Childhood should be the most carefree time of our lives. It includes many obligations, but taking care of our health shouldn’t be one of them, especially dental problems. Childhood is when parents help their children develop a set of healthy habits for their mind, body, and soul equally. It is not hard to overlook some habits as the kids still have time to implement them, but what if avoiding this tiny habit can quickly turn into a major traumatic event in their little lives?
The first set of teeth is commonly mistreated by parents, as they will be replaced with a set of permanent teeth. But building habits around baby teeth will make taking care of their permanent have a routine, nothing major or hard to accomplish.
Take them early on and let them develop a healthy connection to avoid possible serious dental problems later in life. Fab Dental of Hayward, CA offers regular pediatric checkups and other pediatric dentistry services at affordable cost – so check them out!
Here is a list of dental problems that you should pay attention to.
Tooth Decay
Tooth decay is the most common dental problem among kids according to this professional cosmetic dentist in San Diego. The issue that many intercepts during life and know the pain that tooth decay can cause will try to spear their children of that issue for as long as possible. However, tooth decay happens easily in the porous baby teeth and the child’s poor diet or unchecked oral habit. -Follow your children’s oral habits closely and correct them to avoid this dental problem many other issues.
Thumb Sucking
Even though this habit is a reflex that child loses as they grow, the thumb sucking that adults consider a cute gesture can do major damage to oral formation. It can cause problems with the alignment of a child’s teeth, alignment of the jaws, formation of the roof of the mouth, and finally, the development of their speech. Parents should not allow the habit to continue past the toddler stage and the best way to deter this habit is by positive reinforcement.
Sensitive Teeth
The teeth sensitivity is normally the following symptom of an underlying issue, and as such, must not be treated lightly. The causes could be many, from tooth decay and gingivitis to teeth grinding and orthodontic issues. Some people do suffer from sensitive teeth because of their diet and genetics. Here, the best treatment for tooth sensitivity is to adjust diet and oral habits, like avoiding highly acidic food and using toothpaste for sensitive teeth.
Misaligned Teeth
Orthodontic issues in children’s oral health may arise from many different causes. It can be inherited genetically or caused by poor diet or an oral habit like thumb sucking, tooth decay, especially in baby teeth, or a trauma to the teeth. Even though many parents avoid doing orthodontic treatments in children, professionals at the Church St Dental state that treated baby teeth will cause the permanent teeth to also grow perfectly and intercept other possible deformities that could develop later in childhood or adulthood.
Gum Disease
Gum disease happens when plaque builds up near the gum line, and the bacteria in the plaque irritates the gum. Even though it doesn’t seem that often in children, poor diet is a major attribute to the plaque build-up and even hidden gum disease, being that the swelling and redness can come from grinding or using the pacifier all the time. Do not sleep on this issue as it can cause major damage.
Teeth Grinding
Thumb sucking is already mentioned as a normal oral habit in toddlers that can have a bad result. Another oral habit that is normal while baby teeth are emerging is teeth grinding. Apart from occasional grinding in sleep or awake because of anger or other issues of psychological causes are normal if the action is not picked up as a habit. Have a routine that tires out your child, and talk to them to uncover any anger or worry off of their little minds and deter bruxism.
Bad Breath
Bad breath can be a major problem or indicate another major dental problem in children. In medical terms, it is called halitosis which is caused by bacteria that naturally live in the mouth. When the food is not washed properly off the teeth the bacteria will eat them away and produce hydrogen sulfide, a gas that smells bad. It has been proven that it causes surface changes to the teeth’ enamel. Regular oral care, including dentist appointments, can deter bad breath and its joined issues.
Baby Teeth Loss
Baby teeth are the teeth that will start falling out around the age of 6 and be replaced by a set of permanent teeth that should stay in our mouth for a lifetime. The whole set of 28 permanent teeth can take a while to come out, even a few years. Until they hit puberty, the change should be done. This teeth loss should be painless as it is a natural part of oral development. It is customary to follow the fallouts with waiting on a tooth fairy. If they start falling out early or you encounter a cavity go to your dentist immediately to avoid having consequences that can reach even the permanent teeth.
Injury or Dental Trauma
Children are active and spend their time playing. That is normal behavior, but vigorous activities come with a risk of injuries. Chipped, broken, loosened, and knocked out teeth are sometimes the consequences of accidents. And while loosened teeth may not need dental work if they are baby teeth, each other change must be seen and checked by a dentist. The damage can affect the child’s ability to speak and eat temporarily, but in the long run, it can cause issues to the permanent tooth underneath the affected one.
Avoiding Dentist Appointments
It is not uncommon to hear about children that are afraid of the dentist, and the caring parents might avoid trips to the dentist if there are no pain or injury occurrences. However, regular appointments and trust in your dentist are crucial, as they also are a part of the healthy oral habits your children should develop. Take them early on and let them develop a healthy connection to avoid possible serious dental problems later in life.
