5 Oral Health Issues Kids Can Develop

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Kids are vulnerable to all kinds of things, but one of the health areas that is rarely talked about is oral health. Oral health is an essential part of health as a child, as some of the practices that you need to keep your mouth in the best possible condition start when you are a child. In this article, we’re going to be talking about some of the oral health issues that kids can develop and what you can do about them. Keep reading if you would like to find out more.

Toothache

The first thing that we’re going to look at is a toothache. Now, it’s true to say that anyone of any age can experience toothache, and it’s not pleasant. The first time you get a toothache it can be somewhat of a shock, but in kids, it’s much harder to manage as they don’t understand why their tooth is hurting. Sometimes there is an underlying cause for this pain, and other times it’s just random and something that we have to put up with.

If your child is experiencing a toothache, then you could try over-the-counter pain relief or ask them to brush their teeth as sometimes this helps. If the problem persists, that’s when you’re going to need to book an appointment with the dentist to see if there is anything that you need to know about.

Crooked Teeth

Crooked teeth are common in young children which is why you see so many of them walking around with braces. These are there to help straighten the teeth, but you might be wondering why this is done in children who are so young. The reason for this is that crooked teeth can hinder the ability of other teeth to grow as they can block their path. It might not seem like a huge problem, but when you consider that these are the adult teeth coming through and the ones that they will have for the rest of their life, it gets a little more understandable.

If you have noticed that your kid’s teeth are growing crooked, you should book an appointment with the orthodontist as soon as you can. They will give you all of the information that you need, helping their teeth to grow straight and healthy once more.

Plaque

Plaque is a sticky film-like substance of bacteria that forms on teeth quite a lot of the time. If you’re not brushing your teeth regularly, then this plaque doesn’t get brushed away and can cause damage if left there. We know that kids aren’t always the best when it comes to brushing their teeth and doing some of the other oral health recommendations like flossing, but it’s important that you get this plaque off their teeth.

The bacteria will produce an acid after you have eaten or drank anything, which can wear away the enamel of the tooth. This causes permanent and sometimes irreparable damage to the tooth as a whole. The good news is that there are specific types of toothpaste that are good at removing this, so if you’ve noticed plaque building on your kids teeth, it’s time to get rid of it.

Oral Cancer

It’s never nice to think about anyone getting cancer, especially children, but it can happen. When you think of oral cancer you probably think of people who smoke a ridiculous amount per day and generally don’t look after their oral health, but this is not always the case. Sometimes this happens because of a genetic condition that the child has, and other times there are many contributing factors. While the risk is pretty low, it can happen and is something that you need to keep an eye on. Encouraging good oral hygiene is important.

Bad Breath

The final thing that we’re going to be looking at is bad breath. This can be caused by a number of things such as eating certain foods, not brushing your teeth so little bits of food get left behind stuck between them and so on. Tonsil stones are also a cause of bad breath, which can be somewhat of a pain to remove. If no matter what you try you can’t get rid of bad breath in a child, you should be looking at booking a dentist appointment just to be on the safe side.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the oral health issues that kids can develop over their childhood. It might not seem like it’s a big deal to prevent these problems now, but we promise you that it is, and you’ll find that out when your kids get upset if they have one of these issues. Be proactive! We wish you the very best of luck, and hope that you manage to avoid some of these as much as possible.

*This article is based on personal suggestions and/or experiences and is for informational purposes only. This should not be used as professional advice. Please consult a professional where applicable.