4 Dental Issues to Be Aware of and the Importance of Pediatric Dentistry in Battle Creek

There is nothing a parent wants more than good health and happiness for their children. However, some parents are unaware of the dental problems that babies, toddlers, and children can experience. These dental problems can negatively impact your children in a number of ways – both physically and emotionally. In this post, the premier provider of pediatric dentistry in Battle Creek, Houghtaling Dental, looks at four children’s dental issues you should be aware of.

Tooth decay caused by overuse of baby bottles.

The sugars that are present in the milk, juice, and formula your baby drinks in their bottle feed bacteria in their mouths and produce acid that causes cavities and tooth decay. To help prevent this from happening, you should limit allowing your baby to go to sleep with their bottle in their mouth or near them where they could begin drinking it while falling back to sleep.

Prolonged thumb sucking.

It’s a good idea to try and prevent your child from sucking their thumb past the age of five in order to prevent the misalignment of their teeth, overbite, and improper development of their palate and upper and lower jaw.

Thrusting of the tongue.

Tongue thrusting refers to the action of pressing one’s tongue against the back die of the front teeth. This can cause the front teeth to be pushed forward affecting speech and causing permanent teeth to not grow properly.

Premature loss of teeth.

If your child loses their baby teeth too early, it may cause permanent teeth to come in incorrectly leading to overcrowded impacted permanent teeth, jaw issues, or problems with chewing. When a baby tooth is lost early or needs to be removed, it’s usually a good idea to use an appliance that holds the space until the permanent tooth is ready to erupt.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s teeth, it’s very important to consult your pediatric dentist. The importance of pediatric dentistry and ensuring the good health of your child’s teeth and mouth cannot be overstated. In fact, even if there are no issues, we recommend your child begin seeing a dentist at twelve months. If have any questions, or would like to schedule an appointment, do not hesitate to contact us today!