Kids/Child Dentistry Treatment at our Clinic in Gurugram is explaining each of our procedures to your child in terms that they can get it.

Whether your toddler has a mouth filled with teeth or only a few poking through, it’s time to start thinking about keeping their adorable smile healthy. Sure, baby teeth don’t hang around forever (they generally start to fall out to make way for adult teeth by the time your child is six or seven), but it’s still important to keep those tiny teeth — and gums — in tip-top shape while they’re saving the spots for grown-up teeth.

But before you assume that getting your toddler into the dentist’s chair will involve either a tantrum or bribery, remember that your child doesn’t harbor any ill will toward their first dentist — yet. After all, they haven’t had a close encounter with The Drill. For them, their first dentist appointment could be as much fun as a stop at the local amusement park (the chair goes up and down, back and forth!). So keep your own negative feelings in check (if you have any) and let your child enjoy their first dental visit with the same enthusiasm as a visit to Grandma’s (without the candy, of course).

The first visit is recommended at 6 to 12 months of age. The first visit is usually short and involves a little treatment like a thorough examination of teeth, gums, bite, oral tissues to monitor growth and treatment, a gentle cleaning involving removal of plaque, stains.

Refrain from using frightening words around your child such as: “Needle,” “Pull,” “Drill,” or “Hurt,” Instead use words such as “Sleepy,” “Juice,” “Wiggle,” “Whistle,” and “Take Pictures”. Treatment is thoroughly explaining each of our procedures to your child in terms that they can understand before we do it. This technique is known as “Tell-Show-Do” and is extremely effective in helping children feel more comfortable during their visit.

When it comes to dental health, setting a good example for children not only helps them have healthier gums and teeth throughout their lifetime, but also helps them prevent more serious medical issues as they get older. Parents can also learn while teaching their children good habits.

Baby teeth or primary teeth-Primary teeth play a crucial role in your children’s dental development. Without them, your child cannot chew food properly and has difficulty in speaking clearly.

Healthy teeth:

• Allow for clear pronunciation and speech habits.
• Are vital to the development of jaws
• Guide the permanent teeth into place when they replace the primary teeth.

Baby teeth are very important as they guide the permanent teeth into position. So if baby teeth come out too early due to decay or poor gum care the subsequent permanent teeth are more likely to overlap or grow in wrong direction.

• Baby bottle tooth decay (also called early childhood caries, nursing caries, and nursing bottle syndrome) occurs when a baby’s teeth are in frequent contact with sugars from liquid carbohydrates, such as fruit juices, milk, formula, fruit juice diluted with water, sugar water, or any other sweet drink.
• Human breast milk can cause tooth decay, as well. As these liquids break down in the mouth, bacteria start feeding on the sugars, causing tooth decay. Babies that are fed with liquids containing sugars are at greater risk for developing this serious but preventable condition.

Consequences of baby bottle decay-

Even though baby teeth are eventually replaced with permanent teeth, dental decay is potentially serious and could affect a child’s overall health and well-being. If left untreated, decayed teeth can cause pain and make it difficult to chew and eat. Also, baby teeth serve as “space savers” for adult teeth. If baby teeth are damaged or destroyed by decay, they can’t help guide permanent teeth into their proper position, possibly resulting in crowded or crooked permanent teeth. Badly decayed baby teeth could lead to pus formation?), with the possibility of the infection spreading elsewhere in the face.

Prevention-

• During the day, to calm or comfort your baby, don’t give a bottle filled with sugary liquids or milk; instead, give plain water or substitute a pacifier.
• Don’t dip your baby’s pacifier in sugar, honey, or any sugary liquid.

At bedtime, don’t put your baby to bed with a bottle filled with sugary liquids (watered-down fruit juice or milk still increases the risk of decay). Give plain water.

• Don’t allow your baby to nurse continuously throughout the night while sleeping, since human breast milk can cause decay. Use a pacifier or give a bottle filled with plain water instead.
• Don’t add sugar to your child’s food.
• Use a wet cloth or gauze to wipe your child’s teeth and gums after each feeding. This helps remove any bacteria-forming plaque and excess sugar that have built up on the teeth and gums.

Ask your dentist about your baby’s fluoride needs. If your drinking water is not fluoridated, fluoride supplements or treatments may be needed

GINGIVITIS

It is inflammation of gums around the teeth due to improper cleaning of tooth. Usual signs are swollen gums and bleeding on brushing. Children are not efficient in cleaning their teeth. Oral hygiene has to be stimulated, supervised and the end result examined for it to be efficient. Sticky foods in less accessible areas are difficult to remove. Rough and vigorous brushing may hurt child and discourage him for brushing well. In children it is advisable that brushing is supervised by parents to make it more efficient.

Thumb sucking

Generally, it’s normal and healthy for infants to suck their thumbs, fingers, pacifiers, or toys. Object sucking gives children a sense of emotional security and comfort.

Dental consequences of thumb sucking

Because numerous studies have found that most children spontaneously discontinue sucking their thumbs and/or fingers before the age of 3, little if any damage is done to the teeth or jaw.

However, if thumb sucking continues beyond the age of 5 — when the permanent teeth begin to come in — dental problems may occur. Depending on the frequency, intensity, and duration of the sucking, the teeth can be pushed out of alignment, causing them to protrude and create an overbite.

The child may also have difficulty with the correct pronunciation of words. In addition, the upper and lower jaws can become misaligned and the roof of the mouth might become malformed.

