Parents are on the lookout nowadays for the best for their kids. They will thus invest in the best possible education, games, and other essentials to guarantee the best upbringing for them. Some people are, however, not as keen on routine dental care. They assume their kids will only need a dentist when they have bleeding gums, pain, or a tooth fracture.
A pediatric dentist in Murray will nonetheless recommend starting your routine visits when the first milk tooth erupts or by your child’s first birthday. These visits will pick any issues with the milk teeth even if they might seem perfect to an untrained eye. One problem most parents will not give much thought to is gapped teeth.
The common causes of gapped kids’ teeth include a low-hanging frenulum, missing, extra or small teeth, large jaws, and genetic predisposition. Gaps in children’s teeth to most people are inconsequential while in other communities, they are pretty. The following are nonetheless some of the issues associated with gapped teeth in children.
Poor Oral Hygiene
It might seem that gaps will make it easy to clean between your teeth at first glance. These gaps, however, become traps for food particles as they hold them against the teeth’s side. It will also be harder for your child to floss the spaces between the gaps since the floss should swiftly glide on either side of the teeth. Both issues will contribute to poor oral hygiene in your child even if he/she is brushing and flossing as recommended.
Elevated Risk of Gum Disease
The food particles that accumulate between the gaps in teeth will over time, disintegrate into calculus and plaque and be deposited on the gums. When this happens, the bacteria that thrive on these particles will lead to the development of periodontitis or gingivitis in your child. Gum disease is, unfortunately, not as easy to treat in kids since the underdeveloped gums will form an entry point for microorganisms into the bloodstream.
Jaw Pain
Most kids with gaps in their teeth have misaligned bites as well. These will become the leading cause of forehead, ear and jaw pain, and at times the child’s teeth will chip or become worn down. Most parents will reach for frequent pain medications or get frustrated by a child in pain. The side-effect free solution, in this case, might be something as simple and inexpensive as correcting gaps between teeth.
Poor Chewing
Gaps in your child’s teeth will affect their chewing ability. This will, in turn, lead to digestive issues and overall poor nutrition because proper breaking down of the food is essential for benefits in the child’s body. Problems like poor weight gain, malnutrition, and frequent indigestion might thus be solved by correcting gaps in a child’s teeth.
Several options exist in pediatric dental care to correct gapped teeth and avert the above issues. The standard alternative is the use of braces though retainers can also be used to move the teeth together and close the gap. In a few cases, the dentist might recommend a surgical procedure known as frenectomy to remove the frenulum before using orthodontic appliances to move the teeth.
