Sometimes despite your very best at-home oral hygiene efforts, your child’s teeth will experience dental issues. Some children’s dental problems are similar to adults. However, because your child’s teeth are still developing and are softer, untreated dental conditions can lead to misaligned tooth development and other oral health issues.
Preserving your child’s primary teeth ensures they play an important role in their oral health and development. Here are six of the most common kids’ teeth problems and how our dentists can help you treat them.
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Kids Teeth Problems: Tooth Decay
Tooth decay is one of the most prevalent dental problems in children under 14 in Australia, with 1 in 4 kids between 6 and 14 with cavities in at least one permanent tooth. Tooth decay is often due to improper oral hygiene and a diet high in sugar.
Kids under seven typically don’t have the dexterity to brush their teeth correctly. Parents need to supervise tooth brushing to ensure their children use the correct brushing technique and brush for at least two minutes.
Turn teeth brushing time into a game by using an interactive program like Brush Up, The Wiggles Brushing app or a special song.
Modify your child’s diet to minimise enamel wear and tear on your child’s teeth due to high sugar foods. Offer reduced sugar or sugar-free alternatives to their favourite snacks, and ensure their meals are high in fruits, vegetables, and dairy products to help remineralise teeth after eating.
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Kids Teeth Problems: Teeth Sensitivity
Tooth sensitivity is often due to enamel erosion and genetic disorders, such as enamel hypoplasia or dentinogenesis imperfecta. Increased sensitivity can be uncomfortable for kids and may affect their appetite and what they choose to eat. Your dentist can help determine the cause of the sensitivity.
Sensitivity treatments for your child’s teeth include desensitising toothpaste, switching your kid’s toothbrush for an ultra-soft model, wearing a nightguard to protect against grinding, and restorative procedures like fillings.
At Available Dental Care, we also offer fissure sealants and fluoride treatments. Sealants can help prevent cavities, while fluoride treatments remineralise teeth to reduce acid wear.
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Kids Teeth Problems: Paediatric Gingivitis
Normally considered an adult dental problem, gum disease is common in children. It is more aggressive in children with poor oral hygiene or crooked teeth. Symptoms include red swollen, and tender gums and bleeding when brushing.
Regular professional dental cleanings can reverse gingivitis, and your dentist can teach you and your child proper brushing and flossing techniques.
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Kids Teeth Problems: Orthodontic Issues
Orthodontic issues are usually a result of genetics. The size and shape of their jaw play a role in how their teeth come together. Common orthodontic dental problems in children include spacing issues, open bite, underbite and overbite.
Arrange an orthodontic consultation for your child at around age seven to have their smile evaluated because a misaligned smile can mean more than just crooked teeth. Without orthodontic intervention, they may experience speech difficulty, enamel wear and tear, jaw issues and tooth decay.
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Kids Teeth Problems: Teeth Grinding
Teeth grinding is an involuntary action seen most often in infants and toddlers due to the eruption of their primary teeth. In most cases, it subsides once the teeth break through the gum line, but it can become a habit.
Teeth grinding erodes tooth enamel and can cause tooth sensitivity or tooth decay. Their dentist can monitor their oral health and may recommend a mouth guard to prevent further tooth damage.
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Kids Teeth Problems: Thumb Sucking
One of the most common issues due to thumb sucking is an open bite – when the top and bottom teeth don’t meet when the jaws are closed. An open bite can affect speech development, eating and create excessive wear on the teeth at the back of the dental arch.
Correcting an open bite requires extensive orthodontic treatment, and in some cases, surgery. Visiting a dentist when your child’s teeth first emerge can help them monitor their tooth development so they can provide you with advice on how to manage thumb-sucking behaviours.
Keeping Your Child’s Teeth Healthy
A good at-home oral hygiene regimen and regular dental visits can keep paediatric dental issues to a minimum. If your child has any dental problems, rest assured that at Available Dental Care, we have the skill, experience and technology to treat your child’s teeth quickly, safely and comfortably.
Contact Available Dental Care on (02) 4062 8763 to book your child’s dental consultation.