Start young for everlasting smiles: Comprehensive dental care for toddlers and pre-schoolers

Poor dental hygiene impacts self-confidence

Children usually commence their academic journeys by the age of 3 years when they are introduced to social interactions without their parents or caregivers. These initial years of social interaction determine the foundation of a toddler’s perception of themselves, where bad dental hygiene often results in deformed or discoloured front teeth due to Early Childhood Caries (ECC) and can even result in speech impediments, thereby affecting their overall personality as they grow up.

Lack of awareness costs a lifetime of challenges

One of the most prevalent factors aggravating dental caries in children is the delayed response to initial dental check-ups, which should ideally be around the child’s first birthday. The lack of awareness among new parents and pre-existing taboos surrounding milk teeth and their impermanence are the main culprits behind inadequate attention to a child’s oral hygiene. Environmental factors like disregarding proper dental hygiene, incorporating brushing of teeth after the age of 2, and an extended period of bottle or breastfeeding have significant impacts on a child’s dental hygiene and may lead to dental caries.

“The influx and easy accessibility of sugar foods and drinks also greatly contribute to the accelerated decay of a child’s dental care. Dental clinics note a 20% spike in patients during festive seasons, suggestive of the excessive consumption of desserts and other sugary items. These factors massively impact a child’s dental hygiene that may lead to surgical procedures, further distressing children,” said Dr Vishwas Patil, Head Pediatric Dentistry, Surya Mother & Child Super Speciality Hospital, Pune.

Precautions and solutions for dental caries

The influx and easy accessibility of sugar foods and drinks also greatly contribute to the accelerated decay of a child’s dental care. (Source: Freepik)

“Precautions to prevent dental caries are simple yet effective and can help avoid dental caries. Parents must consult paediatric dentists at super-speciality hospitals around their child’s first birthday to better understand the dietary guidelines for their children and are also recommended to begin proper dental hygiene even before the child’s milk teeth erupt. Moreover, whenever a child needs extensive oral rehabilitation or surgical interventions, it is advised to get such procedures done at a Pediatric Super Speciality Hospital, as they are equipped with multi-modal care to treat children with special healthcare needs and ensure a safe and caring environment for the child under highest standards of clinical excellence,” explained Dr Sachin Shah, Director- Neonatal & Pediatric Intensive Care Services, Surya Mother & Child Super Speciality Hospital, Pune.

Professionally applied fluoride varnish and pit and fissure sealant treatment are used as initial preventive measures which may aid in reversing a cavity in its early stages. Crowns are used to restore and protect damaged or decayed teeth in children. They are made of a variety of materials, including stainless steel, resin-veneered stainless steel, zirconia and composite strips.

Parents and guardians must adopt early dental hygiene practices for their children which majorly contributes to their good oral and overall general health and boosts their self-esteem as an individual.