Dental caries and cavities:
The survey conducted by the National Dental Disease Prevention and Control Group shows that the caries rate in children is as high as 59.19%。
Deciduous teeth have thin hard tissue, low degree of calcification, and poor acid resistance, making them highly susceptible to dental caries under the influence of oral caries factors. Moreover, the sensitivity of dental pulp nerves in deciduous teeth is not as good as in permanent teeth, and it often develops into pulpitis before being discovered. Sugar and carbohydrates are a major cause of dental caries, and children enjoy sweet foods. To protect their teeth, parents should control their children's sweet food intake and cultivate the habit of rinsing their mouths after meals and brushing their teeth before bedtime.
periodontal disease：
In recent years, periodontal disease has been developing at a younger age, with three - and four year old children also suffering from periodontitis. This is mainly due to parents' lack of oral hygiene knowledge and their lack of awareness of the importance of preventing dental disease in children, resulting in a lack of attention to oral hygiene in children. Children do not have the consciousness to brush their teeth, and some children do not brush their teeth or do not know how to brush their teeth. Parental education and supervision are very important
Q：What are the main causes of dental caries?
A： Sugar and carbohydrates are a major cause of dental caries, so it is important to control the intake of sweet foods and rinse your mouth promptly after eating.
Q：Why do four year old children also suffer from periodontitis?
A： In recent years, periodontal disease has been developing at a younger age due to a lack of oral hygiene knowledge among parents, who are not aware of the importance of preventing dental diseases in children. Some children do not brush their teeth or do not know how to brush their teeth. Children generally lack the awareness to brush their teeth, and the most important thing is the education and supervision from their parents。
Q： Some parents believe that not brushing their teeth is not harmful to young children, and even if all their baby teeth are rotten, they will soon replace them with new teeth. Is this idea correct?
A： This idea is incorrect. Children with broken baby teeth have reduced chewing ability, and their jawbones do not receive stimulation to develop and become smaller, resulting in uneven tooth growth. Irregular dentition brings great difficulty to oral hygiene, and even if children pay attention to brushing their teeth as they grow up, it is not easy to clean them thoroughly.
Q： How do parents protect their children's teeth?
A： 1、 The importance of parental supervision. The oral health at a young age will depend entirely on the oral knowledge and careful care provided by parents. Before the birth of a child, a mineral rich diet for the mother can help promote the development of the fetus's teeth and gums; After the child's teeth sprout, gently wipe the surface of the teeth with a cotton swab and clean the gaps between the teeth with dental floss; After the teeth are fully extracted, parents should teach their children how to brush their teeth with a small toothbrush and help them develop good habits from an early age.
When brushing teeth, use a health toothbrush. The characteristics of a health toothbrush are that the brush head is small, the bristles are soft, the tips of the bristles are rounded, and the handle length is appropriate.
Everyone should have their own health toothbrush. Adults have adult toothbrushes, children have children's toothbrushes.
Change your toothbrush every three months.
II Develop good habits
1. Develop good eating habits from a young age, not picky eaters, eat more fruits and vegetables, and eat less candy and snacks.
2. Do not eat before going to bed.
2. It is best for mothers to take their children to a dentist every six months for dental checkups.
3. Rinse your mouth after meals and brush your teeth in the morning and evening. The correct way to brush teeth is to brush along the gaps between the teeth. When brushing the upper teeth, brush from top to bottom, and when brushing the lower teeth, brush from bottom to top. When brushing the chewing surface, brush back and forth, both inside and outside.
Baby's baby teeth
Deciduous teeth begin to grow in six week old embryos, and by four months of fetal age, they begin to calcify.
When a baby is around six months old, their first tooth will begin to grow, but the growth of their teeth may be earlier or later. As long as there is normal development, parents do not need to worry.
The first baby tooth that grows out is usually the mandibular incisor, followed by the maxillary incisor and mandibular lateral incisor. And the larger teeth will not grow out until six to ten months later. At around two and a half years old, the baby has about twenty baby teeth growing. Individual differences in speed within six months from normal are also considered normal.
Dental caries in deciduous teeth
Foreign scholars have conducted extensive investigations and found that the simultaneous occurrence of dental caries in the maxillary anterior teeth of young children is related to their use of milk bottles, known as "bottle caries". Some parents develop the habit of letting their children sleep with a pacifier in their mouth, allowing them to suck on a fake pacifier. This reduces the flow of saliva between the upper lip and the upper lip, weakens the cleaning effect on the teeth, and can easily cause dental caries.
