Maintaining Children's Dental Hygiene After a Festival

After the long holiday for Diwali celebrations, it is time for the kids to get back to school. Although as parents you have taken much care to ensure that their teeth don’t suffer the damage from too many sweets, the kids will nevertheless be tempted to indulge in or buy similar stuff.

It is important to keep reminding the kids that milk teeth when not taken care of, can affect the growth of adult teeth. Gum problems and dental caries can cause permanent issues of the mouth, caries that may require medical intervention and also cause lots of absences from school and missed school and studies. Oral hygiene is important to be practiced at all times, and children should be aware of this on a daily basis.

Here is what you as parents can ensure;

• Pack lunchboxes rather than giving money to buy food – Although most parents prepare and pack their kid’s lunchboxes themselves, it does become tempting to give them money to eat outside, or grab readymade sweets and pastries while on the go for their lunch. Although this makes things easy, such foods are also high on sugar and starch. One fallout of this practice, is the expectation from the child that these foods are alright, the implicit approval from parents in indulging in them, and the other, is the damage such foods cause to the mouth and teeth. 

 

• Give water rather than juices or soda – Water is the only liquid that the body requires in plenty. Replacing it with soda and juices loaded with sugar not just harms health, but affects the enamel of the teeth. These liquids are also acidic, causing teeth to rot and discolor. Juices and soda contain chemicals, artificial sweeteners and preservatives that damage gums, and cause other health problems in the long run.

• Provide a potable dental kit for school and travel – Good oral hygiene when started at home, can carry on to school as well as everywhere else the child goes. A potable grooming kit with a small toothbrush and toothpaste can be sent with the child to school in case of particularly long hours, when kids travel, stay overnight with friends or indulge in too much of sugar laden foods.

It is difficult for children to get into a routine, especially after coming out of a festival and the accompanying celebratory mood. By ensuring they follow strict dental hygiene, they become equipped to deal with their teeth both within the home and outside it.

Diwali and Dental Caries - Here's What To Expect

It is time for Diwali, the season of celebration that starts now and lasts till the end of the year. This festival is also all about fun, frolic and most definitely food. It is difficult to imagine celebrations without food, without elaborate mithais prepared for friends and family, ladoos and jalebis enjoyed by the family, and children rushing about with sweets stuffed in their mouth.

As much as this whole scenario conjures up happiness and fun, there is a lot to deal with once the festivities are up, and the most important being BAD TEETH and oral problems.

Sweets and delicacies are unavoidable, and so are the after-effects of gorging on them; bad teeth, bad oral odour, and with children, the first signs of caries and gum trouble. 

As much as we love snacking on food throughout Diwali and thereafter, there are little unwelcome visitors snacking on the food collected in our and the kid’s mouth, that if left untreated or not looked after, can cause a whole host of problems, many of which are already known.

• Plaque and Caries - Sugary foods cause tooth decay. Period. Whether you give your child something mildly sweet or chocolates and desserts loaded with sugar, they will cause harm in the mouth and eventually caries. Another important factor, is the frequency at which they are eaten.

Eating foods of different kinds, almost always causes something to remain in the mouth, debris that gets accumulated between teeth and gums. Bacteria present in the mouth, feed on all these foods. In the case of sweet stuff, these bacteria feed on the carbohydrates in sugar, especially refined sugars in desserts to produce acids, which combine with saliva to form plaque. The plaque deposits itself on the teeth over a period of time, causing erosion of the tooth and caries.

• Bad Odor – Infrequent brushing and rinsing of teeth, causes the accumulated food build-up to cause an additional set of problems. Bad odour from the mouth is one such. Acid build-up in the mouth due to remaining food, tends to cause further damage to the teeth, leading to bad breath. The tongue is also a storage of bacteria and contributes to it.

• Dry Mouth – The more you eat, the more saliva is produced, yet consequently, the more sugars you consume, makes that saliva get used up quickly and causes dry mouth and bad breath. Dry mouth can result in frequent gum irritation, pain, inflammation and difficulty in swallowing.
  

