After teaching your child how to brush and floss their teeth every day, it can seem like the fate of their smiles is in their own hands now. That’s partly true, but several parts of your child’s oral health care are still solely your responsibility as a parent. For example, they still rely on you to take them to their routine dental checkups and cleanings, to provide foods and beverages that are healthier for their teeth, and to guide them in keeping their smiles healthy by preventing things like tooth decay.

1.It all starts with good hygiene

Teaching your child the principles of good hygiene is the first step to helping them avoid tooth decay development. That’s because oral bacteria are the main cause of tooth decay, and they can accumulate on your child’s teeth consistently every day. The most important step to preventing decay is to control this buildup every day, which requires effectively brushing them twice a day and flossing at least once. Even after your child is old enough to do so on their own, you should monitor their hygiene routines by performing yours side by side.

2.Getting help from the dentist

In addition to daily hygiene at home, the next (but equally important) step is sticking to a regular schedule of preventive checkups and cleanings. Your child can only do so much to keep their teeth clean at home, and regular professional cleanings are essential to making sure plaque and tartar don’t remain for too long. We can also recommend more direct preventive measures to boost your child’s oral health and ability to prevent tooth decay, such as:

Fluoride treatments

Fluoride treatments can strengthen your child’s tooth enamel – the protect layer around their teeth – when it’s been weakened by excess oral bacteria. The fluoride can bond to the mineral strands that make up enamel, making it stronger and more resilient to prevent bacteria from infecting your child’s main tooth structure.

Dental sealants

While fluoride can strengthen your child’s tooth enamel, we can further protect your child’s teeth by recommending biocompatible dental sealants. These are made from a thin, clear acrylic that we can apply to your child’s teeth, and they create a barrier that stops oral bacteria and food particles from ever reaching the tooth enamel in that area.

PROTECT YOUR CHILD’S SMILE FROM TOOTH DECAY

The oral bacteria that cause tooth decay are ever-present, which makes protecting your child’s smile from it an everyday effort..

Teething in children – a joyful phase yet a hilarious period for the care takers.

When In Infants?

Teething starts from 6 to 8 months of age which starts with the lower jaw. The last set of molars appear around 2&1/2 – 3 years of age. Later by 6 years of age the children 1^st permanent molar starts erupting. During all these period the children have few teething symptoms.

Why Symptoms Arise During Teething?

            An infant teething initiate by 6 months of age that’s the age where the child starts to diminish the immunity received from the mother through placenta. Since the infant starts establishing their own immune system during teething they are vulnerable to minor infections like

1. Irritability
2. Drooling
3. Skin rashes , Coughing
4. Low grade fever
5. Binding and groaning
6. Cheek rubbing and ear pulling
7. Diarrhoea

Best Remedies For Teething

CUDDLING WITH YOUR CHILD :

Excessive time and care for your child at this point is important. Most of the child feels cranky and irritated. The love, care and affection keeps them emotionally better.

CHEWING:

During these period the infants would love to chew. Chewing counter-pressure the pain. Bumpy rubber teething rings, soft chewy toys works well in this. Recheck the toy has soft edges so that it doesn’t create any unnecessary trauma. 

COLD SUPPLEMENTS:

Cold intakes soothe the situation due to the inflammation in gum pads.

KEEPING THE SITE CLEAN:

Excessive drooling can cause rashes around the mouth, cheeks, chin and neck area. Try to keep the area clean by using wipes. Using a moisturizer or coconut oil to avoid carry over infections. 

REACH YOUR PEDIATRICIAN:

Many parents mimic teething symptoms with cold symptoms. When your child has continuous coughing, diarrhoea or associated fever reach your pediatrician and consume the prescribed medicines.

Baby teeth and caps/crowns?

Let us see a list of FAQ’s that parents are concerned about when the dentist mentions “caps for baby teeth”

Q1: These are milk teeth. Are caps really required?

A: Even though baby teeth are there for a relatively shorter time, they are still around till your child turns 11-12yrs. Fillings alone may not be enough in certain cases. So yes, caps will be required.

Q2: What are these situations in which fillings alone may not be sufficient?

A: Here’s a ready list!

1. Generally teeth have multiple sides/surfaces. In cases where there are cavities on more than 1 surface, it may not be feasible to do fillings on each side. Caps will cover the entire tooth and all the surfaces and are therefore the better choice. No entry points for germs!

2. Following root canal treatment: Milk teeth in general are very brittle and prone to fracture and have to be capped!

3. Special cases: In certain situations, there may be mineral defeciencies in teeth. Rather than fillings( which may break away) caps are preferred.

Q3: What are the different options in crowns?

A: For children there are mainly 2 types of crowns: stainless steel and zirconia. Main difference between the two is zirconia is pearly white, tooth coloured and more esthetic.

For front teeth, there a different category of tooth coloured material is available.

Stainless steel vs. Zirconia crowns

Options for front teeth

Q4: By putting a cap on a milk tooth, am I delaying eruption of the permanent tooth?

A: Absolutely not! The cap will be in place till the tooth naturally falls off.

Q5: Any problems in biting?

A: Again, no! Maybe your child will take about a week to get used to the cap but its smooth sailing after that

Contact your nearest paediatric dentist in case of more queries.

Eating for a long time – Good or Bad?