To prevent bottle caries, encourage children to drink some water after eating. Once bottle caries are detected, they should seek medical treatment promptly.
Protecting Six Year Old Teeth
Children around 5-6 years old have one permanent tooth growing behind their primary molars, in the upper, lower, left, and right directions, which is the first permanent molar, also known as the sixth molar.
Six year old teeth are the earliest permanent teeth to emerge in the oral cavity, and their position is very important in determining the horizontal alignment and vertical biting relationship of teeth. However, they are also prone to dental caries. Because most people tend to overlook the new teeth growing behind their primary molars, and these areas are difficult to clean and prone to tooth decay.
The commonly used method for early prevention and treatment of dental caries at the age of six is pit and fissure sealing. It is to clean the grooves, gaps, and easily carious parts on the surface of teeth, and then seal them with polymer synthetic resin to prevent the occurrence of dental caries. In addition, maintaining good oral hygiene and regular check ups are also very important.
to permanent teeth
The arrival of the tooth replacement period symbolizes that the child has entered another stage of growth, and as a parent, you must be full of anticipation. But have you and your child ever had any doubts about the various issues related to tooth replacement?
Q： What is tooth replacement
A： When a child enters the period of tooth replacement, baby teeth will become loose due to the contraction of the tooth roots, and will gradually fall off in an orderly manner. Inherited permanent teeth will gradually grow out in the vacant spaces. The tooth replacement period starts at around the age of six and ends at the ages of twelve or three.
Q：Will changing teeth hinder the alignment of permanent teeth?
A: The volume of deciduous teeth is small, and the permanent teeth during tooth replacement will cause the root of deciduous teeth to contract and loosen, so deciduous teeth cannot hinder the arrangement of permanent teeth. But if baby teeth fall off after overeating, it can affect the arrangement of permanent teeth and even lead to abnormal biting. Therefore, it is necessary to undergo regular oral examinations during the tooth replacement period to ensure the normal eruption of permanent teeth.
Q: When is the most appropriate time to correct a child's uneven teeth?
A： Only after all the deciduous teeth have been replaced with permanent teeth and the jawbone has roughly developed and stabilized can we determine whether there is any misalignment of teeth and whether correction is needed.
There are many unexpected situations during the tooth replacement period, so regular dental checkups are important for dentists to observe and follow up on the child's tooth replacement situation and provide appropriate advice.
Groove sealing - effective prevention of dental caries in children
Clinical evidence shows that the caries rate is highest after the first year of tooth eruption. Generally, pit and fissure sealants should be performed for sixth instar tooth eruption (5-7 years old) and premolar eruption (11-14 years old). If a fissure needs to be sealed, it is even more important to promptly seal the fissure. The sealing effect can last for more than seven years
Dental trauma
Accidentally skateboarding, falling while walking, and even eating with excessive force can easily cause dental trauma. The manifestations of dental trauma vary depending on the magnitude, direction, and method of external force. The lightest symptom is tooth vibration, with no looseness, displacement, or breakage of the teeth, and only symptoms such as percussion pain and weak bite force. The most serious cases include tooth fracture, tooth loss combined with jaw bone fracture, and traumatic brain injury.
◆ Children aged 8-9 have the highest incidence of dental trauma
◆ Regardless of the type of permanent tooth trauma, there is a common premise: to preserve the original tooth as much as possible. Once dental trauma occurs, seek medical attention as soon as possible. If teeth fall out, soak them in saline solution, followed by milk and water, to keep them moist and increase the success rate of replantation. And check if the dental nerves and blood vessels are damaged to avoid lifelong regrets. The shorter the time it takes for teeth to leave the body, the greater the likelihood of successfully implanting them back into the alveolar bone.
What should I do if my child's teeth are injured?
There are only two sets of teeth in a person's life, namely baby teeth and permanent teeth. Children aged 8-9 have just had their front teeth replaced, and if the replaced front teeth are damaged, broken, or fall off, they will not grow new teeth. Therefore, it is necessary to promptly deal with a child's tooth injury to avoid leaving them with lifelong regrets.
*What should I do if my teeth fall out?