As much as the harm that sweets can do during this time, Diwali is really incomplete without indulging in them. You really can’t stop the children from eating what they like. Here are a few practices to follow during this festive period;

• Brush the children’s teeth twice daily, even more frequently if required. No matter how long the day is, how tired and sleepy they are, never put them to bed without cleaning their mouth and brushing their teeth. This will help them in the long run by also enforcing a good habit.
  
  
  
  

• Avoid kids indulging in frequent snacking, in between meals. This helps reduce food accumulation in the mouth, and also lowers the exposure to sugar. Let them eat whatever they like, but in one sitting at one time.

• Drink juices, milk and other liquids with a straw. Sweetened liquids remain longer on children’s teeth than solids. Using straws will limit their contact with teeth, and also make it easier to get rid of them when brushing.

• Ensure they drink a glass of water after having sweets, or rinse their mouth every time they do. This can loosen up any accumulated food particles and prevent further damage.

• Enjoy sweets and sugary foods during a meal, rather than before or after it. Indulging in juices or snacks throughout the day, is giving bacteria a fertile ground to grow and flourish. But letting children have sweets together with their meals, ensures that the other foods prevent these sugars from sticking to the teeth and remaining in the mouth.

• Reduce rewarding good behavior with a sweet treat. Occasional snacking on sweets is fine, but keeping children busy with such foods for distraction, or as reward for a good job, sends across a wrong message. This not just harms their behavior, but teeth as well.

• Brush, rinse, clean and ensure nothing remains in the mouth. This cannot be emphasized enough. Brushing all areas of the teeth, especially the ones at the back and the molars, cleaning the tongue and flossing the mouth whenever possible, ensures that the festivities don’t leave children with harmful, long-lasting effects.

Children can and must enjoy Diwali, indulge themselves with sweets, but it is left up to us as parents to ensure their teeth and dental health don't take a hit because of this.

Bruxism - Teeth Grinding Isn't Always Harmless

When children are growing, there are several things you need to be aware of, their weight gain, their food intake and the general state of their health. Often parents tend to ignore the mouth, assuming that as long as teeth are brushed and general mouth hygiene is maintained, everything will be alright.

Teeth brushing and observing the regular milestones of milk and permanent teeth aren’t the only things that need to be observed, since there are many other problems that point out to underlying issues in children, which if not treated affect teeth and their physical health, as well as add to the stress as they grow up.

One such condition that many parents tend to overlook, is Teeth Grinding or Bruxism. Although not a symptom, it points to an underlying .

Teeth grinding, teeth gnashing, or the unconscious act of clenching and unclenching teeth is present in most kids, with 2-3 out of 10 children having this problem. Most children grow out of it by the age of 7 years, but many others carry this habit well into adulthood. 

 Although the reasons are unknown, experts have given a few reasons for this condition,

• Stress induced teeth grinding, especially when children aren’t able to cope with a new situation, such as a test at school or meeting new people. An argument with parents or siblings or arrival of a second sibling is also seen as a probable cause
•  Mal-aligned top and bottom teeth which causes irritation and subsequent teeth gnashing
•  Pain anywhere in the face is also a cause, whether earache or appearance of new teeth 
•  Hyperactivity and restlessness
•  Kids with medical conditions ( such as cerebral palsy) or who take certain medication.

 How does one whether your child is grinding their teeth?

Have you heard your child’s jaw moving continuously or regular sounds from their mouth during bedtime? If you hear them grind their teeth while asleep, without being aware of it, and they experience a painful jaw or mouth on waking up or pain when chewing, it indicates they suffer from the condition.

What harm can it cause?

Bruxism as such is a temporary harmless condition, and children most often outgrow it. In those children where this condition persists, symptoms of headache or earaches are often complained. 

What harm can it cause the teeth?

