Kids are always adorable, cute when they are having a gala time, those innocent smiles are contagious & heart-warming. The same kids look weak, sad & upset due to “tooth problems”. Some of the Common Dental Problems In Child are tooth decay in milk teeth, gum disease and many more. As a parent, we face unpleasant situations when our child isn’t allowed ice-creams whereas all the other kids are enjoying all the delicacies around. We don’t want to be “Monster Moms” all the time. While occasionally it may be the parent’s fault of not taking adequate care, it’s the kids who bear the brunt of it. Sometimes genetic disorders are also causing dental problems.  Check on the following content this might be helpful for you.

Baby Teeth Problems Enamel

Baby teeth are made up of three layers namely, the enamel, the dentin, and the pulp. Though the enamel is not as strong as adults, they have more exposure to sweets & desserts.

• The weak enamel on baby teeth starts getting affected by the plaque accumulation in the pit and fissure areas followed by the areas in between the teeth. The tooth decay in toddler’s front teeth is one of the Common Dental Problems In Child as they are drinking milk through bottles and is kept for a long time preferably at night times. The sweetness in the sugar attacks the enamel very easily because at night times they sleep thus the functioning of the saliva is also slower causing lack of remineralisation and buffering. Consequently, the early childhood caries or nursing bottle caries becomes one among the major factors for toddler tooth decay.
• The baby bottle tooth decay treatment is a regular way of cleansing of teeth. By using a soft brush dipped in water and removing the bottle during prolonged hours of sleeping is mandatory.

Toddler Tooth Decay Treatment

The most common complaint heard from parents is “thumb sucking”. Do not fret, as this habit would have started in the womb and is now replicated in the stage of toddlers as they grow. They do it to calm down themselves and ensure emotional safety. Also, they ensure that they are asleep at midnights, when they are angry, sad, tired, sick or bored. They are mostly below 5 years - using their thumbs, fingers, toys, pacifiers for a long duration of time. Sometimes, as a problematic effect they continue this habit even after 5 years of age. At this time there are teeth alignment and jaw development that gets affected enormously leading to mal-aligned tooth structure and difficulty in pronunciation of few words. It can be controlled by one of the following –

• Placing appliances in the oral palate so that when the place the finger it will give a disturbance and that leads to eradication of the habit.
• A natural way which can be tried out is removing fingers from the kid’s mouth once they fall asleep.
• Positive reinforcement and encouragement help in breaking the habit earlier.

Tongue thrusting and lip sucking are very similar to thumb thrusting, as toddlers the eruption of teeth occurs in between 9 months to 2.5 years. Again sheds and re-erupts at 7 years of age. At that time kids might start pushing the teeth that are erupting & feel uneasy. This habit may lead to spacing issues, mal-aligned teeth & slurred speech. Baby tooth decay during breastfeeding is quite uncommon.

Tooth Decay Stages

We now know the Common Dental Problems In Child. What are the stages? Generally, toddlers tooth decay occurs early due to inadequate maintenance of the oral cavity. This toddler tooth decay occurs in the following stages

• Early white spots

Early white spots are seen over the enamel which is attacked by sugar and acids, leading to demineralization of the tooth below the enamel layer.

• Enamel decay

Enamel decay is decaying of the enamel from the base towards the top, then gradually extending to the external surface at the end.

• Dentin decay

Dentin decay is decaying of the dentin and at this stage they start feeling the pain.

• Involvement of the pulp

It now extends to the pulp and severe pain with sensitivity is noted. As the child cries with pain and does not eat properly.

• Abscess formation

Abscess formation is the final stage, where caries reach the periodontal region. Swelling is noted at this stage. Sometimes, it results in severe headaches. Commonly, dentists do not treat cavities for infants, toddlers or children. Essentially because they develop their teeth in two different stages like primary and permanent. The primary teeth shed off and the new permanent teeth erupt thereby leading to the new teeth without caries. Treatments like filling, stainless steel crown, pulpectomy is carried out in incase of severe destruction of the teeth. They are given fluoride application over the teeth to prevent caries. Following which filling is done with fluorides and glass ionomer cement, amalgam (rarely). If caries remain uncontrolled and infected caries still persists or develops deeper, it leads to pulpectomy procedure. We can prevent dental caries by brushing regularly and using toothpaste containing fluoride.

Oral Hygiene

The oral prophylaxis occurs due to improper oral health & accumulation of plaque deposits on the tooth’s surface. This leads to yellowing of the teeth with bad breath. It also leads to cavities, halitosis, bleeding gums, swelling of gums & pain. Enamel hypoplasia baby teeth causes are nutritional defects, birth defects, hypocalcemia, poor health, idiopathic causes, local infection or trauma. These are the major problems that arise in kids between the age group of 6 months to 6 years. It is better to consult a pediatric dentistry specialist for the treatment and rectification of the same in baby teeth or permanent teeth. It May Also Interest You To Read - How To Prevent Cavities In Children How To Open A Bank Acoount For Kids