DENTAL Childhood Cavities Can Impact Child

While physical and mental health is what most parents focus on, a child's oral health is as important. Childhood tooth decay is a widespread disease that affects more children than any other medical condition. Childhood cavities are preventable, but for many reasons, childhood tooth decay continues to be a significant health problem.

One of the biggest reasons is that parents undermine the ability of cavities to affect their children. While cavities can usually be treated with fillings, it can be more difficult for young children who develop cavities in their primary or baby teeth.

Primary teeth and why they are important

Some parents underestimate or fail to see the importance of their child's baby or primary teeth, as each of these teeth will fall out and be replaced by permanent, adult teeth. It can be easy to discount the health and care of primary teeth because they all fall out on their own anyway.

What is often overlooked is the risk of cavities for incoming permanent teeth. Sometimes cavities in baby teeth can leak and penetrate the emerging permanent teeth below.

Although it may seem that children could care less about how they look, children, especially older children, can be self-conscious about their smiles

. If they have cavities, they may like their smile even more and cover it up because they think it's unhealthy.

Increased fear of the dentist:

Children who have multiple cavities due to poor diet and/or poor hygiene routines may associate the cavities with the dental office. If they already fear the dentist because of sounds, smells, busy environments, etc., they will now have another reason to fear the dentist: it is a source of bad news. The dentist will detect that something is wrong and may subject the child to a mild reprimand. This fear of the dentist can carry over into adulthood, which can make it less likely that he will visit his dentist regularly for oral exams and examinations.

Bad practices for oral health:

Children who develop cavities in their baby teeth are likely to be encouraged. Children will either listen to this advice or reject it. Children who get used to tooth decay and don't see it as a big problem can develop bad hygiene habits.

Physical impact:

Cavities, if left untreated in children and adults, can lead to tooth loss. While this type of severe tooth decay often doesn't get too out of hand in children, baby teeth can fall out. When this happens, the child may experience temporary slurred speech and minor difficulty eating. Children are also at a higher risk of developing crooked teeth, which may require orthodontic treatment.

A child's cavity is not a minor accident that can be treated and forgotten. Cavities can scar children and cause them to develop an unhealthy view of oral hygiene and health, have an increased.