ORAL DEFECTS IN CHILDREN – ELITE DENTAL CARE TRACY

Childhood is one of the best phases of a human’s life. Kids stay carefree and enjoy life without any worries. They rejoice every moment of life and stay in merry with people around. But at times, their dental health plays trouble in their lives. It’s difficult for kids to realize what trouble they are facing, where the pain is exactly in the teeth, and they keep weeping. Now it’s the duty of the parents and the guardians to take proper care of their kids’ dental health and counsel them on what are the good and practices for their teeth.

WHY IS KIDS’ DENTAL CARE A CRUCIAL CONCERN?
There is a misconception in some people that kids replace their baby teeth with the permanent teeth, and hence, it isn’t necessary to care for those temporary set of teeth. That’s not at all true. When your child develops a cavity in the baby teeth and if this cavity is left untreated, the permanent teeth that come up stay misaligned, crooked or weak. Though the temporary tooth may fall, the damage that cavities cause persists in the replaced permanent tooth as well. Now, it endures much efforts, pain and costs to treat the permanent tooth.
Hence, proper oral health care is a must ever since the child is born. A lesson learnt and a habit gained in childhood stays forever, and therefore, it is necessary to make the child aware of the dental defects right from childhood.

Let’s find out more about what are the common dental defects in kids.
DENTAL DEFECTS IN CHILDREN

1. BABY BOTTLE TOOTH DECAY

When babies have prolonged contact with sugars such as the sugar in milk, fruit juices containing sugar, sugar water or any other kind of sweet drinks; the bacteria in the mouth feed on these sugars and lead to tooth decay. Also, putting the baby to sleep with a feeding bottle in the mouth damages the teeth. People switch to sippy cups to avoid the teeth decay due to the feeding bottles. But continuous usage of sippy cups can also spoil the dental health.

The decayed teeth cause pain and difficulty in eating or drinking. These decayed teeth if left untreated, damage the roots and lead the new set of permanent teeth to be crowded or misaligned.
Preventive Measure: To avoid teeth decay, feed your children with sugarless milk and plenty of water instead of those sugary juices. Remove the feeding bottles when it’s time for the baby to sleep.

2. MISALIGNMENT OF TEETH

Children tend to insert objects in the mouth and chew on them. When in early childhood, they have the habit of thumb sucking. When the habit of thumb sucking is continued even after the age of 5 or when the permanent set of teeth appear, there could be a visible misalignment of the teeth, creating gaps and causing an overbite. This also affects a child’s speech, as they are not able to pronounce a few words or letters correctly.

After getting rid of thumb sucking, they start chewing on the stationery like pencil or toys or sometimes even clothes. They do it to seek comfort as there are gaps created owing to the loss of baby teeth and the arrival of new teeth in the mouth.

Preventive Measure: At such circumstances, remove the thumb or stationery from their mouth, and you can give healthy substances for your child to chew on like fruits and vegetables. Teach them simple meditation and yoga practices to find relief from the chewing sensation.

3. MISALIGNMENT OF TEETH DUE TO PREMATURE TOOTH LOSS

Premature tooth loss is when your child loses the primary teeth quite early. The causes for premature primary teeth loss could be an injury due to an accident or a tooth decay, or it could be due to immunological problems that hinder their ability to combat infections. When your loses the baby teeth quite early, and the replacement by a permanent tooth is delayed, the nearby teeth shift and try to fill this gap. Eventually, when the permanent tooth starts protruding, it tilts and leads to a crowded set of teeth or misalignment.

Preventive Measure: As the primary function of the primary teeth is to reserve the space for the permanent teeth and now when the primary teeth are lost way too early, we at Elite Dental Care place a space maintainer to perform the job. A space maintainer is a device made of metal or acrylic material that keeps the space open for the permanent teeth to arrive. When the permanent tooth arrives, the space maintainer is removed. It considerably corrects the misalignment rendering a perfectly aligned set of teeth.

4. CAVITIES

You cannot neglect the fact that chocolates, sugary candies and ice creams are your child’s favorites. But you also cannot neglect the fact that increased consumption of these substances can wear the teeth enamel giving way for cavities. Bacteria in the mouth feed on this sugary stuff and extend the cavities to the inner roots. This damage does not leave even the primary teeth to leave the child. As a result, the newly arriving permanent teeth suffer from the infection.

Preventive Measure: Educate your child on the adverse effects of increased consumption of the sugary stuff, educate them as a friend and not as a teacher to help them better understand your concern. Develop the habit of eating healthy foods in the children.

5. GUM DISEASES

Gum diseases are quite common in children when their gums become red, followed by inflammation. It is due to the plaque build-up near the gum line and the existence of bacteria in these spots. Gingivitis, gum disease is a result of bacterial growth. It is all a direct result of improper oral hygiene.

Preventive Measure: Advise your child to brush and floss the teeth twice in a day and also, demonstrate the ideal method of brushing and flossing so that every part of the mouth remains clean, preventing plaque build-up. Share with them the importance of healthy gums for healthy teeth and a cheerful smile.

These are a few common dental defects in children, but improper oral hygiene can lead to many more ailments. It is essential to follow proper dental hygiene right from the childhood teeth to have a healthy set of teeth for the entire lifetime. Increase the consumption of calcium-rich, fiber-rich foods and drinking plenty of water. As a parent, you are the best friend for your child and as a dental health care unit Elite Dental Care is the best friend for your child’s dental health. Visit the Elite Dental Care to cure all the dental issues and rejoice sound dental health.