You must have heard of the two terms “general health,” and “oral health.” If you have, you must have an idea of how similar they are in dental care. Ensuring a good, oral health does not only ensure that you have the perfect smile, but also the best general health.
When it comes to the oral health of their children, many parents often end up ignoring it. The main reason is that they feel that eventually, the first set of teeth of their kids will fall off. However, to ensure they have healthy adult teeth, it is imperative that you take proper care of their teeth at a young age. The best advice here is to take them to an experienced paediatric dentist Tulsa, who would conduct an extensive examination of the teeth of your little one to ensure everything is right.
As a general fact, you should know that in most kids, the first tooth usually erupts at 4-6 months of their age. Starting right at this point, you need to take care of their oral hygiene. Poor oral hygiene will only lead to other medical problems and even affect their overall health.
As you read this article, it should guide you about everything you should know about your children’s oral health.
Does Oral Health Have an Effect on Your Child’s Oral Health?
Yes, you may take this lightly, but the poor oral health of your child can actually affect their general health in many ways. Some include:
- Difficulty When Sleeping: If your child has some kind of oral health problems, they may be experiencing pain in their tooth, which will only prevent him or her from sleeping.
- Improper Development and Growth: If your child has an oral disease, it may make it difficult for them to chew their food. This will eventually lead to low intake of food or it may require them to consider a modified This will only lead to low intake of nutrients and have an effect on the development and growth of your child.
- Absence or Skipping School: Since they would have poor oral hygiene, your child could become prone to suffer from oral diseases, which will push them to frequent absence from their school and related activities.
- A Drop in Self-Esteem: A child having poor oral hygiene would end up feeling conscious about their teeth and feel reluctant to interact with people around, because they would be feeling embarrassed with the appearance of their teeth.
Problems in General Health Can Affect Oral Health
Regardless of the oral health problem that you have, medical intervention and medical conditions can have an indirect or direct effect on oral health. Problems with your teeth can have effects that will lead to your child taking medications. Sometimes, the medicines can alter the quantity and the quality of the saliva. In addition, if the Tulsa Child Dentist prescribes some form of supplements like tetracycline or iron medications, this will cause staining of the teeth.
Some anti-inflammatory medications may lead to dry mouth and keep your kids susceptible to fungal infections. It may also lead to digestion issues.
Tooth Decay and the Symptoms
In children, tooth decay is the most common problem that affects their oral health. It also leads to wearing out of the enamel of the tooth and causes developmental or dental health problems. Neglecting the oral health of your child will lead to some common symptoms and detecting them on time is the best solution.
The symptoms of tooth decay often vary from one child to the other, but here are the common ones.
Upon close examination, you will see white spots on their teeth, meaning that the enamel is wearing out. The teeth will become sensitive as well. It will lead to the development of cavities and discolouration of the teeth. Eventually, the cavity will deepen and it will change color from dark brown to black. Over time, the affected tooth will lead to pain, and become sensitive to hot, sweet, cold, or hard to chew food. The diagnosis of tooth decay in kids is by dentists, who examine the cavity and recommend an X-ray of the decayed tooth.
Treatment Options
The approach the paediatric dentist would use for the treatment is to fill the small cavities and it will need a crown in case the damage is deep. This will also help to prevent the risks of infections from spreading.
In case the decay goes out of hand, the dentist will have to extract the tooth, or else the damage may spread to adult teeth or other ones. However, if the decay goes out of hand, an extraction will be necessary. Hence, it is important that you pay attention to any signs of tooth problem or sensitivity problems your child complains about their teeth.
Never take the oral health of your child lightly, and always make sure that you follow the best precautionary measures and tips to take care of their teeth. You should consult the best paediatric dentist in Tulsa, who would be able to diagnose any problem on time and come up with the most suitable and effective treatment plan.