A side effect of bruxism is the harm it can do to the child’s teeth. Nightime grinding, gnashing and clenching the teeth, can wear down tooth enamel, gradually chip off teeth, make the tooth temperature sensitive and also cause lingering jaw and mouth problems and pain.

It is important to take the child to a pediatric dentist, before the condition causes severe irreparable damage to the teeth in the long run. A dentist will examine the child’s teeth for chipped tooth enamel, and any other wear and tear.  In addition questions related to stress or tension will try to be discerned.

All these observations will give the dentist information on whether the cause for bruxism is psychological (stress induced) or structural (misaligned teeth) and treat the child accordingly. 

 Treatment

While the condition is outgrown by most children, some kids who have severe pain and wearing out, are prescribed a mouthguard; a thin protective mouthpiece moulded to the child’s teeth that acts as a barrier between the opposing sets. This can take care of the major problem.

If the cause is emotional or psychological, the underlying cause needs to be found out by talking to the child, understand reasons that are upsetting them, and try and resolve the issue. If it seems more complicated, then their fears will need to be eased by counseling.

Bruxism usually stops when the milk teeth are lost. In few cases the condition might continue well into teenage years. The condition cannot altogether be avoided, because most often, it is a coping mechanism in children, and their natural reaction to growth and development. It can however be avoided by talking to children frequently, letting them open up and ensuring regular visits to the pediatric dentist are carried out for optimal dental health.

Brushing Teeth, a Wonderful Habit To Give Your Children

Brushing your babies' teeth can be quite a stressful ritual. Babies are restless and don't understand why their mothers would want to force open their mouths and insert an object like a brush, that is not just uncomfortable, but oftentimes painful.

As much as parent's may delay this or procrastinate in the hopes of getting children to be more accepting of brushing teeth when they are older, it actually works in the reverse. The older the child gets, the more difficult it is for him/her to make brushing a regular part of their routine. Truth is, the results cannot be observed immediately, and most often children find brushing unnecessary and a chore even when they are older.

Caring for your babies' teeth should begin as soon as they start to appear. Parents are also the best people to lead the way when it comes to teaching kids this important skill.

Teeth are the most vulnerable part of the mouth, do a whole lot of work....masticating, gnashing, biting, chewing, and also have to weather acids from foods that are constantly fed into the mouth. Looking after them must begin when they start to erupt. It's alright if teeth can't be brushed from the start. What matters, is introducing this habit as a part of their daily routine. Start by showing them that brushing is what you do each day, everyday and its the best example you could give.

 In addition to the above,

• Use just a little dab of paste on the finger for babies, and little more than a pea-sized amount for toddlers
• Start with light brushing, and then a little thoroughly, brushing all along the tooth sides and surfaces, twice a day, after waking up and before bedtime.
• Don't turn teeth brushing into a war, pushing and shoving, yelling and fighting which usually happens. Some children take a long while to get used to it. Make this a game, brush yours first and ask them to follow suit, or sing a little rhyme when you do.
• Place your baby in a way that both of you are comfortable. Sit them on your knee and head on your chest and clasp their chin. For older children, stand behind them and tilt their heads upwards.
• Use small circular movements when brushing teeth. This covers all the tooth surfaces, and your child can spit out the paste when they're done. Flouride free toothpastes are better to use when smaller, since kids tend to swallow them otherwise. 

• For babies, it is also important to lightly massage their gums, especially when teething. This can be done after brushing their teeth.
• Teeth brushing is a practiced art which parents need to guide their child on, till they reach an age where they can do it on their own. It has been seen that by age 5-7 years, children are able to do a great job of brushing their teeth.
• The most important aspect of introducing brushing and helping the child take care of their teeth, is the involvement of a pediatric dentist in the entire process. A dentist is not just required to fix things after the teeth are gone bad/caried, but must be a part of the process from the beginning. A regular teeth checkup will ensure that any irregularities, caries, congenital and developmental disorders of the teeth and mouth are looked into at the earliest and treated. This must ideally begin around the age of one year.

