3 Common Dental Issues In Children and Tips to Prevent Them
There are certain common dental problems that many children will experience with time. The good news is that you can navigate around these common dental problems and find ways to prevent them.
From cavities to gum disease, all you have to do is make sure that you are understanding exactly how to curtail them to protect your child’s oral health.
Below you'll find a list of the common dental problems that your child may experience along with some practical tips on how to prevent them.
Tooth Decay and Cavities
Perhaps the most common problem that children experience is dental caries. It is one of the most prevalent dental problems around. It usually happens when bacteria that is in your child's mouth produces acids and starts to erode the enamel.
This will lead to what is known as cavities. The best way to prevent this is to simply encourage your child to brush their teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste.
Make sure they are flossing to remove plaque and food debris from between their teeth. This type of care along with a professional teeth cleaning can help keep your child's teeth healthy.
Also, nip any overindulgence of sugary snacks in the bud and get your child to limit the drinking of beverages that contain sugar as well.
Dental Trauma
Dental trauma is also another common occurrence in childhood. This is because children are very active and they are prone to falling and breaking or losing their delicate teeth. In some cases, a tooth might even get knocked out.
While there may not be much you can do outside your home, inside your home you can make sure that you do as much as possible to prevent falls and accidents from occurring. Secure rugs, keep cords and wires out of walkways.
If your child is involved in sports then this is also another way in which many children suffer dental trauma. The best way to prevent this from happening is to make sure your child is using mouthguards during their sporting activities.
They might not be pretty to look at but they do a good job of keeping the teeth looking fabulous by preventing accidents.
Orthodontic Issues
Orthodontic issues are also common problems that children face in childhood. You may find that your child has crowded teeth, an overbite, underbite or crossbite.
A common reason why many children develop some of these problems is that they will suck on their thumb or other fingers. This can also happen because of prolonged pacifier use which can cause teeth to grow misaligned. As much as possible you should try to curb all of these habits.
Other times it may develop because of poor oral hygiene. This is why it's so important for you to find any means possible to get your child to take care of their teeth.
Develop a reward system, and give your child a little token when they practice proper oral hygiene.
These little joys help them feel great but also keep their teeth in alignment which means you won't have to invest in costly braces to fix the issue.