Every child is special and deserves to smile.
Nowadays the change in the trend of dietary habits has created a number of dental problems in children at an early age. Let us discuss today the different dental problems and their treatments.
When should we visit the dentist?
A lot of parents ask this question that when should we visit the dentist for our kids. Ideally, a parent should visit the dentist along with the child of six months (once the first tooth erupts). The dentist guides the parents on how to clean the teeth right from the beginning and eruption sequence, making them ready for the process called teething.
The teeth and oral cavity plays important role in the growth and development of the child. Milk teeth are not only useful for chewing but also direct the growth of the jaws and the development of the face. They act as natural space maintainers for future permanent teeth. Any damage to deciduous teeth may lead to malalignments of permanent teeth and/or defective formation of jaws and overall facial aesthetics.
Milk teeth start to erupt from the age of six months and go on till three years. 2-4 months of delay in eruption is considered normal. It is called as eruption phase for deciduous teeth. From age of 6 years, permanent teeth start replacing deciduous teeth. This process goes on till twelve to thirteen years of age. It is called the transition phase. In this phase, there is simultaneous exfoliation of milk teeth and eruption of permanent teeth.
Different types of Oral habits in children
During this childhood, kids are likely to develop multiple oral habits which include thumbsucking, finger sucking, tongue thrusting, lip biting, mouth breathing. These habits need early intervention, if not treated on time they may lead to developmental deformities of jaws. Regular visits to the dentist are helpful in the early detection and intervention of these habits.
To avoid dental decay there are preventive treatments that can be done in dental clinics, which include fluoride application, pit, and fissure sealants.
Fluoride application – It strengthens the crystalline structure of teeth by replacing -OH ions with fluoride ions, making it less susceptible to decay by increasing the resistance against acids produced by bacterias in plaque.
Pit and fissure sealant – It mechanically seals the ‘V’ shaped, ‘U’ shaped, and other complex anatomical grooves on teeth. Such grooves and fossa act as a home for bacterial colonies and aid in cavities or tooth decay if not sealed on time. Pit and fissure sealants should be applied as soon as the permanent tooth erupts in the oral cavity.
Serial extraction – When the hereditary tendencies of crowding in permanent dentition are suspected, such crowding can be prevented by preplanned regular extraction of milk teeth during the transition phase. This prevents the complex orthodontic treatment that needs to be done for crowded, malaligned teeth in later life.
For appointment you can always contact Microdent Dentistry.
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About Author:
Dr. Rohit Joshi is a renowned Dentist in Pune and has more than 7 years of experience in the field of dentistry. He is Mastered in conservative dentistry and endodontics. He also specializes in single-visit painless root canal treatment and aesthetic dentistry. He is always contributing his knowledge of dentistry through his blog. Learn More about Dr. Rohit Joshi.
