Dentists’ Role in Childhood

Dentists are often seen as medical professionals who are consulted when there are problems regarding the oral cavity. The thing is that they should be consulted when the baby’s first tooth comes out. The reason behind this is for the oral health care provider to visibly asses the state of the tooth as well as the condition of the entire oral cavity. This is a sort of preparation for things to come since the first tooth is usually followed closely by the second one. The appearance signals the capability of the baby to ingest semi solid food.

Advice and Assessment
Dentists usually give parents advice regarding how to clean the baby’s first pearly whites. Despite the fact that these are temporary, the permanent ones will not start to appear until the child is around the age of five to seven years old. This means that proper care should be bestowed on these temporary ones to ensure that the fall out when the time is right and not earlier than usual. The reason for this is that early removal of the tooth can lead to an empty space for too long. This empty space can allow others to move in its area or to be crooked since there is much space to spare. The space can also be injured when the child chews something hard or sharp in the area. It is also not comfortable to chew with gums in place of the tooth because it can eventually turn sore.

Dentists also play a big role when it comes to helping children with their temporary pearly whites. They can take out stubborn temporary ones especially when the permanent are already halfway out. Leaving the temporary tooth in place, even when the permanent one is already out, encourages the permanent tooth to be crooked and misaligned. Usually the temporary ones become loose a few weeks before the permanent ones come out. Children are encouraged to make them looser in order for these to fallout at the right time. In some cases, when they become loose too early, the dentists may advice delicate handling of the tooth until the signs that the replacement is on the way. The dental professionals often pull out stubborn milk teeth to make way for the permanent ones.

Dental appliances are often utilized to help facilitate straighter bites and correct malocclusions. Children benefit more from early and proper use of the dental appliances since their teeth have just come out and can be corrected easily. Adults can also wear braces and other dental appliances to correct improper bites and crooked teeth but it is customary for orthodontists to start while the individual is still young. Dentists who specialize in orthodontics usually start their treatment of children at the age of ten years old, some even older. The reason for this is that this is the age when all the temporary teeth have finally come out, except for the molars.

Consultations with these oral health care providers should be one of the priorities of parents. Dental care and services are often more expensive for adults compared to that of children.