What to Do if Your Child Loses a Baby Tooth Too Soon
While baby teeth are not permanent and only last in a child’s mouth for a few years, they have an important role in the development of the jaw, muscles, and adult teeth. It is natural for baby teeth to fall out as the permanent teeth grow in to take their place. However, if a baby tooth is lost too soon, it can sometimes prevent proper development in the mouth. It may be necessary for your child to have a space maintainer put in to keep the space open until the permanent tooth comes in. This can save your child from extensive orthodontic work in the future.
Baby teeth can fall out early for a number of reasons. The most common causes are accidents resulting in tooth loss, or having to extract a baby tooth due to severe decay. Sometimes a baby tooth doesn’t even grow in at all. Whichever the case, an empty space in your child’s mouth can cause problems if the permanent tooth doesn’t grow in soon after. The teeth around the space can start to tilt and shift, resulting in insufficient space for the adult tooth to grow it.
A space maintainer can prevent improper development by keeping the space open until the permanent tooth grows in. There are several different types of space maintainers that can be used for treatment. Older children who are responsible in the care of their teeth might use a removable space maintainer. This appliance looks much like a retainer and is usually plastic. Other methods involve a fixed space maintainer, which is banded or cemented in place and is usually made of metal. Your dentist will help determine which type of space maintainer will work best for your child’s needs, and will make a custom appliance using impressions of your child’s teeth. The space maintainer is removed once the permanent tooth is ready to erupt.
If your child loses a tooth early, make an appointment with your dentist to discuss whether or not a space maintainer is necessary for development. While losing a baby tooth early does not always lead to complications, it is safe to have a professional’s opinion before letting it go too long. A space maintainer is a fairly simple solution to guiding teeth into place, and can prevent your child from having to endure a year or more of complicated orthodontic treatment.
Are Dental Sealants and Fillings Safe for Kids?
A couple of weeks ago, I told you if you had any questions for health experts to ask away — and I’d see what I could do. Well, the topic for today’s post is thanks to my friend Kristin, who asked me to find out about BPA (bisphenol A) in dental fillings and sealants. Kristin is the “greenest” of all my friends; she even has solar panels on her house and gushes about how much it has saved her family on utilities. I’ve got to admit I wish I had her electric bill!
Back to BPA: Kristin and I tossed our kids’ plastic cups and dinnerware years ago after some preliminary research suggested that the chemical could leach out of plastics when heated and cause health problems, especially for babies and young children. I’ve been buying BPA-free water bottles and other plastics ever since, but it never occurred to me that there would be BPA in those white composite fillings or dental sealants (used to protect kids’ teeth from cavities) until Kristin, fresh from her kid’s teeth-cleaning, asked about it.
I called Julie Anne Barna, a dentist and a spokeswoman for the Academy of General Dentistry, to find out what’s going on. She said that though sealants and fillings don’t contain BPA per se, they do have compounds that can turn into BPA when they’re first put in the mouth. However, she assured me that a quick wipe and rinse of the dental work — a routine practice — removes the potential hazards. In fact, a study published in 2012 in Pediatrics by researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston found that scrubbing and rinsing sealants eliminates 88 to 95 percent of the BPA-causing compounds.
I wish it were 100 percent, of course, but 90-something is good enough for me. The real risk of having a cavity (and other dental problems that might lead to down the road) outweighs the theoretical risk from BPA. Now, please excuse me, I’m off to tell Kristin.
Preventing, Detecting and Treating TMJ in Children
Almost everyone, including children, experiences soreness and discomfort in the jaw from time to time, and most times these symptoms fade and disappear in a few short days. Those other few instances where the pain lingers and increases should raise alarm for parents. Continued soreness and tightness in the jaw as well as difficulty chewing, smiling and even breathing are all symptoms of TMJ, or temporomandibular joint, disorder.
The TMJ is the joint that connects the lower jaw to the skull. Overuse or irritation to the joint can result in headaches, neck aches, and jaw or face pain, problems chewing or biting, popping and clicking sounds when opening and closing the mouth and extreme cases cause the jaw to lock open or closed. TMJ can occur to anyone at any age, but is especially prevalent in teenage girls.
Unfortunately, it is often unclear what causes TMJ disorders in children. Contributing factors include can include: stress, clenching or grinding of the jaw or other oral or overall health issues. Stress frequently results in the grinding or tightening of the jaw in children. Many do not even realize they are doing it as it becomes habit. Also, if your child has a bad bite, muscle problems or has had face or jaw trauma, they are more likely to experience the discomfort or TMJ.
Thankfully, there are many treatment options to relieve the pain of TMJ disorder.
- The simplest fix, depending on the severity of the condition, is to encourage your child to rest their jaw for a few days. You can assist in this by having soft foods for meals and snacks, and discouraging aggravating activities such as gum chewing, open-mouth yawning and clenching or grinding. Also apply ice or heat as needed to relieve pain temporarily.
- For the more involved cases, further treatment will need to be explored. Dentists may provide a device for your child to wear at night to minimize grinding or prescribe medication to relax the jaw muscles. Braces or corrective dentistry may be needed if the disorder is stemming from a misaligned bite.
- Rarely, surgery will be recommended.
To help your child avoid TMJ disorder, bring to their attention bad grinding or clenching habits. The habits often coincide with certain behaviors – being upset, studying for tests, etc – so teach your child to pinpoint their trigger behaviors so they can consciously combat the bad habits. Allowing plenty of time for exercise and play will also help keep stress levels down.
If you think your child is exhibiting symptoms of TMJ, contact a local dentist today. The earlier TMJ can be treated, the better.
