Deciduous teeth are the first teeth that appear in a child’s mouth and are commonly referred to as “baby teeth” or “milk teeth”.

Children can face various dental problems during their development years. Some of them include:

Dental Trauma
Children are more susceptible to falls and injury due to their curiosity and lack of motor coordination. Falls and injury can lead to dental trauma to the baby teeth. Dental trauma refers to an injury to the teeth and the supporting structures as a result of a fall, automobile accident or any other blow to the face.

Baby Bottle Caries
Baby bottle caries is the presence of severe caries (cavities) in infants or young children. It is a very common bacterial infection. It is also known as “early childhood caries “, or “nursing caries”.

Teething Problems
Teething is a normal process of teeth erupting through the gums in infants. As the tooth penetrates the gums, the area appears red and swollen. This condition makes the baby irritable and the baby attempts to bite down on a hard object in order to relieve pain.

Treatment of these conditions will depend on the type of problem. Dental trauma is treated based on which part of the tooth has undergone trauma. Treatment for baby bottle caries will vary depending on which stage of caries is present. Teething problems can be solved by offering your child teething rings or healthy food like apples or raw carrots to chew on.

Minor oral surgical procedures generally undertaken in children are:

Frenectomy
This is a procedure which involves the removal of the tissue fold that connects the lips or tongue to the jawbone. Sometimes the frenulum is attached too high on the gums, causing space between the two upper front teeth. Or the frenulum is attached too close to the tip of the tongue. In either case, a frenectomy is performed surgically to prevent interference in mouth development.

Treatment of Infections
Dental infections such as acute dental abscess, chronic dental abscess and chronic apical periodontitis may require minor oral surgery. Your oral surgeon makes an incision over the infected tissue and drains the pus.

Some of the important tips you should follow to keep your child’s teeth in good health include:

• Follow a regular tooth cleaning routine for your child to maintain good dental health.
• Use fluoride toothpaste to brush your baby’s teeth as soon as the first tooth erupts.
• Make sure your child brushes the teeth properly.
• Start taking your child to a dentist for a routine visit when they are about 2 years old.
• Enquire about having fissure sealants or fluoride varnish for your child’s teeth to prevent tooth decay.

Most children have some adult teeth by the time they are 7 years old. Hence, various dental bodies and associations recommend evaluation of children’s teeth by an orthodontist during this age. Early diagnosis and treatment of orthodontic problems can help in reducing dental complications faced later in life.

Early orthodontic examination may be required if your child faces the following problems:

• Biting or chewing problems
• Breathing through mouth
• Thumb or finger sucking
• Blocked, misplaced or crowded teeth
• Generation of sound while opening or closing jaws
• Disproportionately placed teeth and jaws
• Late or early baby teeth loss

If orthodontic related problems are detected in the preteens, early orthodontic treatment can effectively simplify and resolve these issues in a short period of time. Treatment strategies include:

• Guiding permanent tooth eruption into correct position
• Guiding growth of jaw and width of dental arches
• Correcting bad dental habits such as thumb or finger sucking
• Solving speech problems or pronunciations
• Reducing trauma risk to the protruded front teeth
• Improving personal appearance and smile

Your orthodontist may examine the oral cavity, order X-rays for detailed evaluation and recommend treatment based on the particular problem. Treatment options include:

• Braces for correcting crooked teeth, bad bite or misalignment
• Space maintainers to keep the space of a missing tooth open for easy positioning of erupting adult teeth
• Expanders to widen jaws