Have you been wondering whether to bring your little one to a children's dentistry expert instead of seeing your family dentist? Well, paediatric dentists are the best specialists you can rely on to deal with any dental problems your child may have.
They are trained to provide comprehensive care to young kids and adolescents and know how to handle kids better. So when should your child visit a paediatric dentist? Keep reading to know some problems they can handle.
Tooth extraction entails removing a tooth that's not required in your child's dental system. This can be done when a tooth decays, is diseased, or if teeth are crowded. Once a tooth is extracted, the dentist installs a space maintainer where the tooth was extracted to allow the permanent one to grow in properly.
Misaligned teeth or malocclusion
If your child's lower and upper jaws don't meet when the jaws close, they suffer from a condition known as malocclusion. This problem causes speaking and eating difficulties. For instance, your child may feel pain whenever they try to bite or chew food or have injuries in the mouth, tongue and gums.
Fortunately, you can rely on a children's dentistry expert to address this problem so your child can have aligned teeth. The experts usually use special braces to align the teeth.
Another problem a child may suffer from is dental erosion. This is the irreversible loss of the tooth enamel, and it's usually caused by extreme exposure to acidic foods and liquids. Baby teeth are more prone to dental erosion than permanent teeth because the enamel is thin and less mineralised.
Depending on the condition, the paediatric dentist may recommend some diet, behaviour or lifestyle changes. If the condition worsens, then fillings will be needed. This restorative treatment is minimally invasive, so your child can handle it.
Gingivitis is another dental condition common in kids and is characterised by inflammation in gingival tissues. The condition is serious, but it doesn't affect children who still have baby teeth as much as those with permanent teeth. This can be attributed to the fact that kids rarely have plaque build-up.
If your child has gingivitis, then you should consider seeing a paediatric dentist right away for a check-up. In most cases, the condition won't cause bone loss in kids, but the expert will still offer dental care treatment if it's needed. Brushing and flossing tips will also be shared to boost oral health after treatment.