As parents, we need to teach our children good dental hygiene and be aware of the common issues our little ones can face. Several dental problems specifically affect children ranging from thumb sucking, tooth decay, tongue thrusting, early tooth loss, and lip sucking.
When not caught early, these problems can have a long-term impact. Even though your child may still have baby teeth, good dental health is important for their well-being.
Here are some common dental issues to look out for. If you suspect your child is facing any, contact our dentist in NW Calgary immediately.
Thumb Sucking
Most children under five suck their thumbs, toys, clothes, or blankets to comfort themselves. They do this regularly, consequently forming a habit. This habit will carry on once adult teeth start to form, and when this happens, problems are bound to happen.
Thumb sucking can lead to several dental problems, including crooked teeth, an overbite, or damage to the roof of the mouth. The severity of the damage depends on the regularity and force applied by your little one. It’s important to be careful of this as it can affect a child’s speech.
To assist your child in stopping, you need to understand why they are sucking their thumb or other objects. Perhaps they are experiencing stress. It is common if they’re enrolled in preschool as they are exposed to a different environment. Sometimes these stressors occur right at home. Whenever possible, address and minimize these stressors.
Consequently, do not scold your child for this habit, but rather reward their positive action towards stopping. Shouting at them for sucking their thumb is not the most effective way of getting them to stop. They will stop when they are ready, and if they don’t, there is dental equipment that can help reduce the sucking – chat with your dentist about this if it becomes necessary.
Tooth Decay
One of the most common issues in children is tooth decay, which is caused by too much sugar in a child’s diet. When left untreated, your child’s smile will experience plaque build-up and eventually tooth decay.
Decay can even affect very young babies who are still drinking milk. Things like formula with high sugar content, sweetened water, sugary drinks, and even natural substances like mother’s milk, fruit juices, and honey can cause tooth decay. If not treated early, your child will have pain when eating. Baby teeth lost due to decay will also impact how adult teeth grow.
Bad decay can also lead to tooth abscesses. This condition is extremely painful, and the infection can spread through the body. Not to mention the risk of gum disease! To prevent decay, you need to reduce sugar consumption as much as possible and clean your child’s or baby’s mouth often. Try to offer your infant water more often than not. For babies, you can wipe their teeth with a clean cloth after each feeding to do away with any milk or formula residue.
Tongue Thrusting
Tongue thrusting in children is the habit of placing the tongue on or between the teeth when swallowing, talking, or simply resting. This habit can seriously pressurize the front teeth and push them out of position. Like thumb sucking, the habit can also impact the development of your child’s speech.
If you pick up that your child is tongue-thrusting, the best thing to do is get in touch with a speech pathologist. The pathologist will help your child strengthen the right chewing muscles and work with them on swallowing. Your dentist in NW Calgary should also be able to advise you on a course of action.
Early Tooth Loss
Sometimes a child may lose a milk tooth before it is ready. It can be caused by decay, injury, or insufficient space for teeth in the jaw. It can make chewing difficult and even affect joints in the jaw.
If this happens to your child, be sure to see a dentist. Your dentist may need to fit a space maintainer in your child’s mouth, or else there may not be enough space for the adult teeth to grow through properly. It will lead to poorly aligned teeth and quite a problem to fix later on. The maintainer will be taken out once the new teeth start to grow.
Canker Sores
Children can get canker sores, which are essentially ulcers. The sores usually appear on the inside of the mouth, on the gums, or on the tongue. They are not the same thing as cold sores or fever blisters. It is not certain what causes the sores. It could be diet, vitamin deficiencies, stress, or an allergy/ inflammation following an injury.
Because they are usually painful, give your child soft foods and drinks while they heal. Antimicrobial mouthwash may help as well.
Sensitive Teeth
Children will often get sensitive teeth – they will feel sensitivity when eating or drinking hot or cold food and drinks. It could be caused by the thinner tooth enamel that children naturally have. Sometimes the condition can indicate a more serious dental issue. If it turns out to be thin enamel, your dentist can easily seal the teeth, solving the problem.
Conclusion
These are all common dental issues that your little one may face. Every child’s dental health is different, subject to different circumstances that can affect their teeth. Do not hesitate to contact your dentist if you have misgivings about your child’s dental health.