This video, explains the act of brushing teeth, and can be shown to your child to make them understand better.

Teeth brushing is as important as eating food, and teeth disorders are linked to various other health and body disorders which can strike later in life. A healthy and regular brushing schedule when started young, will lay the foundation for strong teeth that will last your children for the rest of their life.

TONGUE TIE And How It Affects Children's Teeth

Teeth and their well-being is what many of strive to give our kids from a very young age. While we follow general oral hygiene and practice the necessary steps that are required for general oral care, not all of us are aware of the many congenital and developmental problems that affect the mouth, and in turn the growth and care of teeth.

TONGUE TIE is one such congenital oral condition that is often overlooked or misunderstood. Also called ‘Ankyloglossia’ or ‘anchored tongue’, it is observed very often by parents at a very late stage, once the child has started talking or eating and this condition is hampering normal oral functions.

Ranging from a mild form to a severe state, tongue tie is seen at birth and causes many different difficulties that affect kids in myriad different ways. This condition is caused by the structural abnormality of the lingual frenum. The frenum is the cord that extends from under the tongue to the mouth floor. When this lingua frenum is short or restricts tongue movements, this is the condition that results. 

Normally the frenum is elastic and does not interfere with eating, sucking, clearing food duing swallowing or speech. But if it is short, thick or broad, it can attach the tongue to the mouth floor causing problems with speech, eating and even tooth growth.

While mild tongue tie sometimes goes unnoticed and does not affect the day to day life of the child, severe tongue tie can cause lifelong debilitating effects.

Untreated tongue tie can have wide ranging effects, affecting the structure and appearance of face and teeth, and also interfering with oral function. Breastfeeding, eating, swallowing, digestion, teeth and speech can be affected when they are little, and kissing and social skills are affected further into adulthood.

Infants and Babies face the below challenges that include;

• ·         Impact on the milk supply
• ·         Stoppage of breastfeeding
• ·         Loss of weight
• ·         Sleep deprivation
• ·         Chewing and swallowing especially intake of solids being affected

As babies grow, the problems only persist and gradually increase

• ·         Inability to chew age-appropriate foods
• ·         Gagging, vomiting of foods
• ·         Dribbling of saliva and delayed speech development
• ·         Loss of self-confidence

 Oral hygiene and Dental Health -

Besides these obvious problems, the main impact of tongue tie is in the growth and development of teeth in children. If the frenulum is attached very high on the gum line, it can pull down the gums from the central incisors. The tongue tie can also cause the tongue to become misshapen which can cause teeth to grow haphazardly or at an angle. 

The reduced tongue mobility and habitual wrong tongue posture that results from tongue tie is accompanied by messy eating habits, resulting in food debris remaining in the mouth and teeth, and causing caries. Salivary profusion caused due to the inability to swallow manifests itself in different ways. Younger child dribble profusely, while older kids adapt, either by slurping frequently, keeping the mouth small during speech, or reducing speech altogether. They also face an involuntary and embarrassing dribble of saliva.

Treatment

 

   

Tongue tie is a barely recognized but serious problem, because of the way it generally goes unnoticed, yet can cause potentially serious and life long damage to teeth and the oral cavity. It can be manifested in a variety of ways, and a pediatrician or pediatric dentist will be able to identify this cause if they notice any significant increased salivation, dribbling of saliva, mouth odour or damage/caries to teeth.  
 

Parents who find the child having difficulties, should then go in for treatment if there has been any malocclusions caused by tongue pressure on the front or side teeth. Since the tongue has a limited range of movements, there are many resultant effects which include:

• Poor swallowing and a resultant risk of anterior open bite
• Mouth breathing and allergies/issues due to this
• Permanently open mouthed posture due to continued imbalance in skeletal structure
• Restriction in the development of the dental arch and facial bones

Minor surgery is required to correct this condition when diagnosed at an earlier stage. If there are significant and serious oral and articulating issues, the child will need additional speech therapy and preventive measures for treating caries and other teeth issues.