2331 Prairie Center Parkway, Suite D Brighton, Colorado 80601  kcd@kidscitydental.com      (720) 797-9779
  • Home
  • Services
    • Baby Dental Exams
    • Pediatric preventative services
      • Children’s Fluoride Treatment
      • Sealants
    • Silver Diamine Fluoride
    • Dental Fillings
    • Dental Crowns
    • Tooth Extractions
    • Root Canal Treatment
    • Space Maintainers
    • Braces
    • Myobrace (Myofunctional therapy)
    • Pediatric Sedation
    • Tongue Tie Release Treatment
    • Athletic Mouth Guard
    • X-ray
  • Drs & Staff
Kids City Dental - Logo
  • Parents
    • What to expect on your first visit
    • Fillings Post-Op
    • Extraction Post-Op
    • Space Maintainer Post-Op
    • Blog
  • Covid Info
  • Contact Us
  • Request Appointment
Kids City Dental - Logo
Menu
Menu
  • Home
  • Services
    • Baby Dental Exams in Brighton
    • Pediatric Preventative Services
      • Children’s Fluoride Treatment in Brighton
      • Sealants in Brighton
    • Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) in Brighton
    • Dental Fillings in Brighton
    • Dental Crowns in Brighton
  • MEET DRS.
  • Parents
    • What to expect on your first visit
    • Fillings Post-Op
    • Extraction Post-Op
    • Space Maintainer Post-Op
  • Covid Info.
  • Contact Us
  • Request Appointment
Kids City Dental - Logo
(720) 797-9779
Kids City Dental - Logo
Kids City Dental(720) 797-9779
  • Kids City Dental - Instagram
  • Kids City Dental - Youtube
  • Kids City Dental - Facebook

Is Silver Diamine Fluoride the Right Treatment For Your Child?

Silver Diamine Fluoride

 

Just like broken bones and bruises, most children experience at least one or two cavities when they are young. Decay sometimes develops even with the best at-home dental care, but that doesn’t mean your child’s dental health is in danger. 

Your child’s pediatric dentist in Brighton, Colorado offers multiple cavity treatment options to restore your child’s smile back to perfect health. Ask your dentist about silver diamine fluoride, an alternative cavity treatment rapidly growing in popularity. Unlike traditional cavity treatments that require painful, loud, scary drills, silver diamine is a painless topical solution that stops cavities in their tracks. 

What Causes Cavities?

Cavities develop in your child’s mouth when bacteria, acid, and sugar spend too much time on the teeth. They blend to create plaque and tartar, which eat away at the white enamel of the teeth. Over time, tiny holes develop that turn into larger cavities. 

If left untreated, the hole of decay becomes more severe, eventually causing infection and tooth loss. This is why it’s so important to treat cavities as soon as they develop. The recent FDA approval of silver diamine fluoride makes it easier than ever before to quickly and effectively treat your child’s cavities and get back to your normal routine. 

What Is Silver Diamine Fluoride?

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is a topical liquid used to treat cavities. It includes silver, water, fluoride, and ammonia. SDF is used on decaying or high-risk teeth to prevent and block the spread of cavities. 

SDF is often compared to the fluoride varnish applied to healthy teeth at the end of a child’s dentist exam. However, SDF is twice as strong as standard fluoride varnish. Its higher potency is essential to stop decay in its tracks. Each ingredient plays an important role:

– Silver ions act as antimicrobial agents to displace bacteria and pathogens responsible for decay

– Ammonia increases concentration 

– Fluoride prevents the development of decay

SDF has been used in Japan for more than 80 years, but it was only recently approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration in 2014. As a parent, you’ve probably never been treated with SDF, but it could prove very valuable for your child’s oral health. 

Using SDF to Treat Your Child’s Cavities

Every patient at Kids City Dental & Braces receives regular fluoride treatments to prevent cavities from forming on the mouth. SDF is different because it’s only used when traditional fluoride isn’t enough. SDF stops existing cavities from becoming worse and spreading to nearby teeth. 

To dentists like Dr. Tory and Dr. Thu McFarlin, this process is known as “caries resonance.” SDF offers a safe, painless, and simple alternative to drilling, so it’s perfect for children of all ages. Consider these benefits of silver diamine fluoride:

– Kills bacteria known to eat away at tooth surfaces

– Blocks cavity-causing bacteria from spreading 

– Provides a comfortable, less frightening alternative to dental drills

In fact, hundreds of case studies prove that SDF is a safe and effective treatment. It even allows dentists to treat cavities in children with severe dental anxiety, young patients who cannot undergo standard cavity treatment with a drill, and children at very high risk of aggressive dental decay. 

The California Dental Association (CDA) agrees that SDF is “is particularly useful for providing dental care to individuals who present challenges to receiving traditional treatment because of their age, behavioral issues, or medical conditions.”

Important Considerations and FAQs

Despite its many benefits, silver diamine fluoride does present one unique obstacle: it causes permanent black stains on the decayed area of the treated tooth. There’s no way to prevent this black staining. Fortunately, the stains are very easy to cover with tooth-colored filling material. 

With the help of small tooth-colored fillings after SDF treatment, nobody will be able to see the black stains on your child’s treated teeth. It’s also important to consider that most teeth treated with SDF are primary baby teeth. This means the teeth will eventually fall out and be replaced by white, healthy, permanent adult teeth. 

The CDA also emphasizes that regular follow-up is important to determine “if SDF retreatment is needed, but also to access if additional or alternative dental treatment is required.” The success rates of SDF treatment are high, says the CDA, but not 100%. 

Make sure you turn to an experienced pediatric dentist like Kids City Dental & Braces, Brighton’s newest dental office for kids. The Kids City team doesn’t just treat teeth; we monitor and intervene if necessary to promote the correct growth and development in your child’s mouth.

Call Kids City Dental & Braces today to schedule your child’s appointment and learn more about the potential use of silver diamine fluoride to protect your child’s smile from decay. 

 

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
REQUEST APPOINTMENT
SERVICES
  • Baby Dental Exams in Brighton
  • Pediatric preventative services
    • Preventative
    • Sealants in Brighton
  • Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) in Brighton
  • Dental Fillings in Brighton
  • Dental Crowns in Brighton
  • Root Canal Treatment in Brighton
  • Tooth Extractions in Brighton
  • Space Maintainers in Brighton
  • Braces in Brighton
  • Myobrace in Brighton
  • Pediatric sedation
  • Tongue Tie Release Treatment in Brighton
  • Athletic Mouth Guard in Brighton
  • Dental X-rays in Brighton
REQUEST APPOINTMENT
Kids City Dental - Logo
  • Kids City Dental   (720) 797-9779
  • Kids City Dental   kcd@kidscitydental.com
  • Kids City Dental   2331 Prairie Center Parkway,
    Suite D
    Brighton, Colorado 80601

QUICK LINK

  • Home
  • Why Choose Us?
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

OFFICE HOURS

Mon.8AM-5PM
Tues.12PM-7PM
Wed.8AM-5PM
Thurs.8AM-5PM
Fri.
*twice/month
8AM-1PM
 
Sat.
*twice/month
8AM-1PM
 
Sund.Closed
Copyright © Kids City Dental All Rights Reserved.
  • Kids City Dental - Instagram
  • Kids City Dental - Youtube
  • Kids City Dental - Facebook