Getting Braces – A Kid’s Perspective
Getting braces can be a big deal in some kid’s lives and they may not even want to get braces. However, it is very important that, if needed, your child should get braces and also manage them well. If people don’t get braces as a child it could cause serious health problems as an adult including increased risk of tooth loss and extreme discomfort. It’s also not very attractive looking.
Kids could need braces for crooked teeth, over spacing of teeth, or overbite problems. And you may not realize that your child needs braces. I had straight and near-perfect teeth, but I had a slight overbite and a little bit of a spacing problem. When I heard I would need braces for a short while I was perfectly willing and almost indifferent. This is because my mom had braces as an adolescent and has told me she was very glad about this; at the same time my dad did not have braces and his teeth are so crooked, one of them is practically facing sideways and he has always regretted not getting them.
The process for getting braces was fairly simple, on my end, at least. I visited the orthodontist for an assessment over whether or not I would actually need braces. He examined my teeth and showed me some before and after pictures (your child may see some friend’s teeth, I did!) then told me I would need them for about two years with no headgear (some kids wear headgear when they sleep). I later went for a mould of my teeth so the orthodontist could custom fit my braces (Try not to swallow the molding mixture; I hear from friends it’s nasty when swallowed). I got the top on first and the bottom braces on a few months later. I now visit about once every one to two months to get them tightened.
With the braces there are some food restrictions such as no popcorn or bubblegum and apples must be cut up, but you get used to it. Most food will get stuck in the braces, however. To deal with issues such as this the office arms each kid with an array of tools: small brush-picks, topical numbing agents for pain, wax to prevent the brackets from scraping up the gums, a convenient carrying case, etc. I carry my accessories in my backpack and make good use of them. On the note of numbing agents and pain, your child will want to use painkillers and eat soft foods for the first week of having braces and possibly after each adjustment depending on the sensitivity of their mouth. I play rugby, a contact sport for those that don’t know, and I had to get a specialized mouth guard to protect my braces. If your child plays a contact sport you will also have to get a specialized mouth guard but they are easy to find so don’t worry. They do not, however, guarantee the safety of your child’s braces so you may have to take them in for repair. For any parents concerned that their child will get teased or called brace face, don’t worry! Probably 99% of kids these days have braces so it would be completely stupid for a kid to pick on someone for the norm.
The Baby Teeth Myth
Although you only have them a few years, your “baby” or primary teeth are of the utmost importance. They are essential in the development and placement of your permanent teeth. Parents can contribute to their child’s oral health from the start by taking care of teeth from “babyhood.”
Baby teeth are more important than many realize. Primary teeth maintain the spaces where permanent teeth will erupt, and they help develop proper speech patterns. Otherwise crowding and misalignment can occur, resulting in more complicated treatment later in life. Primary teeth also are primers for teaching your child proper oral care habits.
Even though primary teeth last only a few years, decay, cavities and infection can take its toll – therefore it is essential to care for them as if they were there to stay.
There are several ways to protect your child’s teeth at home.
- Babies’ oral health can be protected by cleaning his or her gums with a damp cloth after feedings.
- Brushing with a soft brush and water should begin as soon as the first tooth erupts.
- Wean children off of bottles, pacifiers and thumb sucking around one year of age in order to prevent the misalignment of teeth as they erupt.
- To prevent tooth decay, avoid putting a child to bed with a bottle of milk, juice or other sweetened liquids.
- Children can usually practice good oral hygiene themselves around age five. The best way to teach a child proper oral health is by providing a good example.
Dentists want to see your baby’s baby teeth as well. Your child should visit the dentist for the first time right around his or her first birthday, or approximately six months after the eruption of his or her first tooth. Taking your child to the dentist this early is the best way to prevent oral health problems, and it will help familiarize the child with the dentist as well. The first visit is primarily an icebreaker for the child and the dentist. If the child is compliant the dentist will do a gentle but complete exam, a cleaning, and take x-rays. It is very important the first visit go well so that the child gains trust and comfort in going to the dentist regularly. Patience and calmness from the parent is also important, to show the child you trust the dentist as well. Appointments scheduled early in the day are best, avoiding nap times, so that the child is alert and fresh.
Baby teeth don’t last forever. Children typically start losing primary teeth around five to six years of age. They will most likely continue to lose them until around twelve to thirteen years of age, at which point most of his or her permanent teeth have erupted. Primary teeth should be lost as naturally as possible, and should not typically be pulled until the permanent tooth makes it loose. If a primary tooth is pulled too early, then it increases the chance of the permanent tooth becoming misaligned or crooked. Primary teeth fall out because the permanent tooth is pushing them to make room. Most teens have a total of 28 permanent teeth, plus four additional teeth, wisdom teeth, that will grow in behind in late adolescence.
Armed with this information, you will have the capabilities to give your child a healthy smile from the start.
Do toddlers really need to floss their teeth?
Your 1-year-old may seem a little young for flossing, but cavities don’t know how old teeth are! Teeth can get cavities as soon as they erupt into the mouth. If your toddler’s teeth are touching one another, food and plaque can get stuck between them, and cavities can form.
The importance of flossing is one of the reasons that the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends taking your child for his first dental appointment at age 1. At this visit, the dentist can help determine if your child’s teeth are ready to be flossed, and she’ll show you how to properly brush and floss them. (This will be your job for a long time; most children aren’t ready to brush and floss on their own until they are 8 or 10 years old.)
Nighttime brushing and flossing are the most important, so make sure you do it every night before bed. And remember: Nothing to eat or drink except plain water after you’re finished!
