"Primary teeth are going to fall off :ATTENTION: Primary teeth need special care and treatments"

 Many people used to have a belief that primary teeth are going to fall off, so they don’t need any specific care or cure. Nowadays parents have become aware about their kids' overall development and overall health. As we all know, health is wealth. Let us understand few facts.

-Primary teeth are important for aesthetics, chewing, natural space maintenance and speech.

-If Primary teeth are affected by cavity they may have a hole in the tooth. Food lodgment in that site may produce bad smell and discomfort.

-If decay penetrates deep that may cause injury to blood supplying portion of the tooth and can lead to pain and swelling.

-Any infection in primary tooth can lead to transmission of infection to the tooth coming from beneath which is a permanent tooth (permanent enamel damage).

-Any cavity is a food lodgment site, so you have to be careful as saliva is a good transport media to carry damaging bacteria from one tooth to other present in the mouth. Even a smallest filling in time is valuable.

I would advice to follow few golden rules to stay orally healthy:

-Brush twice a day, once in morning, once at night,

-Gargle after each meal.

-Avoid frequent snacking throughout the day.

-Consumption of sticky food should be avoided as much as possible.

-Visit a pediatric dentist at least once in six months or whenever you feel a slightest alteration in your baby’s tooth.

-Do not rely on generalized information given on internet. Kindly confirm any remedy with the dentist before implementing.

Dr. Meet R. Ramatri, M.D.S.

BAD SMELL IN CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS!

HALITOSIS IN KIDS

Halitosis is the medical term for bad smell from mouth. Halitosis can affect child's social life too. Halitosis can be present in any age.

CAUSES

·         Poor oral hygiene.

·         Lodgment and retention of food can cause halitosis.

·         Dental infection (pus discharge from gums)

·         Gingival diseases like gingivitis, pyorrhea etc.

·         Certain foods like garlic, onion, tea-coffee etc.

·         Lung infection or cough/ cold.

·         Xerostomia (decreased or absent salivation)

·         Liver or kidney disease may cause a different smell.

·         Poor oral hygiene in special children.

SYMPTOMS

·         Calculus or stains on teeth.

·         Soft deposits on tongue.

·         Decreased salivation (side effect of drug).

·         Dental caries or dental infection.

·         Gingival diseases.

TREATMENT

After proper clinical examination by the dentist, treatment plan is decided. Treatments may vary from simple tooth brushing, Gum massaging, professional cleaning and polishing as well as periodontal surgeries in rare cases.

·         Proper brushing and flossing

·         Scaling and polishing.

·         Deep cleaning or periodontal flap surgery for sub gingival deposits(for teenagers).

·         Gargles with mouthwash and warm salt water.

·         Gum massaging with medicated gels.

·         Medication and diet modifications for xerostomia.

 I strongly recommend to visit a dentist in case of any doubt.

Dr. Meet R. Ramatri, M.D.S.

BABY BOTTLE SYNDROME (HORRIFYING EFFECTS OF TOOTH DECAY/CARIES)

BABY BOTTLE SYNDROME

HORRIFYING EFFECTS OF TOOTH DECAY/CARIES

Baby Bottle Syndrome is also known as Early Childhood Caries. This disease affects general health of the child due to malfunction in teeth. This syndrome occurs due to poor care of teeth in early childhood.

Children are fed by breast milk or powdered milk. Main reason of tooth decay/ cavity is retention of sweet food. Sweet milk or juice given in any form may produce decay in any teeth, even in erupting incisors during age of 6-8 months. Bacteria present in these decayed teeth might also cause damage in other erupting teeth by spreading sweetened liquid/ food to the other tooth.

Basically, bacteria produce acid in the outermost part of enamel of the teeth which leads to cavity formation. This may spread to deeper layers of the tooth leading to infection. Symptoms like dental pain and sensitivity are observed in cases of deep cavities. Long standing infection results into formation of pus in surrounding gums/periodontium, which can also be identified as pus filled ulcers in the mouth.
 

SYMPTOMS:

·         Black spots formation on teeth.

·         Food accumulation/ lodgement in tooth cavity.

·         Bad smell from the mouth.

·         Pain in the tooth.

·         Fever due to pus formation in relation to teeth/ gums.

·         Digestion problems due to trouble in chewing.

·         Irritation ulcers may appear on tongue, cheeks, lips due to trauma from sharp edges of the decayed teeth.

·         Insufficient weight gain is seen.

·         Due to improper diet, child's behavior becomes aggressive or effects of malnutrition is seen on other parts of the body like eyes, skin etc.

HORRIFYING EFFECTS:

Sometimes it becomes difficult to control the infection even under proper medications or dressings due to resistant bacteria. This may lead to various facial space infections causing 

Ludwig's angina,which may be life threatening. It is not possible to judge when a simple tooth ache can cause infectious swelling. Thus, it is advisable to consult pediatric dentist so that he can give proper treatment to the child.

DIAGNOSIS:

          If the above mentioned symptoms are seen in the child then he should be taken to pediatric dentist for  clinical and radiographical examination to know the exact level of decay in tooth. Following diagnoses, proper treatment planning can be done.

TREATMENT:

·         If just the enamel or dentin is affected by the decay then tooth can be restored using dental cement. 

·         In case of pulp involvement which causes infection, pulpectomy followed by stainless steel crowns is the treatment done for the child.

·         If there is excessive decay in tooth then the pieces of the tooth are to be removed/extracted. It is followed by giving space maintainer to avoid inappropriate movement/shifting of neighboring teeth in empty space.

·         If the child is not cooperative then instead of many sittings treatment can be done in single sitting under genaral anesthesia.

 Dr. Meet R. Ramatri, M.D.S.