and economic considerations parents opted for this magical liquid with consent. Rather than the anesthetic appearance, the result over a year is appreciable without the spread of the cavity into the roots or any gross tooth structure loss. The kid is with infection-free now and with improved oral hygiene. If parents opt later on the teeth can be capped for an aesthetic look when she enters preschool.
Alternatives to SDF include, but not limited to:
No treatment, which may lead to the continued deterioration of tooth structures and cosmetic appearance; symptoms may also increase in severity
Depending on location and extent of decay, other treatments may include placement of fluoride varnish, fillings, crown, extraction, or referral for advanced treatment modalities with traditional methods.
Take away:
Smart parents will opt for SMART materials and also preventive approaches to treat cavities of their kids. Even with the emergence of smarter materials, biannual dental visits, twice a day two minutes brushing should be included to fight against the germs that cause the problems to your little one’s tiny teeth which lays the foundation for their secondary dentition.
watch this video to know more – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXe1QLF8oew
Find a real kids dentist right next to you – www.finddentistforkids.com
About the author –
Dr.N.Varshini
Preventive & Pediatric Dentist,
Coimbatore
drvarsh.1990@gmail.com