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Why do children have baby teeth? Why not grow permanent teeth in the first place?

DR. PREMILA NAIDU, MDS — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 15:18:43 +0000

This question might have come to you perhaps or may have crossed the minds of parents bringing their child to us at Small Bites. It’s a valid question considering baby teeth tend to fall off at some point of time. Having them seems pointless for little children, not to mention the associated teething pain, irritability, fever and so much more accompanying it.

Yet it is important to understand why baby teeth grow and what’s so different about them. Before that, understanding the teeth and its structure is an absolute must.

The tooth is basically composed of two tissue types;

Structures that make up the tooth itself which are the enamel, dentine, pulp and cementum.
Tissues that form and support the tooth in the mouth, which include gingiva, periodontal ligament and alveolar bone.

Of all these tissues, the enamel, dentine and cementum are hard tissues enclosing the soft tooth pulp. The enamel has no cells and unlike bone cannot grow or undergo repairing once damaged. Therefore, teeth when once formed cannot grow or change in size.

However, the surrounding tissues such as gingiva, periodontal ligament and alveolar bone keep growing as the child grows. From infancy to adulthood, the body and its structures, particularly the mandible and maxilla grow continuously. This increases the space in the jaw which does not get filled with existing milk teeth.

To accommodate the space in the jaw and help in masticating larger food particles as the body and jaws grow, deciduous or milk teeth are resorbed and fall off, and in their place, new bigger teeth grow to fill up the larger space.

Humans therefore have two sets of teeth – the deciduous or milk teeth and the succeedaneous or permanent teeth. It is interesting to know that most rodents, squirrels and rabbits teeth keep growing as they grow.

Do you want to know some other teeth facts to share with your kids?

Dolphins don’t use teeth for chewing food, because their jaws have no muscles.
Blue whales have no teeth at all. Instead, they have plates of baleen on both jaws used to catch small animals like krill when swimming.
Giraffes have no upper front teeth, because their tongues do the grabbing of leaves and eating.
Cats have additional tiny teeth on the roof of their mouth to grip their prey.
Frogs have teeth but toads don’t.

Humans are diphyodont creatures, with two sets of teeth in our lifetime. It is essential that we look after both of them well, given that healthy milk teeth also mean a healthier set of permanent teeth. Bring your child to us for regular dental checkups starting from the age of 1. We’ll ensure they always remain healthy.

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3 Dental Reminders That We As Parents Must Be Aware Of!

DR. PREMILA NAIDU, MDS — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 12:21:36 +0000

Navigating our child’s oral health can be overwhelming and stressful on a daily basis. Despite it being a hygiene issue and non-negotiable, what we must also understand as parents is that this activity can also appear like an intrusion into their private space.

Children resist activities like brushing and cleaning for several reasons. Some of the commonest are below;

Putting a brush into a child’s mouth can seem alien to a little one who is used to biting down on foreign objects, but not familiar with the objects remaining in the mouth for a longer time
Having a parent brush a toddler’s teeth is an activity fraught with resistance, playfulness and procrastination either due to irritability, anxiety or stress
Brushing seems like an added chore to children who don’t understand the reasoning behind it since they don’t see the immediate effects of not doing the activity
Carious teeth, bleeding gums, bad breath often don’t register unless they become serious and cause the child discomfort

Resistance to brushing and regular dental visits by their wards is one complaint many parents have. But it is also these times where we must re-visit what kind of practices we are enforcing regarding their dental health.

What are we doing or not doing that is causing more harm than relief to our children, while working towards their dental health?

Here’s 3 important dental reminders to put things into better perspective for us parents.

White teeth don’t always mean healthy teeth

Have you ever looked at your child’s teeth and thought all is good? You or they are brushing regularly, teeth look gleaming and nice, and their dental health seems perfect. But unbeknown to you, often times, caries or black spots may be lurking in the most unsuspecting areas of the teeth. Molars and grinders, back of the teeth, upper teeth can begin infection which if not identified or checked can slowly destroy the tooth or spread to adjoining ones.

White teeth being healthy teeth is a misconception to be constantly aware of. As parents, putting in a weekly schedule of examining all the teeth with a torch, making note of discolorations and regular pediatric dental checkups can avoid serious tooth complications and serious dental interventions.

Brushing harder doesn’t clean better!

