Children aged 1-6 years are more prone to dental problems. This happens due to a lack of awareness and irresponsible behaviour for child oral care. Here in this blog, Dr. Neha Bhati, a pediatric dentist in Noida from Alba Dental Clinic tells us the causes of bad oral health and how to look after your child’s teeth.
Causes of poor Oral Health in Kids
Grown-ups know what is good and what is bad for them and are capable of comprehending what poor oral health means. However, infants, newborns and toddlers can barely understand the importance.
Some common oral problems in this age group are tooth decay or cavities. Here are the possible reasons for their poor dental health.
Poor oral habits: This is the major cause of most oral diseases and dental problems. Tooth cavity can occur when you avoid brushing and small amounts of food are left in the teeth. Teeth discolouration or tinted teeth happens due to improper brushing. Plaque is a sticky lining around the gums and tartar is the advanced version of it. This is caused due to bad hygiene.
Prolonged exposure to sugary drinks: This happens when babies are exposed to bottle feeding. Babies like chocolate and similar products. It is seen that most of the time, parents give added sugar products in their milk or natural sugar-containing products like juices and smoothies. But this is a wrong practice and can lead to major teeth problems in kids.
Breast Milk: Breastfeeding is not wrong but not taking care of your child after feeding can lead to problems. Milk is left in the mouth after the feed.
Thumb Sucking: Some kids have a habit of sucking their thumb which gives them pleasure. But this can lead to misalignment of teeth if the habit is continued even after the age of 5 years.
Deficiency of Vitamin D: Vitamin D is good for our bones. It consists of a substance that extracts calcium from the food you consume. Lack of Vitamin D is directly connected with loss of teeth, cavities and other oral problems.
Precautions and Preventive Measures
‘Prevention is better than cure’ sounds cliche but is so apt. Why spend money on all the painful treatments when you can follow some simple rules and smile carefree.
Avoid sugary drinks. Don’t overdo sugary drinks to your kids. Baby bottles often lead to long exposure to sugar. Try giving them water or other pacifiers.
If you are breastfeeding, make sure to take off your breast from their mouth when the baby sleeps.
After breastfeeding, clean the gums of the baby with a soft cloth.
Consider visiting a doctor who can provide a proper diet chart and sugar requirements and follow it religiously.
If you find your kid is sucking their thumb, then it's your responsibility to prevent it. One of the ways is to make them wear gloves.
Get your kids' vitamin D level checked and let them have a proper intake of it.
Kids should use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste while brushing their teeth with a soft-bristled brush. You need to monitor them and make sure that they do not hurt themselves in the process.
There are many pediatric dentists available. Try to go to them instead of a normal dentist for your kids’ treatment. Alba Dental Clinic is run by a pediatric dentist in Noida, Dr. Neha Bhati, which offers routine check-ups with all the treatments for attaining proper oral health.
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