Treatment Options When Your Child Has Dubreuil-Chambardel Syndrome
Posted on: 23 March 2015
Dubreuil-Chambardel syndrome is a genetic condition that causes dental cavities and decay in the upper front teeth. Symptoms appear in mid- to late-teenagers and a failure to treat the problem quickly can cause the decay to spread to neighboring teeth. If left untreated too long, it might become necessary to extract the affected teeth.
What are the treatment options when your child has Dubreuil-Chambardel syndrome? They vary according to how quickly treatment is started after onset.
Fillings and Proper Oral Health
If the cavities are caught quickly, a dentist at a clinic like Riverdale Dental Arts can use tooth-colored filling material to seal up the hole and protect the tooth from further damage in the short term. Your child might also receive advice on maintaining a more vigilant oral health routine.
This oral health routine might include brushing with a soft toothbrush using gentle circular motions at least twice a day. Your dentist might also prescribe a fluoride product that will help keep the protective enamel around the tooth strong while also minimizing the buildup of harmful oral bacteria.
Dental Crowns
Dental crowns might be the treatment suggestion if the cavity has become too severe for a filling or if the cavity damage is already spreading to neighboring teeth. Crowns operate on a similar concept as fillings in that a composite, tooth-colored material is used to protect the existing tooth from further damage.
But a crown differs in that the composite material is bonded entirely over the exterior of the tooth. This means that the enamel, root and dentin—or the hard tissue that makes up the core of the tooth—are all contained within the crown and protected from further exterior damage.
Extraction and Implant
If the cavity damage becomes so severe that there isn't enough tooth material for the crown to bond, your child's dentist might recommend extraction and replacement with a dental implant.
While there are a variety of tooth replacement options, dental implants are usually the best choice for a front, upper tooth. That's because implants tend to look and feel the most natural out of all the replacements.
For a dental implant, an artificial root structure is implanted into the jawbone. The root is allowed to heal until the bone and tissue have fused with the root. An artificial tooth is then snapped in place over the root. Note that this might leave your child with a missing tooth for a short period of time, but the realistic-feeling end product will be worth the effort and temporary embarrassment.
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