Every dentist for kids has parents who are extremely concerned about the oral health of their children. It can be difficult to teach a child healthy dental habits, while also learning the many lessons of parenting one mistake at a time. As such, many parents have questions about the common problems dentists deal with. Being a dentist for kids, we understand that there are several different types of conditions that can arise from bad oral health.
There are two pieces of advice we give to all parents. The first is to make sure the parent carefully watches the child's candy consumption. Sugar and sour content in many candies can be extremely damaging to children's teeth. While it may seem like a losing battle, it is a battle worth fighting. The second recommendation we offer is to make sure parents are bringing their child in for biannual visits. When Parents do so, we are able to work closely with them to treat their child.
Bruxism, or grinding of the teeth, is an involuntary habit we see quite frequently among growing children. The grinding of teeth is considered to be a common developmental phase among children. As a result, children will typically outgrow this phase and no longer grind their teeth. However, for some children, they continue to grind their teeth even after their permanent teeth have come in, and this can lead to dental muscular pain, among other problems.
There is good news, however, for parents who have children suffering from bruxism. As a dentist for kids, we can quite easily help prevent involuntary nighttime grinding of teeth. The use of a night mouth guard will help a child prevent the grinding and offset some of the other problems that may arise with the constant grinding. Left unchecked, bruxism may lead to a wearing down of the enamel, gum disease, and other problems.
The single largest problem we see is the occurrence of cavities. Cavities form due to the bacteria that exist normally within a child's mouth. If these bacteria are fed a carbohydrate-rich diet, they become hyperactive and secrete acid onto the child's teeth. This acid gradually eats away at the tooth enamel, eventually leading to a small hole or a cavity. As a dentist for kids, we know that the only way to prevent cavities is to insist on children building great oral care habits.
Children need to brush their teeth at least twice a day for a minimum of two minutes every time. In addition, parents need to restrict the child's intake of carbohydrate-rich foods. If a child does consume these products, we highly recommend rinsing the mouth with water immediately after consuming the food. Rinsing the mouth will significantly reduce the amount of impact these foods can have on bacteria and help reduce the appearance of cavities.
Working together, we can fight decay and other oral health problems so that your child can have healthy and strong teeth.
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