Signs You May Need To Take Your Children To The Dentist

Taking care of your child’s dental health is vital. You may train your kid to clean, floss, avoid sugary foods, and other oral health tips. However, some don’t follow these measures when unsupervised.

It may be because they’re too busy playing, watching television, or doing schoolwork and home activities. It could also be because they forget to take the necessary steps to maintain dental hygiene.

As a parent, you need to check if your little one is taking care of their oral health as they should. Additionally, you must also take your kid to the dentist for regular check-ups. This is an essential measure that helps to identify and prevent oral health problems.

Nevertheless, your kid may still develop dental issues. In this case, they’ll need urgent dental care. Below are some problems that require a dentist’s attention:

1. Toothaches

A toothache signifies that something is wrong. Your child’s tooth may have chipped or could be broken, causing discomfort. This may also be an early sign of a cavity, infection, or gum disease.

Therefore, if your child complains about toothache, they must see a dentist immediately.

The professional will examine them and identify the issue causing the pain and provide the necessary treatment. Taking your kid to the dentist early for tooth pain can prevent a minor problem from escalating.

2. Discolored Teeth

Regularly checking your child’s oral health can help you identify teeth discoloration fast. Typically, your little one’s teeth should be pearly white.

Thus, a quick dental examination is needed if you notice they’ve turned mild yellow, brown, gray, or black, have some whitish spots, or appear stained. This is because teeth discoloration can also be an early sign of a cavity.

3. Sensitivity

Tooth sensitivity is also a sign your child needs to see their dentist. Your kid may complain they’re experiencing a sudden, sharp, and deep pain when brushing or consuming sweet, sour, cold, or hot food and beverages. Often the discomfort is temporary, as it subsides when the trigger is removed.

If your little one is experiencing the above, they have tooth sensitivity. In this case, you need to schedule a dental appointment for them immediately. Typically, this issue occurs in children if they’re brushing too hard, causing gum or tooth enamel erosion.

In this case, sweet treats, hot food, and other stimuli will easily trigger their nerves. It can also occur in case of tooth damage, decay, or cavities. Your little one may also experience this concern if their permanent teeth are coming out or they have sinus problems.

It may not be easy for you to identify the cause of your child’s sensitivity. Therefore, taking them to the dentist for an evaluation would be best.

A well-trained and experienced professional can quickly establish the cause of your kid’s oral problem. Also, they’ll provide effective treatment so the concern doesn’t escalate.

4. Gum Problems

Your little one might experience temporary gum swelling or bleeding due to aggressive flossing or brushing. The issue isn’t a significant cause for concern in this case, as it’ll heal independently.

However, you should be worried if you notice your child has excessive gum swelling, bleeding, redness, or irritation. In this case, they need to see the dentist immediately. This is because it may be a sign of gingivitis or another health concern like scurvy.

An excellent dentist can identify if your child’s gum problem is a dental issue or a sign of other health problems. In the case of the former, they’ll provide an effective remedy. However, if it’s the latter, they’ll refer you to the best healthcare professional they know for treatment.

5. Adult Teeth Concerns

Your kid could encounter several concerns with their adult teeth. For instance, the teeth may delay, come in crooked, or erupt when baby teeth are still present. In such cases, take your child to the dentist. The professional knows the best ways to intervene.

Besides the above, your kid’s adult teeth may grow perfectly but get knocked out while playing. Immediate dental care is required if this happens because the professional could reattach it.

Avoid reinserting the tooth by yourself because your kid could accidentally swallow it. Instead, hold the tooth by the crown and rinse it using lukewarm water. After that, put it in a glass of milk and take it to the dentist. If you can’t find your child’s knocked-out tooth, the dentist may replace it with a false one.

Final Thoughts

Ensuring your child’s oral health is excellent is vital as a parent. So, teach them how to brush and floss and ensure they’re doing it correctly. Also, provide dental hygiene tips like limiting sugary treats and ensuring they follow them. Besides that, take them for dental check-ups regularly.

Nevertheless, even after doing all these, your child could still experience issues with oral health. Some are minor and could resolve themselves after some time. However, others will need urgent dental care.

As discussed in this article, such issues include toothaches, discolored teeth, sensitivity, gum problems, and adult teeth concerns.

Going for a dental visit immediately for such cases helps provide your kid with quick relief and prevents the escalation of a problem.