True. Brushing harder, applying more force, using hard-bristled toothbrushes in an attempt to remove stubborn or stuck plaque between teeth can cause more damage than good. Although our natural human tendency is to use more force, in reality, brushing vigorously is like applying blunt force to the teeth, causing the outer enamel to be eroded faster, injuries to the gums, shaking the root of the tooth. This in children with milk teeth and growing adult teeth, can impact the way they form and the pace at which they grow.

Brushing must be done gently, with a soft-bristled age-appropriate brush and adequate quantity of fluoride paste rubbed in circles around the teeth. This removes all the loose food stuck around the teeth as well provides massaging for the gums in children.

Agitated, irritable children at the dentist can also mean sensory overload

Irritable, agitated children can mean several things – he or she is hungry, teething, has colic or indigestion, is restless and so much more. This behavior at the dentist can often exaggerate and get out of hand. At such times tried and tested means to pacify them don’t suffice. However, have you ever thought that children can be overwhelmed by large number of people, machines, strangers touching and prodding them, lights and sounds too? Many children act up not because they are just being irritable but are trying to convey how much the environment is overwhelming and affecting them. They become non-cooperative, throw tantrums, keep crying and whining, and usual forms of pacifying too don’t help.

This fact is something we at Small Bites have realized during the course of our work with children. To address that, our dental experience centers feature beach themed walls and play toys, sensorially designed lights and walls that can be felt and touched, providing the distraction that will ease them into much needed treatment.

As parents we are pre-conditioned to behave, react and pre-empt a certain way and practice tasks accordingly. But at every step we need gentle reminders that will help us relearn, for the better treatment of our children.

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How To Encourage Child’s Early Development?

Dr.Charmaine Kenita — Sat, 18 Jan 2020 11:52:34 +0000

Babies grow tremendously during the first five years of life – physically, emotionally but mainly intellectually. This growth is very important because it shapes their values, emotional quotient, happiness and learning throughout life. Children therefore need a lot of love, care and nurturing to help them develop properly. Although we often assume that kids that small don’t understand much, studies have proved time and again how the first years of life are often remembered by children and as they grow, lend to the personality they eventually become.

During the early years, children are hungry to learn and we must present them with as many opportunities as possible. Fortunately for us, most of these activities involve play. According to most child psychologists and occupational therapists, below are a few activities that children need to be engaged with.

GROSS MOTOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Sedentary children are those who will have delayed gross motor skill activity. It is a must to ensure they move their limbs frequently. Activities that encourage them to be physically active including running, climbing, jumping keep them active. Let them swing, climb obstacles, roll over and crawl under tables. This keep them active and continuously engaged.

FINE MOTOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Fine motor skills needs a discerning level of movement, and this is to do with their finger movement. Fingers can be kept dexterous and supple by getting children to play with sand, dough, opening lids, screwing caps on bottles, putting button in their holes and closing jars. Even if this takes long to master, doing it repeatedly will help in fine motor movement.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

Language development and vocabulary begin early, even though as parents we may not be aware of it. Reading to children is the best way to develop this. Children learn about shapes, colours, objects and eventually stories and contexts by being read to. Ask them questions as its done so they remember better.

SENSORY DEVELOPMENT

Toys aren’t just things they play with, but teach a lot subtly. Colors, textures and feeling are all that they get to learn and be aware of. Since children are still learning about spatial awareness and the sense of their bodies, everything helps them grasp it better. Children who lack sensory awareness often have difficulty processing food textures, struggle with focus and concentration.

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

While physical development does happen in toddlers, its the emotional development that also must take place side by side. Children aren’t alike, and while some of them engage with other kids easily, some don’t. Getting children to interact with others in parks, malls and play dates are great ways to make them more social.

VISUAL PROCESSING

Today’s kids are very quick in their analytical capabilities. Exposure to phones and tabs makes them solve puzzles easily. However, it is as important to do this in the real world. Negotiating the aspects of putting together and solving puzzles, feeling their edges and piecing them as a whole, are all attempts at visual processing which must start early.

MUSICALLY INCLINED

Music is often considered as a great part of early development, but plenty of research has found how impactful it can be. Musical instruction accelerates brain development especuially in those areas that process speech, reading and sound. Early music exposure is best for kids even though it might only be singing rhymes and clapping hands.

As simple and as basic as they might sound, the above needs to start really early to ensure your children are dev

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