Oral Health Link to Whole Body Health: A Blog
Common dental issues in children
Duane Kelly
Your teeth and gum health are very important, making regular oral hygiene essential to your overall health. While anyone can experience dental problems, there are some that tend to be more common with young children. Here are some common dental issues that may plague your child.
Baby Bottle Decay
A common dental issue with infants and toddlers is baby bottle decay. This is a type of tooth decay that is caused by sugar-ridden beverages sitting on their teeth. Babies who go to bed with a bottle that has formula or fruit juice have excess sugar that sits in their mouth and on their teeth when they fall asleep. This can eventually lead to the decay. To prevent it, babies should never be sent to bed with a bottle. If they need the bottle for comfort reasons, it should only have water inside.
Tooth Sensitivity
Some children might also experience tooth sensitivity that isn't related to tooth decay, but from thin tooth enamel or nerve issues. If your child has thin enamel, it makes their teeth overly sensitive, particularly to hot and cold temperatures. You may notice that your child only likes drinks that are room temperature or won't eat their soup until it cools off. It is also not uncommon to have nerve endings that are irritated, which are causing sensitivity. This may be from small cracks in their teeth, that are causing the nerves to be partially exposed.
Sucking Their Thumbs
It may seem like a harmless habit when your child sucks their thumb, as it offers them comfort just like their favorite blanket. However, it is doing damage to their teeth and alignment, and possibly causing an overbite or other issues. If your child sucks their thumb often, you may find that at one of their first dental appointments, the pediatric dentist mentions they are growing an overbite. Their teeth may grow in crooked as well, requiring early orthodontic treatment. Not only does this affect the appearance of their teeth, but it can affect oral hygiene as crooked teeth are more difficult to get clean and might get tooth decay.
Tongue Thrusting
Another bad habit young children may do is thrusting their tongue forward, which pushes the tongue against the top teeth and the lips. This can also cause the teeth to get out of alignment and lead to crooked teeth, which then require orthodontic treatment. Not only does it cause that, but it can lead to an overbite, and also cause speech issues later on. For more information, visit websites like http://www.ormonddental.com.au.
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You may have heard that cavities and oral decay are linked to things like heart disease, and, in fact, your oral health affects your entire body. Hi! My name is Brenda, and I like to look at things holistically. Because of that, I created this blog. I plan for its posts to look at the link between dental issues and other health issues. I hope that the people who visit this blog learn a few tips about oral care as well as gaining a deeper understanding of why it's so important. Healthy smiles indicate a healthy body, and I hope this blog helps you achieve both!