DENTAL CARE FOR DIFFERENT AGES:
- 1-6 months
- 6 months-5 yrs
- 5-13 yrs
- 13-35 yrs
- Above 35 yrs
COMMON DENTAL PROBLEMS & THEIR TREATMENT:
1) Missing teeth / Gaps between teeth.
2) Proclinated teeth (outward / front teeth).
3) Loose & Shaky teeth.
4) Yellowish teeth or dark stains on teeth (tobacco stains / cigarettes stains).
5) Bleeding Gums.
6) Crowding of teeth in the mouth (Double teeth).
7) Pain & sensitivity with cold & hot water, sweat & sour food.
8) Cancer lesions or factors leading to mouth cancer.
9) Food getting stuck between teeth or pain during eating.
10) Bad breath / foul smelling mouth.
11) Loose fitting dentures or sharp irritating dentures.
Dental Care: Age 1 month to 6 months
After your child’s milk teeth start coming up, wipe his / her teeth with a clean cloth dipped in water, preferably every time after you feed your child with milk. You can also use a finger rubber brush to clean his / her teeth.
If your child is born with cleft lip or cleft palate (broken, parted lips or palate) do not wait for the child to become older. Treat him / her at the earliest age of 3-4 months, only by an oral surgeon and a plastic surgeon for best results.
Mothers are advised not to give antibiotics like Tetracycline and Chloramphenicol to their children which will make their teeth yellowish or black.
Dental Care: Age 6 months to 5 years
Once your child begins to get all his milk teeth, make it a point to make him brush in an up-down direction, morning and evening, especially after his dinner and after his glass of milk.
Remember, "MILK is not the last thing he should have, he should always drink water after milk and then brush, to avoid any milk layer (glucose) sticking on his teeth which invites bacteria to enter into the mouth and cause cavity."
Remember to get his milk-teeth cavities filled up immediately to avoid his cavity getting deep into a Root Canal stage and finally affecting the permanent tooth which is below.
Even if your child is non-cooperative or scared of dental treatment, you can get his full mouth treatment done just in one sitting under conscious sedation (sleeping condition) without pain and without getting admitted in the hospital, just routinely in a dental clinic.
You can gift your child a happy and bright smile with a healthy mouth.
Dental Care: Age 5 years to 13 years
When your child is five years old, take him to a dentist for a check up as his first permanent teeth will come between 5 ½ - 6 ½ years of age. His milk teeth should fall off at the right age by itself and the Permanent should come exactly from below it. If the milk tooth does not fall off and the permanent tooth comes out early, then get the milk tooth removed to avoid the permanent tooth from coming in the wrong direction, thus causing overlapping and crooked teeth and hence requiring braces treatment in future.
You can avoid braces treatment & cavity problem in your child by taking your child regularly every 6 months to a dentist for check up.
Even if your child has any of the habits like:
(a) Thumb sucking
(b) Lip biting
(c) Nail biting
(d) Bottle feeding
(e) Chalk / Cement / Dirt eating
(f) Tongue thrusting
(g) Lisping while talking
or any other habit, take him to a good child-specialist dentist to break this habit and thus avoiding forthcoming dental and facial problems due to these habits.
Between the age of 6 years and 13 years, take your child compulsorily to a dentist every 6 months for a check up, for cavities and to see that each milk tooth falls off at the right age and the permanent tooth comes out from the right place and at the right time, thus avoiding the need of braces treatment in future.
At this age if his teeth or upper jaw or chin is coming outward or inward, it can be easily corrected by a dentist to achieve good facial looks.
You can get your child’s cavities filled up all in one sitting.
Even if your child is non-cooperative or scared of dental treatment, you can get his full mouth treatment done just in one sitting under conscious sedation (sleeping condition) without pain and without getting admitted in the hospital, just routinely in a dental clinic.
Dental Care: Age 13 years to 35 years
After the age of 13 years, when all the milk teeth are replaced by the permanent teeth, get your dental check up done to see to it that all your permanent teeth are healthy (free of cavities) and in the right position and place. If any small cavities, get it filled in the initial stage only, do not wait for it to get too deep.
If you are scared of dental treatment, you can get your full Mouth treatment done in just one sitting under conscious sedation (sleeping condition) without pain and without getting admitted in the hospital, just routinely in a dental clinic.
At this age if your teeth, your upper jaw or chin is coming outward or inward, it can be easily corrected by an Orthodontist to achieve good facial looks.
If you have bad looking teeth, old caps, bridges, or yellowish teeth, you too can have a cosmetic treatment done and have a Million Dollar SMILE.
Dental Care: Age above 35 years
After the age of 35, you’ve got to take more care of your gums. If your gums bleed while brushing or when you bite an apple, you can be sure you have a gum problem. Get your gum treatment done on time, before it’s too late and make your gums firm (strong) to enable it to hold your teeth in its position and double the life of your teeth.
If you have any sharp edges of your dentures hurting you or rubbing against your cheek, lip or tongue; and causing white or red patches, show it to your dentist to avoid any cancer like symptoms to occur.
You can even change your removable dentures to fixed teeth by replacing them with caps, bridges or by an implant (No metal can be seen in ceramic caps. It’s similar to a natural tooth) .
