Chennai: As milk teeth are temporary, it is not surprising that parents fail to pay attention to oral health right from beginning. Though milk teeth are deciduous, failing to take proper care leads to formation of bad permanent teeth, opine experts.
Reports suggest that negligence of dental caries right in the beginning has led to city kids falling prey to poor oral health.
In conversation with News Today, Clove Dental, zonal clinical head – Chennai, Dr Subramanian Sankaran shares insights about the importance of milk teeth.
He said the foundation for permanent teeth in children begins during their formative years and incorporating good oral habits from an early age helps alleviate the onset of early tooth decays. Proper dental habits must be established from the beginning to avoid potential hazards.
“Studies also show that the primary teeth are a source of abundant stem cells which helps to regenerate a lost tissue/organ or in the treatment of life-threatening diseases later in life,” he added.
ORAL HYGIENE
Poor maintenance of milk teeth starts right from maintaining good oral hygiene. Talking about it, Subramanian says,”It is indispensable that even milk teeth has to be cleaned after every meal and intake of liquid. Early childhood or nursing bottle caries is a major concern for infants.”
Nursing caries is the rampant decay of primary teeth which is characterised by rapid development of lesions surrounding several teeth. It can be differentiated from the classical rampant caries by the absence of decay of mandibular incisors (lower jaw bone incisors).
“The mere act of cleaning with water and a cloth can save the child from nursing bottle caries. If the condition gets intense, it is imperative to undergo tooth filling or root canal treatment (RCT) upon consulting a pedodontist,” says he.
Pain or sensitivity, swelling/reddening of gums, general irritability due to dental pain/sensitivity are the symptoms that has to be watched out for in infants that commonly occur during early dental problems.
LEADING TO BAD PERMANENT TEETH
When a milk tooth decay is identified, it has to be fixed immediately and stop the decay going deep further to have a good permanent teeth.
“Delaying to fill caries, or not keeping the milk teeth healthy can lead to an irregular growth of the permanent teeth. In addition, oral habits such as thumb sucking, mouth breathing, tongue thrusting can also lead to bad permanent teeth. Such habits must be kept on check and health practices have to be inculcated to overcome,” adds the doctor.
BACTERIAL TRANSMISSION
Streptococcus mutans bacteria get transmitted to infants when they come in direct contact with infected people.
“The working mothers tend to ignore breastfeeding and instead use bottles as pacifiers. It has to be avoided as it could trigger dental diseases,” he states.
Talking about breastfeeding during night, he emphasises, “To avoid oral problems, it is generally not advisable to consume milk or breastfeed for a prolonged time at night as the oral environment during the night time is feasible for the bacteria to rapidly multiply and leads to caries.”
BRUSHING IT RIGHT
Between 0-2 years, it is required to clean the teeth and gums with water and cloth/cotton. For children aged above 2 years, a small toothbrush with soft or extra soft bristles should be used to brush twice a day.
Circular or elliptical motion technique to be followed and brushing a small set of teeth at a given time covering both the sides. The tongue has to be cleaned regularly to ensure a bacteria-free mouth and fresh breath.
FLUORIDE INTAKE
It is identified that lack of fluoride content in the child’s body lead to caries of several forms.
“In addition to natural consumption, toothpaste containing fluoride and a treatment to supplement can be opted to increase the intake and prevent plague development. It strengthens the tooth’s ability to resist acid attacks from plaque bacteria and sugars that accumulate in the mouth,” he says.
