There are a number of problems that affect the oral health of children, including tooth decay, thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, lip sucking, and early tooth loss. Even though baby teeth are eventually replaced with permanent teeth, keeping baby teeth healthy is important to a child’s overall health and well-being.
What are the statistics on dental health for children?
If you are looking for dental cavities in children- statistics and What percentage of children get cavities? Find some stats below:
- About 20 percent of kids between the ages of 5 and 11 have at least untreated decayed tooth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and 13 percent of 12- to 19-year-olds have untreated cavities.
- Unfortunately, many parents fail to properly care for their child’s teeth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 42 percent of children ages 2 to 11 have had cavities in baby teeth. And 21 percent of those ages experienced cavities in permanent teeth.
- More than half of children aged 6 to 8 have had a cavity in at least one of their baby (primary) teeth.
- Children aged 5 to 19 years from low-income families are twice as likely (25%) to have cavities, compared with children from higher-income households (11%).
- Dental sealants can also prevent cavities for many years. Applying dental sealants to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth prevent 80% of cavities.
- Between 60 and 90 percent of children and the majority of adults in most industrialized nations are affected by tooth decay. Access to dental care is limited in many regions. Where dental treatment is lacking, decayed teeth are often extracted due to pain, or simply left untreated. In the U.S. alone, about 17 million children go without dental treatment every year.
Importance of pediatric dental care:
Oral health care should be given to children at a very early time even to babies who do not have their milk teeth yet. And for all of your child’s oral health care needs, you should be seeking the professional help of a pediatric dentist.
A pediatric dentist is the one who has the experience and the qualifications to be able to give professional dental care to children.
Seeing their parents do the same thing is also helpful. Children love to mimic, and seeing parents getting dental care and brushing their teeth makes them want to do it too.
If your child has dental anxiety, it’s helpful for you to be able to be there beside them. With a dentist that works with all ages, you’ll be able to coordinate appointments together to make sure you’re there to reassure your children.
Pediatric dentists educate families on their diet as well. Children tend to have a diet that’s high in sugar, leading to problems with their teeth. With a diet balanced with fruits and vegetables, with less added sugars, they have less of a chance of developing tooth decay. Changing the diet can be beneficial for the entire family.
One of the most important aspects of pediatric dentistry is getting your child to develop good oral health care habits. If they’re going to the dentist from a young age, it’s something they’re going to be used to and more likely to do as they get older. Bi-annual dental visits will just be something that’s already in their routine.
Baby teeth problems and solutions:
1. Tooth Decay Caused Due to a Baby Bottle
Do not give sugary drinks or milk as a comforter to your little one during the daytime. Instead, offer him a pacifier or plain drinking water.
It is advisable not to dip your baby’s pacifier in any sugary object like honey or sugar.
Avoid putting your baby to bed with any sugary drink. Opt for a pacifier instead.
Remember to take your breast off from your baby’s mouth when he falls asleep. Do not offer sugar more than the recommended diet to your child.
Check with your paediatrician for your little one’s fluoride requirements.
Put a goal of teaching your child to sip from a sipper when he turns one. This will reduce his teeth exposure to sugary drinks.
2. Sucking Thumb Solution
Thumb sucking does not interfere in the oral hygiene of children until their permanent teeth start emerging. The decision to give up on thumb sucking should come from the children only. However, we as adults can surely help them in the process.
Applying force while discouraging the children from thumb sucking may have a negative impact on them. It would be wise to adopt the reward mechanism while dealing with thumb sucking. If your child sucks his thumb, politely ask him to quit this habit. You can also tell him that if he stops sucking his thumb, you will reward him. If your child is older and still sucks his thumb, try to find out the reason why he is sucking his thumb. It may be because of stress, anxiety, or any other issue bothering him.
3. Tongue Thrusting
The habit of swallowing the food while thrusting the tongue forward on the upper lips is known as ‘tongue thrusting’. It has an effect similar to thumb sucking and can cause the teeth to protrude out. This might also interfere in proper speech.
Solution
It is best to consult a speech pathologist in this case. A speech pathologist can work out a plan for your child to help him work on his chewing muscle strength and to develop an alternative swallowing technique.
4. Foods And Drinks That Stain Teeth
On the other hand, yellow teeth on kids could be a sign of dental problems if you notice the color getting worse over time. Inadequate brushing and flossing leads to discolored teeth, as does eating a lot of staining foods — foods with lots of dyes, or dark colored fruits, veggies, sauces, and drinks.
5. Genetics
It’s not always external factors that cause yellow teeth in kids. Sometimes you just can’t help it since genetics can play a role in the color of teeth. Thin tooth enamel can be genetic, which we mentioned previously can make teeth appear yellow. And thin tooth enamel can also put your child at more risk of tooth decay.
6. Supplements
In general, giving our kids supplements is for the good of their health, but too much of certain supplements can cause yellow teeth. For very young kids, fluorosis can happen, which is when baby teeth are exposed to excessive amounts of fluoride in the water, toothpaste or fluoride-fortified foods. Fluorosis can lead to white or brown spots on teeth, which makes enamel look yellow.
7. Medical Conditions
Some medical issues can contribute to yellow teeth in kids. Hepatitis, jaundice, and other medical conditions can discolor teeth. Using certain medications during pregnancy or early childhood such as tetracycline can cause a bright yellow appearance in young children’s teeth and a brown tinge to teeth in older kids.
