decayed baby tooth; carious milk tooth
Refers specifically to a decayed or cavity-ridden baby tooth, often with a soft, crumbly texture likened to miso paste. Used in informal, often child-related contexts.
It's better to treat a child's decayed baby tooth early.
If you eat only sweets, you're likely to get decayed baby teeth.
Standard kanji spelling using 味噌 (miso) and 歯 (tooth).
Mixed kana-kanji spelling; less common but still encountered.
Compound of 味噌 (miso, fermented soybean paste) + っ (epenthetic consonant) + 歯 (tooth). The name comes from the resemblance of a severely decayed baby tooth's soft, brownish texture to miso paste.