As far as possible do not extract (remove) any tooth; try and save them by doing a Root Canal Treatment, as each tooth is supported by the next adjacent tooth. So if the tooth is extracted, the adjacent two teeth move from their position and become weak.
If you are scared of dental treatment, you can get your full mouth treatment done in just one sitting under conscious sedation (sleeping condition) without pain and without getting admitted in the hospital, just routinely in a dental clinic.
Even at this age if you have bad looking teeth, old caps, bridges, or yellowish teeth, you too can have a cosmetic treatment done and have a Million Dollar SMILE.
COMMON DENTAL PROBLEMS & THEIR TREATMENT
Missing teeth / Gaps between teeth.
Missing teeth (single or many teeth) can be replaced by removable or fixed teeth as per your choice which can also be of the colour of your original tooth (no silver or gold metal) . Remember that by replacing your missing tooth, you not only enjoy good chewing from that side, but also preserve the integrity and firmness of the adjacent teeth as each tooth is supported by its neighbouring tooth.
Proclinated teeth (outward / front teeth).
Any tooth which is out of alignment i. e. either outward, inward, half broken or twisted tooth can be treated by orthodontic treatment or cosmetic treatment (in a very short time) and you can have a smart smilling face thereafter and build up a good personality.
Loose & Shaky teeth.
Shaky teeth are caused due to gum problems. Grade 1 and Grade 2 of shaky (loose) teeth can be treated and made firm by periodontal treatment (gum treatment) . If it's not treated in earlier stage, it can lead to removal of the tooth and subsequently wearing of dentures. So get your loose teeth treated and enjoy comfortable chewing and long lasting healthy Teeth & Gums, as wearing dentures is not as comfortable as your natural tooth.
Yellowish teeth or dark stains on teeth (tobacco stains / cigarettes stains).
Yellow or brown tobacco, cigarette stains or dark teeth can be made whiter by cleaning the teeth with a scaler or bleaching the teeth to make it white as never before or by laminates, veneers or capping and one can have a pleasant, bright smart smile.
Bleeding Gums.
Bleeding gums also cause bad breath, bad taste in the mouth and foul smelling mouth. Ofcourse! Red swollen gums / bleeding during brushing is a sign of weak inflammed gums. Do not take it lightly. Gums are the holding structure of your teeth. If they become weak, they lose their power of holding the teeth and ultimately the teeth becomes loose and falls off. Bleeding is due to calculus (tartar) between the teeth and gums which can be treated just by getting your teeth / gums cleaned by a dentist.
Crowding of teeth in the mouth (Double teeth).
Crowding of teeth or double teeth is due to the fact that the milk teeth did not fall off at the right age and the permanent tooth comes out at it's time, from a wrong direction causing double teeth. It may also be due to heredity problem or some child habits. It is advisable for parents to visit a dentist along with your child when he / she is 5-6 years old so that we can prevent and guide your child from having double teeth problem, which leads to a bad smile, bad breath and multiple cavities. Always remember:"PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE".
Pain & sensitivity with cold & hot water, sweat & sour food.
Pain and sensation with cold water is caused when the outer layer of the tooth (enamel) is worn off due to faulty brushing habits or due to cavites or if your gums have receeded (gone down) due to age. You can have this problem treated by getting it filled by a material and learning the right technique of brushing your teeth, (so as to have a longer life of healthy teeth and avoiding the same problem on other teeth and by using de-sensitising tooth paste and mouth washes).
Cancer lesions or factors leading to mouth cancer.
White patches on your cheeks / lips / tongue may be due to cheek biting habits, gutkha, paan, cigarettes or lip biting. White patch or burning sensation in the mouth while eating chilly or restricted mouth opening due to stiff cheeks. may be a sign of some type of serious problem like a pre-cancerous lesion or a cancer like lesion. Such types of swellings / white patches or red patches in or around your mouth must be treated well on time.
Food getting stuck between teeth or pain during eating.
The cause of this may be a cavity in your tooth which can be recognised by a black hole or brown spot on your tooth. Get this cavity filled without any delay, as it may later turn into a deep cavity for which the treatment is Root Canal (which may be a multiple visit treatment) and save yourself time and money or else you loose (remove) that tooth and wear dentures at a very young age.
Bad breath / foul smelling mouth.
Bad taste in the mouth may be due to a cavity in the tooth or accumulation of calculus (tartar) on the teeth or inside the gums. Bad breath may also be due to cavity, tartar, throat infection or stomach problems. It can be treated by getting your teeth cleaned by a dentist once in 6 months / yearly and by getting the cavity filled (if required), and using mouth washes and medicines. After this you can confidenly open your fresh mouth and speak to friends or in public places without facing any embarrassment.
Loose fitting dentures or sharp irritating dentures.
Loose fitting dentures can be corrected by relining / rebasing of the dentures. If you have dentures which you cannot wear because it's loose or has sharp irritating borders; get your dentures corrected by a dentist and wear your dentures and enjoy a little young looking age and good chewing of your food. Also remember that sharp irritating borders of your dentures can lead to mouth cancer. So avoid having this problem at its earliest.
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