Children are not the best when it comes to maintaining excellent dental hygiene. For instance, they might not be able to brush and floss their teeth well, making them vulnerable to cavities and gum disease.
Additionally, dental trauma from playing sports is common in childhood. Helping your child with their daily dental hygiene, taking them for regular pediatric check-ups & cleaning, and getting a sports mouthguard are great ways to ensure optimal oral health.
Unfortunately, your child may still develop a dental problem. When dealing with children’s oral health, early intervention is critical. It would help if you always were on the lookout for any issues that may arise in their mouth. If you spot or your child complains about a dental problem, the best thing is to see an emergency pediatric dentist as soon as possible.
If you’re wondering how to tell if your child needs to see a pediatrician, here are the seven most common signs to watch out for:
Pain is always an indication that something is wrong. If your child complains about pain in their teeth, cheeks, gums, or mouth, try to talk to them to determine how severe the discomfort is. Pain can indicate tooth decay, damaged restoration, or damaged tooth. If your kid has hurt themselves recently, it could indicate dental trauma. Visiting a pediatrician will help relieve the discomfort and address the underlying issue.
While children lose their baby teeth to give way to adult teeth, it’s an excellent idea to see a pediatrician to review the condition if the child experiences pain. If necessary, the kid’s dentist in 92014 can extract the tooth and address any issues.
Similarly, if one of your child’s permanent teeth is loose and accompanied by pain, it could indicate tooth infection or gum disease. You should see a pediatrician to address the condition and save the tooth.
Teeth discoloration, yellowing, or stains can be external or internal. For instance, if your child has had an accident recently, a change in tooth color could indicate a damaged nerve. It could also result from poor dental hygiene, tooth infection, certain medications, excess fluoride, and high consumption of acidic & colored foods and beverages. Visiting a pediatric dentist for urgent assessment will help determine the cause and solution of the discoloration.
When brushing, bleeding could indicate gum disease, tooth infection, or your child’s toothbrush is wrong. Bleeding is also common after tooth extraction or dental trauma to the soft tissue such as gums, tongue, cheek, or lip. For these reasons, consulting a pediatric dentist is required to address the issue and prevent further complications.
You can expect minimal swelling if your child has hurt themselves when eating or playing. However, swelling could also indicate an infection or gum disease. If a swollen pimple or abscess accompanies the swelling, you must immediately take your child to the pediatrician. The dentist will address the infection and prevent further spreading to the surrounding structures.
Suppose your child’s dental hygiene is good but has bad breath. If not addressed timely, it could indicate an infection spreading to the surrounding teeth, bone structure, and gums. Please speak to a pediatrician to determine the cause of the problem and fix it timely.
Does your child have a filling, sealant, brace, or crown? These dental work or restorations can break, chip, or fall out when exposed to excessive pressure. A damaged restoration can’t provide adequate protection against cavities and infections. Similarly, braces can hurt the child’s teeth, gums, cheeks, lips, or mouth if braces slip.
Visit an emergency pediatric dentist immediately to repair, restore, or replace your child’s damaged or lost restoration.
As we’ve seen above, your child isn’t too young to experience dental issues such as dental trauma, cavities, and gum disease. Neglecting their oral hygiene or possible dental problems could harm their current and future oral health.
Always consult a pediatric dentist urgently if you notice any child’s oral health issue. To speak with our kid’s dentist in 92014, contact Sunny Smile Kids Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics.