Tooth decay in infants and Toddlers...Early Childhood Caries [pediatric oral health]
Hello Steemers!!!
How do you feel about the Tooth decay in Your Children? Do you believe they are temporary, so not important and it is okay if they are lost early? Well, think again coz these temporary teeth will determine how your permanent teeth are going to be! So you better think twice while looking at the early decay of your child.
What is Early Childhood Caries (ECC)?
It is the tooth decay that occur in the infants and toddlers due to the intake of sticky and sugary foods or liquids without proper cleaning of the teeth. The liquids like milk or juice stick to the teeth and if present for longer time, the microbial flora of mouth flourishs causing production of harmful acids which cause decay to the tooth. It is also known as MILK/NURSING BOTTLE CARIES/SYNDROME.
The infants with pacifiers kept in the mouth during sleep are at greater risk of decay due to decrease of Saliva (protective agent) in the mouth.
The milk bottle caries mostly affect the upper teeth. They first may appear as a white chalky spot on the tooth which if left untreated progresses into brown-black advanced lesion. If this condition is still left untreated it may develop into a syndrome where a child has lost all his teeth and is dentally crippled.
Losing baby teeth early is a matter of convern as these are gonna affect the adult teeth. If the baby tooth are lost early or decayed by the caries, the adult tooth may be crooked, damaged, or even altogether absent. This can even lead to development of some harmful habits and speech problems.
Causes
- Pacifiers with additional sweetners
- Milk feeding or any other juices without cleaning teeth afterwards.
- Chocolates or other sweets
- Malnutrition
- Less sleep
- Parent negligence
Prevalence
Early Childhood Caries can be (based of extent of involvement):
- Mild
- Moderate
- Severe
Management
- Proper Consultation from a dentist.
- Restoration of the Carious teeth.
- Flouride Treatment.
- Space maintainers for extracted teeth.
- Parent Counselling
- Diet Restrictions.
Cross section of baby tooth with early childhood caries
Prevention
- Parent Education
- Restrict Pacifiers and Honey dipped pacifiers during sleep.
- Cleaning of Teeth after milk feeding with cotton pellets.
- Brushing with flouride free pastes. Once all teeth have erupted Flossing on alternate days should be done
- Flouride Programs
- Pit and Fissure Sealant application by the dentist.
- Massaging of the Gums where teeth are yet to come.
- Change the habit of giving sweet formula or juices in the bottle by diluting it with water over time.
- Consulting your dentist just on or before the First Birthday and making it a routine every 6months or yearly.
Caution! Healthy Baby Teeth leads to the Healthy Permanent Teeth.
This will be all for now...
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I have a cousin who had a mouth full of cavities by the time she was only 3. Sadly, she ate lots of sweets and her mother paid less attention to regular brushing and dental hygiene. I made sure to be more particular about dental hygiene and care with my son. He is going to turn 4 in a couple of months and has a good habit of brushing his teeth daily. Going to introduce flossing soon too. Do you think 4 is a good age for flossing or should I wait a little more? He is a stubborn guy so I like to take things slow with him.
you should introduce flossing the time maximum teeth have come in the mouth. If he is 4 he must be having all milk teeth. Introduce flossing in the evening after dinner, but flossing should be done by an adult as it little tricky for a child to do proper flossing. Glad to see a responsible mother concerned about the oral health of his child. It is just the beginning and i do hope he is gonna be having amazing smile.
P.S. Do have a visit to a dentist even if it seems he doesn't require one. This will enable to overcome the "dentist fear" which everybody is having i suppose at an early level and it is going to help him. Moreover the dentist will point out the specific precautions if any for the betterment of the coming permanent teeth...Surely The Prevention starts at early time.
I have a son not a daughter :P That was my cousin I mentioned earlier; she is a girl. Btw thank you for the help. I'm planning to go for a regular dental check-up soon. Looking forward for more great blogs by you :)
My bad...oops...updated it now...
Hahaha no worries :)
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