Kids Dentistry

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A healthy childhood depends to a large extent on healthy teeth. Kids need them for chewing, speech, and good looks. As a parent you play an important role in your child’s Dental health. It is important to keep your child motivated about good oral hygiene measures.
Here are some of the fundamentals of oral care for kids

Facts about Teething

Baby’s front four teeth (two on the top and two on the bottom) are the first to appear between 6 months and one year of age. This is accompanied by sore or tender gums. The child feels irritated and restless. This irritation may be relieved by gentle message with finger or with ice.
At around 2 to 3 years most children should have a complete set of 20 milk teeth also called primary teeth in Dental Terminology.
Your child will start to lose his first baby teeth at around age six. This is the time when many parents seek Dental opinion because the permanent lower front teeth start erupting lingual to (towards tongue side) of milk teeth. The parents feel that the milk teeth should be removed so that permanent teeth may erupt exactly in the place of milk teeth. But the fact is that permanent teeth can not come exactly beneath milk teeth because they are bigger in dimensions. As the child grows the jaw become bigger and with the pressure of tongue these permanent teeth will take the place of milk teeth and the milk teeth will be shed. So never get the milk teeth of your child removed unless advised by your dentist.
This will go on till the age of 12. By that time 28 permanent teeth will erupt. At the age of 16, four wisdom teeth appear to complete the no. of permanent teeth to 32.

FAQ's about oral care of kids

When should I start caring for my child’s teeth?
What is Milk Bottle Tooth Decay?
Why are milk teeth important?
How can I help keep my child’s teeth cavity free?
When Should I make my child’s first Dental Appointment?

When should I start caring for my child’s teeth?

As soon as it appears the baby’s teeth should be cleaned with a wet gauze or clean damp cloth after each feeding. When the other teeth also come,start brushing your child teeth with an extra soft baby tooth brush. There is no need to apply any tooth paste until the child is old enough to understand not to swallow it. Only mechanical cleaning with a wet tooth brush is enough to remove plaque or food debris from the teeth.

What is Milk Bottle Tooth Decay?

The teeth of the babies who sleep with a bottle of milk, formula feed or fruit juice in their mouth can suffer from decay called baby bottle tooth decay. There is rapid decay of many or all the baby teeth of an infant or child.

The teeth most likely to be damaged are the upper front teeth. They are some of the first teeth to erupt and thus have the longest exposure time to the sugars in the bottle. The lower front teeth tend to be protected by the tongue as the child sucks on the nipple of the bottle or the breast.
Baby Bottle Tooth Decay is caused by frequent exposure of a child’s teeth for long periods of time to liquid containing sugars. When your baby falls asleep with:

a bottle containing formula, milk or juice
a pacifier dipped in honey
while breast feeding

The liquid pools around the front teeth. During sleep, the bacteria living in every baby’s mouth, turns the milk sugar or other sugars to acid, which causes the decay.

Parents may not know there is a problem until serious damage has been done:

Oral checks should be performed by parents to detect early signs of the disease.
Brown spots along the gum line on your child’s teeth are signs which should alert you.
If your child prefers soft foods, frowns or cries when eating cold, sweet, or hard foods, they should be checked for tooth decay.

By the time tooth decay is noticed it may be too late and crowns, pulp therapy, or even extraction of the decayed teeth may be necessary. As a result, your child may suffer from long term disorders, which include speech impediments, possible psychological damage, crooked or crowded teeth, and poor oral health.

You can prevent this from happening to your child’s teeth by learning how to protect them.
clean your child’s teeth daily
never allow your child to fall asleep with a bottle filled with juice, milk, or formula (or when awake, sip on it for long periods of time as a pacifier)
start bottle weaning by at least a year .You can give increasingly diluted fluid over a few days till the time you give only water.
give your child plain water for thirst
make sure your child gets the fluoride needed to prevent decay
Have regular dental visits for your child beginning when their first tooth erupts.

Most children begin life with strong, healthy teeth. Help your child’s teeth stay that way. Your newborn is totally dependent upon you as a parent. The decisions you make will have a vital
effect on your child’s dental future.

Why are milk teeth important?

Even though milk teeth ultimately falls out, they have very important functions

chewing
speech
good looks
Reserve space for permanent teeth. If a tooth is lost too early new tooth will grow late and will be crooked. So they act as space maintainer for permanent teeth.

How can I help keep my child’s teeth cavity free?

Children are the most at risk for cavities .They tend to eat more frequently and have not yet become experts at brushing their teeth . To keep your child’s teeth cavity free

It is vital that child’s teeth are brushed properly with a fluoride tooth paste at least twice a day. This means you should brush for them in the areas they might have missed of their own.
Avoid soft and sticky food, sugary food and drinks between the meals. Just serve them at mealtime and it is always a good idea to have your child brush after eating.
Brush at least twice a day. In the morning and just before bedtime
Spend two minutes brushing. Concentrating on the chewing surfaces and back teeth, where cavities often first develop.
Use a pea sized amount of tooth paste. Teach your child to spit out any toothpaste left after brushing.
Don’t share brushes between children.
Brush your teeth together with the child to set a good example and helps your child to learn by watching and imitating you.

When Should I make my child’s first Dental Appointment?

When your child is about a year old, it’s the time he or she should see a dentist. Early visits can prevent minor problems from becoming major ones

Home Dental Care for Kids

It is often difficult initially to brush your child's teeth. They can really put up a struggle, screaming, kicking, crying, running away, not opening their mouths - every kid is different.

Healthy teeth and gums are so important to start out life with. We've often heard the value of choosing your battles with your children, and this is one to choose.

Remember that the initial challenge you face is actually more taxing on you than it ultimately is for your child.

Tips

Let your child brush first ,then help them with brushing
Don’t try to brush all the teeth at each session.
You should be a positive role model for the child. Make sure the child see you brush and floss daily
Let them play with the toothbrush anywhere in the house so that they feel comfortable with it but monitor the child so that they are not left unwatched.
Use only a small amount of toothpaste. Don't cover the brush with toothpaste. Young children tend to swallow most of the toothpaste, and swallowing too much fluoridated toothpaste can cause permanent spots on their teeth called dental fluorosis.
It is very important to brush before bedtime. . If you have to miss a brushing, the bedtime one is probably the worst one to miss. If you don't get rid of the bacteria and sugar that cause cavities, they have all night to do harm. While you are awake, saliva helps keep the mouth clean. When you are asleep, there is less saliva produced to clean the mouth. For this reason it is important to brush before bedtime.
Tooth brush for the child should be chosen very carefully. The best kind of toothbrush to use is one with soft, round-tipped bristles. A child will need a smaller brush than an adult.
It is important to know when to discard a tooth brush. When the bristles become bent or frayed, a new brush is needed. Start flossing your child's teeth when the teeth touch each other and you can no longer brush in between them.

Common Procedures for children

FLUORIDE APPLICATIONS (For prevention from effects of chocolates; Colas; sticky foods on teeth)
PIT & FISSURE SEALS (Most recommended way of caries prevention by blocking deep pits & fissures of teeth )
FLUORIDE FILLINGS (for correction of cavities in milk& permanent teeth)
ORTHODONTIC ASSESMENT (opinion from specialist Orthodontist whether your child needs Braces ?)
HABIT BREAKING APPLIANCES (For correction of bad habits like Thumb-sucking; Mouth breathing; Tongue –thrusting)
SPACE MAINTAINERS (To allow permanent tooth to erupt in place if milk tooth has shed off or extracted early.)