Some children eat fast. Some children store the food like a fixed deposit in their mouth and chew slowly, for hours together! The mother gets exhausted trying to feed the child- so either the child is plopped in front of the TV or some cartoon is played on the mobile phone, just to encourage the child to eat!

We have all been through that. But is it good? Or rather, how harmful is this “food-pocketing” behavior, especially in kids? Here are some small daily care tips:

1. Food should be eaten within 20 minutes. Kept longer, it significantly increases the risk of cavities, especially in the lower teeth.
2. Ensure your child washes their mouth immediately after eating.
3. Monitor the level of sugary/ sticky foods in a day. If your child has a sweet tooth, give it as a dessert at the end of a solid meal, like lunch, as a reward for eating fast!
4. In between meal snacks should be avoided…these are the main culprits. Or rather, replace with fresh fruits/ nuts. They self -cleanse the tooth and avoid those sticky deposits

As we keep emphasizing, prevention is better than cure. So the first line of care for those pearly whites, starts at home!

Importance of an exclusive Paediatric dental practice

Somebody once said:

….and I’m sure you all agree!

Similarly, in a health perspective, you cannot actually control the occurence of disease in a child. Children are exposed to different environments. Children fall sick. It’s a given thing.

But we can change the way they perceive doctors. Doctors are not all about sharp needles and nasty medicines..! It is important that children have a pleasant experience so that they may be influenced to have a positive attitude towards health, throughout their lives. That is how paediatricians evolved. That is also how, paediatric dental surgeons evolved.

1. In dentistry, especially, the child has to be extra cooperative, as they have to sit on the chair and allow somebody to work inside their mouth. Prescribing pills or syrups is only secondary. Therefore, it is a MUST that the environment be child-friendly. Because, otherwise, one bad experience and the child is going to be traumatized for life about dental treatment!
2. Children are very easily impressionable. They learn a lot by observing their peers. So, if some other child is going happily for his/her dental treatment, they also will be motivated to. This is the other advantage of an exclusive paediatric practice.
3. A child’s mouth is significantly smaller than an adult’s mouth. Paediatric dental surgeons are trained specifically to work inside such restricted spaces..!
4. Many oral diseases can be caught early or steps be taken to prevent it altogether. Therefore, just like how a paediatrician is needed for your child’s general health, it is imperative that parents develop a relationship with their nearest paediatric dental practice at the earliest, so that we may take care of your child’s oral health needs.

Space Maintainers And Their Types

In the last post, we learnt about the need for space “maintainers”. There are different designs of space maintainers and the decision to choose a particular design is based on:

1. the number of teeth missing,
2. the number of teeth present in the mouth and
3. the number of years remaining for the permanent teeth to erupt.

If only a single tooth is missing, we can go for a fairly simple design called a “band and loop”. This is very stable and easy to maintain.

If multiple teeth from both sides are missing, we may have to give a slightly sturdier design so that space in both sides of the mouth may be maintained

Generally constructed with stainless steel wire, these space maintainers may be made of acrylic also. Teeth can be set in the base so that your child may be able to chew properly. Removable varieties are available, although majority parents and practitioners prefer fixed type. Children are very unpredictable, right?

Space maintainers can also transform your child’s smile and boost their confidence! If there is no other option but to extract, space maintenance is MANDATORY. After all, a stitch in time saves nine..

Space “Maintainers”- What, Why, How, When?

Earlier, dentistry used to be synonymous with “extraction” of badly decayed teeth. Especially in children. The idea was that milk teeth are going to be replaced anyway, so why not just remove it. But what if I told you that the thinking has changed now? The permanent teeth especially in the back of the mouth do not erupt till 10-12 years of age and keeping an empty space in those areas till that age is not good.

So, what happens if the milk tooth has to be removed pretty early on?

1. The permanent tooth developing underneath is not ready to come out… So, the back teeth may “tilt” into this space
2. Once the back teeth tilt, space available for the other teeth reduces
3. At age 10, the permanent teeth are crowded/ stuck and arranged wherever there is a little space- Braces will definitely be required to align

What can be done, then?

1. Space maintainers are given immediately after extraction of the milk teeth.
2. These will be in place till the permanent teeth are ready to erupt and prevent loss of space.
3. The probability/ duration of orthodontic treatment reduces at a later age.

Often, we advise the parent to take a full mouth X-Ray called an OPG or Orthopantomogram.

More often, we get this question in return- “Doctor, but why this? Why can’t we go for the small film?”

So let us have a look at the innumerable uses of OPG:

1. OPGs are extremely useful, especially in children. This is because we can see the status of both the milk teeth and permanent teeth in the child’s mouth. So, we can see if all the teeth are erupting in the right track or there is some delay.

2. If there is some delay in development, we can easily see the cause for it. It may be some infection or tooth may be rotated or there might be some obstruction blocking it.

3.In a child who is very anxious, these are the best because the film is outside the mouth unlike the other type where we have to hold film inside the poor child’s mouth!

4. Not just the teeth, it is possible to see the status of the bones of the jaw and the nose also. Basically any fracture/ breathing problems can be evaluated.

5. Lastly, and the most common reason- cavities! If your child has multiple teeth with “holes”, it is better to take a full mouth X-Ray and see all the teeth in one single film.

For further clarifications, contact your Dentist today.