09 Oct 2026
Your child has a brown spot on a back tooth. It's a baby tooth, so it will fall out in a few years anyway. Does it really need a filling?
Most parents ask this, and it's a fair question. The short answer is yes, in most cases it does. Here's why.
Baby Teeth Do More Than Chew
Baby teeth (also called milk teeth or primary teeth) stay in the mouth for years. The back ones, the molars, don't fall out until around age 10 to 12.
During that time they:
- Help your child chew properly
- Hold the right amount of space for the adult teeth underneath
- Guide the adult teeth into the correct position
- Support clear speech
A tooth that has to last until age 11 needs to be healthy until then.
Why Cavities Move Faster in Baby Teeth
Baby teeth have thinner enamel (the hard outer layer) than adult teeth. They also have a relatively large nerve space inside. That means decay can reach the nerve sooner.
A small cavity can turn into a toothache or an infection within months, not years.
What Happens If You Leave It
A cavity in a baby tooth won't heal on its own. If it's left alone, it can lead to:
- Pain when eating or drinking something hot, cold or sweet
- Infection of the nerve, sometimes with a swollen gum or a pimple-like bump on the gum
- Spread of decay to neighbouring teeth
- Early loss of the tooth, which can let nearby teeth drift into the gap and crowd the adult tooth that's coming
- Trouble eating and sleeping for your child
When a Filling Is Enough, and When It Isn't
How the tooth is treated depends on how deep the cavity goes.
| Stage | What it usually needs |
|---|---|
| Early spot on the enamel | Fluoride and closer brushing, sometimes a small filling |
| Cavity into the tooth but not near the nerve | A filling |
| Cavity close to or into the nerve | A pulpectomy (a root canal for baby teeth) and usually a crown |
| Tooth too damaged to save | Removal, then a space maintainer to hold the gap open |
A pediatric dentist (a dentist who trained specifically in treating children) will check how deep the cavity is, often with a small X-ray, before choosing.
What a Filling Visit Looks Like
It's quicker and calmer than most parents expect.
- The dentist shows your child the instruments and explains each step in simple words.
- The area is numbed so your child doesn't feel pain.
- The decayed part is cleaned out.
- The tooth is filled with a tooth-coloured material and shaped.
- Your child can usually eat again once the numbness wears off, which takes a couple of hours.
Most fillings for children take 20 to 40 minutes per tooth.
What It Costs
In Gurgaon, a filling for a child costs roughly ₹800 to ₹2,500 per tooth, depending on the tooth and the material used. A pulpectomy costs more, roughly ₹3,000 to ₹6,000 per tooth. These are indicative figures, and the exact cost depends on the case.
Treating a small cavity early is almost always cheaper than treating an infected tooth later.
How to Cut Down on New Cavities
- Brush twice a day with a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste
- Help your child brush until around age 7 or 8
- Keep sugary snacks and drinks to mealtimes, not all day
- Avoid putting a baby to bed with a bottle of milk or juice
- Ask about fluoride treatment and sealants (a thin coating that protects the grooves on back teeth)
- Book a check-up every six months
Baby teeth are temporary, but the habits and the adult teeth they protect aren't. Keeping them healthy now makes the next stage easier for your child. If you're not sure when to start, our guide on when a child should first visit a dentist covers it.
