There are some health issues that seem regular to parents, but they sometimes turn out to be a much more serious problem than they thought them to be initially. If you notice any of the signs and symptoms mentioned next, don’t take that risk with your child’s oral health and consult your family dentist for advice immediately.
Repeated Complaints of Toothache
Many parents make the mistake of considering children’s toothache to be normal. However, this is a mistake because repeated complaints of toothache are not normal, and unwitting parents generally wait longer than they should, which allows the issue to become much more serious than it should have been had they taken their child to a dentist earlier.
A few of the reasons why children experience toothaches that gradually increase in both frequency and intensity are as follows:
- The most common reason is tooth decay, particularly so, if the pain lasts longer than a day
- An abscess is an advanced case of tooth decay, marked by throbbing pain and a sac (abscess) of pus at the root
- Gum boils below the gumline would signify an advanced dental abscess which has now entered the jawbone
- Characterised by heat and cold sensitivity, cracked enamels can be either visible or invisible, depending on the crack’s size
- Gingivitis is commonly called gum disease, which starts with red, tender and painful gums which sometimes bleed
- The most benign reason is, of course, a piece of bone or any other hard food stuck in between the child’s teeth
Dentists advise waiting for no longer than 24-36 hours if your child complains about toothache repeatedly. You should therefore have an emergency dentist on standby in your local area. One such clinic that offers this is Solutions Dental Clinic, based in the city of Winchester. They provide a 24-hour emergency service to all patients in the event that a crisis arises. Being family dentists that also specialise in cosmetic dental procedures, parents will also be able to opt for the dental services that they need from the same local, family dentistry clinic.
Delayed Adult Teeth
All normal human beings develop two sets of teeth in their lifetime; the baby teeth and adult teeth. The permanent, adult teeth begin to make their way out of the gums at roughly the same time that the baby teeth slowly begin to fall away. By the time a child is 12-14 years old, they should not have any more baby teeth left.
The process should start with loose, shaky, and falling teeth by the time a child reaches anywhere in between six to seven years, but it continues well into their early twenties for most young adults. Unfortunately for a lot of parents and their children around the world, this natural phenomenon doesn’t happen as smoothly for everybody as it should on paper.
Common issues faced on account of what is known medically as impacted teeth include the following:
- One or more adult teeth are unable to push through and replace the baby teeth, causing pain to the child
- Both the permanent tooth and the baby tooth exists side by side, which might disrupt the entire row’s balance
- In extreme cases of the above condition, it may lead to loss of aesthetic balance in one’s teeth symmetry permanently, the fixing of which will require cosmetic dental surgery
- At times, the adult tooth might finally win the battle, but come out misshapen and crooked as a result of the long struggle
- An ingrown adult tooth can lead to bad breath, swollen and bleeding gums, painful chewing and talking
If you notice any of the symptoms discussed here, or your child complains about them, make an appointment at the dentist as soon as possible. One or more X-rays will be necessary to first determine what position the two types of struggling teeth are in, and how the adult teeth are growing out. After seeing the X-ray reports, your dentist will then tell you about the options available to you, as deemed appropriate by them. At an early stage, the dentist will possibly just remove the obstinate preliminary teeth, providing the adult teeth enough space to come out properly.
Relationship Between the Fear of Dentists and Trypanophobia in Children
Children are very rarely fond of going to the dentist, as they learn to associate such visits with pain and fear. In a lot of cases, fear of needles, or trypanophobia, is the core fear behind it all. A local dentist advises parents to try this solution to needle phobia and see if it works on improving your child’s attitude towards not just dentists, but other medical professionals as well. This could prove to be a huge timesaver and make it less stressful for the children if you can eliminate the crying fits which children often throw while going to the dentist or sitting down for a procedure.
While phobias are not to be handled carelessly either, hidden dental health issues can be far more dangerous. If you notice any of the signs we just discussed, do not hesitate to take your child to the dentist without too much delay, disregarding any phobias for the time being, but being gentle about it.
