Are You Afraid to Go to the Dentist?

Parents may be surprised to notice that their child's previously straight and healthy teeth are now showing signs of being crooked and other problems. Read to find out what might be happening and what parents can do about it.

Accidental Blows

Children and teenagers can be prone to injuries from sports and other actions. Even a simple slip and fall can result in a tooth or two loosening just enough to shift slightly off-center. This type of problem can be difficult for parents to notice until the loose tooth becomes unstable. If you know that your child has taken a blow to the mouth, have your dentist examine your child even if you cannot decern a problem. If caught in time, your dentist can realign the teeth using temporary bracing methods.

Habitual Thumb Sucking

Thumb sucking is well known for causing issues with a child's teeth. Not only can the thumb lift on the front uppers causing an overbite, but the pressure against the child's soft palate could create issues by causing the teeth to shift. Parents often make the mistake of thinking that damage to baby teeth won't carry forward to adult teeth. However, growth patterns set in young children can persist as they enter early childhood and adult teeth emerge. Speak to your dentist for some tips on getting your child to stop thumb sucking before permanent damage is done to their teeth.

Soft Teeth

Some people tend to have more issues with their teeth, and they may have been told that they have so-called soft teeth. There may be no such thing as soft teeth but there are those that have more problems with broken teeth, decay, gum abscesses, and more. Often, parents who observe problems with their child's teeth will acknowledge that they too have had more than their fair share of dental problems. Speak to your dentist if your child seems to be prone to losing teeth, broken teeth, more cavities, and other issues that could result in misaligned teeth.

Slow Adult Teeth

In most cases, baby teeth are pushed out of the way by the emergence of adult teeth. However, some children have slow emerging adult teeth.  When that is the case, several things can occur. Sometimes, the baby teeth will fall out on their own or become decayed. Unfortunately, missing teeth in a child that are not quickly replaced by adult teeth can be prone to problems like shifting and loosening. Alert your dentist if your child's adult teeth are slow to emerge.

Speak to a children's dentist to learn more about these childhood dental issues.