Don't panic, immediately look for the missing teeth, pinch the crown area and rinse it clean, but don't use a brush to scrape the root of the teeth. Wrap the teeth with a clean damp cloth or soak them in cold water, and seek medical treatment as soon as possible. The shorter the time it takes for the teeth to leave the body, the greater the possibility of successful re implantation.
*What should I do if my dental crown is broken？
Most children's dental injuries are caused by broken dental crowns. After the eruption of teeth, the shape and size of the dental crown are basically fixed. Once defects or fractures occur, they will not heal automatically like injured skin, and must be repaired by a doctor to restore their original shape. At the same time, it is necessary to check whether the nerves and blood vessels inside the teeth are damaged and whether they have received treatment. Therefore, no matter how big the tooth is broken due to collision, it should be promptly treated by a doctor.
*What should I do if my teeth are loose?
Partial extraction or breakage of injured teeth can cause significant looseness. Timely medical attention is necessary to preserve or treat loose teeth. Most partially extracted teeth can be preserved after 2-3 weeks of fixation, and different treatment methods should be adopted based on the different parts of the broken root.
*Regular follow-up is the key to successful treatment of traumatic teeth
The root of upper incisors in children can only truly develop and be completed by the age of 11-12. Although the pulp is preserved during treatment, external collisions and bacterial contamination of children's teeth can cause pulp necrosis, and even lead to inflammation of the surrounding tissues and systemic symptoms such as pain, swelling, and fever. Therefore, after emergency treatment, regular follow-up examinations should be carried out according to medical advice to observe the development of the tooth root and the vitality of the dental pulp. Once problems arise, targeted treatment should be given in a timely manner. After the completion of tooth root development, cosmetic repair of the dental crown should be completed.
* The process of treating dental trauma is complex and tedious. If not treated in a timely or appropriate manner, it is possible to lose the injured teeth. Children should pay attention to self-protection in daily life games:
It is best to wear non slip travel shoes with rubber soles; When participating in sports activities and games, it is important to be familiar with the site conditions and avoid blind collisions and running; Do not throw dangerous goods at each other; When engaging in high-speed and high-risk activities such as skateboarding and roller skating, protective gear such as helmets and braces can be worn to minimize the risk of tooth injuries and avoid dental trauma.
Don't lose the teeth that were knocked off
Dental injuries are divided into three categories: dental contusions, dental dislocations, and dental fractures.
Dental contusion refers to blunt damage to teeth caused by external forces, mainly affecting the periodontal ligament and pulp. It can be caused by teeth being hit, collided, or accidentally biting on sand, gravel, broken bones, etc. while eating. The patient feels that their teeth are elongated and loose due to tooth damage, and experiences bite pain. Mild cases do not require any medical treatment, while severe cases may require a doctor to adjust teeth and perform simple ligation and fixation.
Tooth dislocation is caused by a significant external impact, resulting in tooth dislocation. It can be divided into two categories: partial dislocation and complete dislocation. Partial dislocation can also include tooth displacement, subluxation, and deep embedding. If there is partial dislocation, the teeth should be fully reduced first, and then fixed for 2-3 weeks. If the teeth are completely detached but not for a long time, the dislocated teeth can be replanted and then fixed with dental arch clamps.
Tooth breakage, also known as tooth fracture. For cases where the crown fracture is small and the pulp is not exposed, desensitization treatment can be performed by grinding off the sharp edges, repairing the tooth body, and restoring the shape of the crown. Severe cases can be treated with root canal therapy to preserve teeth as much as possible.
Fluoride toothpaste can be used up to 1 centimeter per time
The prevention of dental caries with fluoride toothpaste has long been deeply rooted in people's minds, but improper use of fluoride toothpaste may lead to fluorosis.
Is fluoride toothpaste beneficial and harmless to the human body? The boundary between the anti caries effect of fluoride and its toxicity is very small. Excessive intake of fluoride can cause spots on teeth, known as fluorosis, and most patients are children. This is because children have incomplete swallowing control and are more likely to accidentally ingest fluoride toothpaste while brushing their teeth, resulting in increased fluoride intake.
Children should use less fluoride toothpaste
Due to the lack of usage instructions, target audience, and dosage for toothpaste, it has resulted in adults and children sharing the same toothpaste, and there is a phenomenon of filling toothbrushes with toothpaste as demonstrated in TV commercials. Experts remind consumers that it is best not to exceed 1 centimeter each time when using fluoride toothpaste, and children are advised not to use fluoride toothpaste or to use it with caution under the guidance of parents.
