Nothing gives you more happiness than seeing your children’s laughter. But a child’s mouth contains thousands of bacteria and must be taken care of properly. Their oral health and hygiene are as important as that of an adult. Let’s discuss general Child’s Oral Health and how you can prevent any oral infection of your child from a younger age in this blog.
The Importance of Baby Teeth
Baby teeth are very important for young children to chew and speak. Children need their milk teeth as they also serve a significant role for their permanent teeth to develop. If the milk teeth are decayed or poorly formed, it can lead to improper speech and poor oral hygiene.
Until the permanent teeth emerge, the baby teeth remain in the child’s mouth. The roots and the gum of a child’s Oral Health must be taken care of properly as they help grow the adult teeth. If the baby teeth fall out prematurely, the adult teeth can emerge in the wrong position causing various dental problems.
Preventive Measures for Children’s Oral Health
- Start brushing your baby’s teeth once they are 6 to 7 months old
- Brush and floss the baby teeth regularly.
- Limit your child’s intake of sugar and candy.
- Ensure that your child gets enough fluoride supplements.
- Limit bottle-feeding your child.
Importance of gum health
If the baby’s gum is healthy, the teething process will be much smoother. Ensure to clean your child’s gum after feeding him or her with gauze or a damp cloth. From the baby’s birth to the first six months, this process should be followed. The earlier your start caring for their oral hygiene, the easier it will be to develop a healthy routine for your baby.
From the 6th month to 1 year, your baby will develop their front teeth on their lower and upper jaw. Once the teeth emerge and your baby starts eating solid food, you can switch to using a soft baby toothbrush for cleaning your baby’s mouth. It is not recommended to use toothpaste until your baby learns to spit it out. The teeth should be brushed twice a day- morning and night for best results. This daily practice reduces the number of bacteria in your mouth.
Risk of Gum Inflammation and Cavities
If a child’s oral health is not maintained correctly, it can lead to several infections, including tooth decay, cavities, and gum diseases. When the gums are infected, it can make teething very uncomfortable and painful. Some main symptoms of gum diseases are Bad breath, Pockets around gums, Redness or swollen gums, Bleeding gums.
Periodontal Disease in Children
Periodontal disease is a severe infection that destroys the gum tissues and the jawbones. There are a few reasons why this infection might occur in children, including poor oral hygiene, puberty, medical conditions like diabetes. The most common periodontal disease that affects children is Gingivitis which causes teeth gums to bleed and swell. If untreated, this disease may lead to serious conditions, even heart disease.
Types Of Periodontal Diseases
Chronic gingivitis shows symptoms of swollen gum tissue, red and bleeding gums. This condition is preventable with routine brushing, flossing, and professional dental care.
Aggressive periodontitis is tough to detect because it affects the usually developing teen population. It is caused by bacteria, which infect tissues surrounding teeth, causing severe bone loss.
Generalized aggressive periodontitis affects those around puberty. It causes inflammation of the gums, heavy accumulations of plaque, and calculus. It can ultimately cause teeth to become loose.
Do Young Children Have A General Anaesthetic For Dentistry?
Children can be given general anaesthetic for any dentistry procedure to ensure that the child does not feel any pain and can cooperate properly with the surgeon.
Treatment of Periodontal Disease
If you come across any symptoms of periodontal disease in your child, consult your dentist or periodontist with their medical history. The dentist will suggest some treatments based on the age of your child and their stage of infection.
The types of treatments may include:
- Scaling and Root planning.
- Gum grafting surgery.
- Laser therapy for bone or tissue.
- Regenerative procedures for bone and tissue loss.
- Crown lengthening to remove the extra tissue.
- Dental implants to replace a missing tooth with false teeth.
- Periodontal pocket reduction.
- Periodontal Plastic surgery.
Preventive Measures
To make sure their children don’t develop gum disease make sure your kids follow good dental habits, such as brushing, flossing regularly, following a healthy and balanced diet.
And pay extra attention to your teens who are undergoing puberty.
Why?
Because high hormone levels can lead to an imbalance in blood flow which is linked with gum disease. Book a consultation with a specialist now and then to ensure that your oral hygiene is on the mark.