Steps taken to help a child stop this habit

To help older children break the habit, parents should try to determine why their child is doing it — find out what stresses your child faces and try to correct the situation. Once the problem is gone, the child often finds it easier to give up sucking. If this doesn’t work, there are dental appliances a child can wear in the mouth to prevent sucking. These appliances are cemented to the upper teeth, sit on the roof of the mouth, and make thumb sucking harder and therefore less pleasurable.

Tongue thrusting

Tongue thrusting is the habit of sealing the mouth for swallowing by thrusting the top of the tongue forward against the lips.

Dental consequences of tongue thrusting-

Just like thumb sucking, tongue thrusting exerts pressure against the front teeth, pushing them out of alignment — which causes them to protrude, creating an overbite and possibly interfering with proper speech development. If you notice symptoms of tongue thrusting, consult a speech pathologist. This person can develop a treatment plan that helps your child to increase the strength of the chewing muscles and to develop a new swallowing pattern

Lip sucking

Lip sucking involves repeatedly holding the lower lip beneath the upper front teeth. Sucking of the lower lip may occur by itself or in combination with thumb sucking. This practice results in an overbite and the same kinds of problems as thumb sucking and tongue thrusting. Stopping the habit involves the same steps described above for stopping thumb sucking.

Early tooth loss

Causes early tooth loss-

Premature loss of a child’s primary teeth typically occurs because of tooth decay, injury, or lack of jaw space.

Future dental problems

If teeth are lost before the permanent teeth emerge, the nearby teeth can tip or shift into the space now unoccupied. When a permanent tooth tries to emerge into its space, there may not be enough room. The new tooth may emerge tilted. Crooked or misaligned teeth can cause a range of problems, from interfering with proper chewing to developing symptoms of temporomandibular joint Problems.

If your child loses a tooth prematurely, your dentist may recommend a space maintainer. A space maintainer is a plastic or metal device that holds open the space left by the missing tooth. Your dentist will remove the device once the permanent teeth begin to erupt.

1. Your child’s baby tooth is knocked out

Contact us as soon as possible. The baby tooth should not be replanted because of the potential for subsequent damage to the developing permanent tooth.

1. Your child’s permanent tooth is knocked out

Find the tooth and rinse it gently in cool water. (Do not scrub or clean it with soap. Use only water) If possible, replace the tooth in the socket immediately and hold it there with clean gauze or a wash cloth. If you can’t put the tooth back in the socket, place it in a clean container with cold milk, saliva or water. Get to the dentist immediately. Call our emergency number if it’s after hours. The faster you act, the better your chances of saving the tooth.

1. Your child’s tooth is chipped or fractured

Contact us immediately. Quick action can save the tooth, prevent infection and reduce the need for extensive dental treatment. Rinse the mouth with water and apply cold compresses to reduce swelling if the lip also is injured. If you can find the broken tooth fragment, place it in cold milk or water and bring it with you to the dental office.

1. Your child sustains a severe blow to the head or suffers jaw fracture.

They need immediate medical attention. A severe head injury can be life-threatening. Keep in mind that an emergency medical team might be able to reach you faster than you can get to the hospital.

1. Your child is suffering with toothache

Call us and visit the clinic promptly. To comfort your child, rinse the mouth with water. Over-the-counter children’s pain medication, dosed according to your child’s weight and age, might ease the symptoms. You may apply a cold compress or ice wrapped in a cloth to the area of the pain, but do not put heat or aspirin on the sore area.

Your child’s risk for dental injuries can be reduced greatly by following a few simple suggestions. First, reduce risk for severe oral injury in sports by wearing protective gear, including a mouth guard. Secondly, always use a car seat for young children and seat belts for everyone else in the car. . Regular dental check-ups provide your dentist with an opportunity to discuss additional age-appropriate preventive strategies for your child.

Orthodontontic treatment is an important aspect for children having malocclusion (improper alignment of teeth). Most malocclusion is inherited, they exist at birth and some are acquired due to bad habits of child. Inherited malocclusion includes crowding, small jaw, extra teeth. Cleft palate and bony deformities of jaw.

Acquired malocclusion is caused by thumb or finger sucking, tongue thrusting, mouth breathing due to tonsils or adenoids nail biting, premature loss of primary or permanent tooth.

• Don’t let it turn into a battle. Instead, make it into a game, or brush your own teeth at the same time and then help your child finish their own.
• The easiest way to brush a baby’s teeth is to sit them on your knee with their head resting against your chest. With an older child, stand behind them and tilt their head upwards.
• Brush the teeth in small circles covering all the surfaces and let your child spit the toothpaste out afterwards. Rinsing with water has been found to reduce the benefit of fluoride.
• You can also clean your baby’s teeth by wrapping a piece of damp gauze with a tiny amount of fluoride toothpaste on it over your finger and rubbing this over their teeth.
• Carry on helping your child brush their teeth until you’re sure that they can do it well enough themselves. This will normally be until they’re at least seven.

The top surfaces of your teeth – where the chewing takes place – aren’t smooth and flat. They are crisscrossed with tiny hills and valleys – called pits and fissures. These are places where plaque can build up safe from your toothbrush and dental floss. Some of the pits and fissures are so narrow that even a single bristle from your toothbrush can’t get deep enough to clean them out.

One method of preventing cavities from developing in the pits and fissures is to seal them off with a pit and fissure sealant. It makes the teeth surfaces smooth and easier to clean by brushing. Sealants are easy to apply by a dentist and are a great preventive measure.