eciduous teeth are very important and need proper care. Ignorance of early childhood dental health may lead to serious dental problems in the future. Here are some of the common dental health issues with children:
NURSING BOTTLE CARIES:
- Occurs when a baby’s teeth are exposed to often sugar especially with milk in a baby bottle.
- Also includes sugar from drinks such as juices, milk and milk formulas.
- Sugar in mouth gives bacteria fuel to cause tooth decay.
- Damaged or decayed baby teeth can lead to dental problems later in life.
- If your baby goes to sleep with a bottle, give him/her only a small amount of water.
THUMBSUCKING:
- It’s acceptable and normal for young infants to suck their thumb or fingers.
- Dental problems can arise if thumb sucking continues beyond the age of 4 years.
- Thumb sucking can cause teeth to become misaligned, creating an overbite.
- Can also lead to problems with the way upper and lower jaws are aligned.
- Use positive reinforcement to help your older child give up this habit.
TONGUE THRUSTING:
- Occurs when the tongue is pushed forward against the lip during swallowing.
- The thrusting motion can throw the front teeth out of alignment.
- May create overbite or lead to issue with speech development.
- A treatment plan from a dentist and a speech pathologist can help.
- A new swallowing method may be taught to improve the problem.
EARLY TOOTH LOSS:
- Baby teeth may be lost due to a verity of issues such as Decay, injury or inadequate jaw space.
- Neighbouring teeth can shift if baby teeth are lost too soon.
- When permanent teeth erupt, they may come in at an angle or may stick in bone.
- Crooked teeth can lead to improper chewing as well as TMJ problems.
- A space maintainer holds open the space for the tooth until a permanent one erupt.
Conclusion:
- Parents should avoid or limit the use of baby bottles and other sweet pacifiers.
- If notice any abnormal habit like tongue thrusting or thumb sucking try positive reinforcement to the child.
- In case of early loss of deciduous teeth, space should be maintained by space maintainer.
- Visit your dentist with your child regularly for a routine dental checkup or in case you notice an abnormality.
