What is a Dental Treatment for Children?

A kid’s happy smile is priceless. So when a parent wants to ensure their child’s smile stays strong and bright, there is no better ally than a pediatric dentist. These dentists provide friendly, high-quality care that meets your child’s current dental needs and sets the stage for a positive, healthy future.

Common Dental Problems in Kids

Beyond just flossing and brushing, food and diet choice have a large impact on dental health. Also, beyond dental health, there can be issues with adult and baby teeth coming in and orthodontic problems as well. That’s why parents must understand the common dental problems that they are children may face. The five most common dental problems in kids include:

Dental Tooth Decay

This is the most common dental problem in kids. More than diabetes, asthma, or other ailments, dental decay is the most prevalent. Kids’ teeth are more sensitive than adult teeth, and tooth decay or cavities can rot away teeth without proper flossing and brushing. Studies show that almost half of all babies between the ages of two-five years have at least one tooth decay.

A diet focusing on calcium and fluoride toothpaste goes a long way in protecting your child’s teeth. But the most important thing you can do is schedule additional dental exams every six months. Our Southwest Houston dentist will help detect cavities and signs of tooth decay early and offer treatment as required.

Misaligned Teeth

As your kid loses teeth and the adult starts coming in, there can be many complications. Tooth misalignment can be genetically inherited or caused by an excessive pacifier or thumb-sucking. Misaligned teeth can cause headaches, pain, and jaw problems based on how your kid bites. Tooth extraction or orthodontic treatments might be necessary to solve misalignment problems.

Gum Disease

Gum diseases such as gingivitis are more common in young adults than kids. However, gum disease affects everyone. If you notice that your kid’s gum line is often swollen, red, or bleeding, this is a sign of early gum disease. Visit a children’s dentistry near you for the dentist to address this issue as early as possible.

Sensitive Teeth

Lots of tooth enamel can cause tooth sensitivity. Kids often damage their teeth enamel due to their choice of diet. Sugary foods and sodas wear down the enamel, making the teeth more sensitive to cold and hot temperatures and more likely to decay.

Several dental products help preserve dental enamel, but animals can’t be replaced. That’s why preventive oral health is important to keep your kid’s teeth healthy.

Injury Related Accidents

For children that play soccer, baseball, basketball, or any other sports activity, it’s not uncommon to run into some dental problems due to injury. Broken, loosened, chipped, or knocked out steel can occur due to accidents. Generally, knocked out or loosened teeth are not a big concern if they are baby teeth because adult teeth will come in. But damaged or chipped teeth require emergency dental work.

At what Age should a Child Start Going to a Dentist?

You should take your children to the dentist when they celebrate their first birthday. The first visit helps your kid get used to the dentist’s chair and educates the parents about how to take care of the kid’s teeth. If your kid has transitioned from bottle to cup and doesn’t drink or snack in the middle of the night, you’ll get a one-year pass.

Then, until the age of two years, you’ll start the six months dental visit to the dentist. When your kid is between four to six years your dentist in Mi Casa Dental in Houston, TX, will take the first set of x-rays to check for decades between the teeth.

At the age of 6 to 12 years, when the permanent teeth have come in, your kid’s dentists will suggest a sealant between the ages of seven and nine. This sealant helps prevent the kid’s teeth from cavities and keeps cavity-causing bacteria from getting into the grooves of premolars and molars.

Also, when your kid is around seven years your dentist in children’s dentistry in Braes Timbers, Houston, will suggest an orthodontic evaluation. Most children wait until their teens to get braces, but orthodontics is about modifying job growth. So early identification of skeletal causes of crooked teeth helps ensure a beautiful smile later.