Do baby teeth need to be filled if they have cavities?
Maybe. If a baby tooth is loose or close to falling out, it often doesn’t make sense to put a filling in it. But, if a cavity is present in a tooth that we anticipate won’t be falling out for awhile, then it makes more sense to save the tooth with a filling. There are a few different reasons for this. First, baby teeth can develop an abscess which can cause a toothache, just like in adult teeth. Second, baby teeth act as space maintainers for adult teeth. So, if a baby tooth develops a toothache and has to be removed, the other teeth may shift slightly. This can create complications that may require braces (or more extensive braces) as the adult teeth try to grow into a space that may now be crowded by shifting teeth. Third, there have been studies that indicate that decay left in baby teeth will later spread to the adult teeth.
