Family Dentistry

1. tooth ache

Tooth aches or pulpitis in children is fairly common and is usually due to the tooth either being inflamed or infected. There may be many reasons for a tooth ache but predominantly it is due to a cavity (hole in the tooth)

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If your child is complaining of a tooth ache, you can try the following for temporary relief

• apply a flannel with warm water. Do not use the extremes of cold or hot.

• Rinse the mouth with salty water. You can add a 1/4 teaspoon salt to water or you can get a saline solution from a chemist.

• Pain or swelling can be reduced with ice inside a tea towel. Hold the pack up against the skin or swelling for relief.

We recommend to come in and see the dentist at a family dentistry practice, on presentation with a tooth ache.

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2. trauma knocks and bumps

This is quite important as any trauma to a baby tooth may have repercussions to permanent teeth. The trauma can also affect how the permanent tooth comes through. We have a more detailed section about this in the emergency page. If your child has had trauma to their tooth or has had it knocked out, please click here. You should aim to visit the dentist that is family dentistry orientated when possible.

 

If you child has had a knock or a bump to their tooth and it is still present, keep an eye out for any changes in colour to the tooth (brown / grey) and regularly check up under their lip to see if a pimple (draining sinus) is forming. 

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3. wobbly teeth - when to see the dentist to have a baby tooth pulled out

• Children will begin to lose or shed their baby teeth from around the age of 5 or 6. This will continue up till the age of 12. They will often come out in the same order that they originally came through in.

• Wobbly teeth should be removed by the dentist if the baby tooth has been there for quite some time or if the baby tooth is impeding the eruption of the permanent teeth. This will appear as a 'double tooth' where the baby tooth is still there while the adult tooth is erupting through the gum as well. This is the most important fact as this may cause the permanent tooth not to erupt straight

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4. crowding in kids teeth

• crowding of the teeth (malocclusion) is when a child's mouth becomes crooked or crowded. It can also be associated with problems with the bite. The most common problem here is when the teeth don't meet when the jaw is closed.

• it can be caused from many different things, from trauma through to genetics. Children who suck their thumbs after 5 years old also may experience this common problem.

• The main issue that we want to avoid with malocclusion is that this doesn't affect the permanent teeth that are waiting to come through. Family Dentistry is important in this instance as permanent or adult teeth, need more space than baby teeth to come through. Thus if this is not investigated with family dentistry when the patient is young, there may be implications later on in life. It is normal to have gaps between the baby teeth. This is because the underlying adult teeth are larger than the baby teeth, and there's more of them! So if there is problems with crowding with your child's teeth baby teeth, this could very well transfer to crowding with their permanent teeth.

• Other issues if not treated can include; problems with eating and speaking, jaw problems, gum disease, grinding, decay and of course the mentioned issues with permanent teeth coming through crowded or crooked.

• Treatment may include teeth removal or appliances such as a plate/ retainer or braces

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5. Excessive Overbite / Underbite / Open Bite / Cross Bite

• Excessive overbite - kids are at increased risk of trauma to their teeth, especially if their lips are not competent (i.e. their lips don't close over their teeth)

• Underbite - this is when the front bottom teeth are in front of the top teeth. It is important you see a dentist around 7-8 years of age if your child has an underbite because it can be fixed with a plate that harnesses a growth spurt around this time. If you leave it too late (like when the child is a teenager) the growth potential has been lost and it is not easy to fix the underbite anymore

• Open bite - this can be a result of prolonged thumb sucking, or genetics. This is not as severe a 'malocclusion' as underbite or excessive overbite, however is may be an aesthetic issue for your child when they're older. People with open bites also have difficulty biting into things with their front teeth like sandwiches and tomatoes

• Cross bite - this is when teeth are crossed over the wrong way. For example the top teeth should be on the outside of the bottom teeth. Cross bites are when the bottom teeth are trapping the top teeth. It can be one tooth or several teeth. The main concerns with cross bites is that they can cause increased wearing down of the teeth involved (attrition), and can interfere with a comfortable bite

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6. Grinding

• Grinding in kids has been linked to several possible causes

  • Worms!​

  • Sleep disordered breathing

  • Poor sleep hygiene (for example video games before bed - nothing to do with actual cleaning!)

• It may be worth having an assessment to see what the cause of the grinding may be and assess any damage that has been caused​