Do baby teeth with cavities really need to be filled?
Usually, yes. Baby teeth hold space for the permanent teeth behind them, and an untreated cavity can cause pain, infection, and damage to the permanent tooth developing underneath. A back molar that arrives at age two is not replaced until age ten to twelve, so it has eight to ten years of work ahead of it.
There are real exceptions. A small cavity in a front baby tooth that is already loose in a six-year-old is often not worth treating. We will say so when that is the case.
What is the appointment like?
About 30 minutes for one filling.
We use topical numbing gel and we leave it on for a full two minutes, which is longer than most offices, because that is what makes the injection itself a non-event. Your child will not see the needle; we keep it out of the line of sight throughout. Nitrous oxide is available and is a good idea for a first filling.
The tooth is cleaned out, the composite is placed in layers and cured with a blue light, and the bite is checked. Your child picks something from the treasure chest on the way out.
What should we expect afterward?
The lip, cheek, and tongue stay numb for one to two hours. Tell your child this in advance, because the sensation is genuinely weird and children who are not warned sometimes bite the numb lip hard enough to leave a sore for a week.
Soft food until sensation returns. No straws, no hot drinks. The tooth may be sensitive to cold for a few days, which is normal. Sensitivity that is getting worse after a week is not, and you should call us.
Last reviewed April 2026 by Brightburrow clinical staff.