Happy Tooth Clinic For Kids

WHEN SHOULD MY CHILD
HAVE THEIR FIRST DENTAL CHECK UP⁉️

🔹When the first tooth erupts

🔹Latest by the first birthday 🎂 🎉🥳
🔹We examine your child and see if all is well
🔹We teach the parent or care giver everything that there is to know about dental hygiene & a balanced, tooth friendly diet
🔹 This is a good start to a lifetime of healthy teeth for your child

Don't wait for that first toothache to visit the dentist.
Has your child seen the pediatric dentist yet? Make sure they do!

GETTING MY CHILD TO EAT THEIR VEGGIES!

If your child fusses to eat their vegetables, you are not alone🤗

Our kids become’Parent Deaf’🧏🏽‍♀️🧏🏽‍♂️ and switch off, when they hear our repeated dialogues about how healthy vegetables are.

👉🏼 They need to know what the vegetable does for their body
👉🏼 Speak to them in a manner that’s appropriate for their age
👉🏼 With little kids, talk about how the colour of the vegetable helps their body .eat.in.color
👉🏼 Older children can be given more details depending on their age and interest
👉🏼 If the child finds homemade Subzi spicy or doesn’t enjoy it in a gravy 🌶, simply give them a bowl of salad or sautéed vegetables🌽 🥦🥕🍅🫑🥬🧅🥔🥒
👉🏼Let them know that 1 or 2 portions of veges a day is a must because their body needs it
👉🏼Remember, the crunchier, the better!
CHEW! CHEW! CHEW!!

DOES YOUR CHILD LIKE VEGETABLES?What have you done to get them to eat their Veges? Let me know in the comments. Don’t forget to share this post with anyone you think will benefit🤗

GETTING MY CHILD TO EAT THEIR VEGGIES!

If your child fusses to eat their vegetables, you are not alone🤗

Our kids become’Parent Deaf’🧏🏽‍♀️🧏🏽‍♂️ and switch off, when they hear our repeated dialogues about how healthy vegetables are.

👉🏼 They need to know what the vegetable does for their body
👉🏼 Speak to them in a manner that’s appropriate for their age
👉🏼 With little kids, talk about how the colour of the vegetable helps their body .eat.in.color
👉🏼 Older children can be given more details depending on their age and interest
👉🏼 If the child finds homemade Subzi spicy or doesn’t enjoy it in a gravy 🌶, simply give them a bowl of salad or sautéed vegetables🌽 🥦🥕🍅🫑🥬🧅🥔🥒
👉🏼Let them know that 1 or 2 portions of veges a day is a must because their body needs it
👉🏼Remember, the crunchier, the better!
CHEW! CHEW! CHEW!!

DOES YOUR CHILD LIKE VEGETABLES?What have you done to get them to eat their Veges? Let me know in the comments. Don’t forget to share this post with anyone you think will benefit🤗

HOW DO I GET MY CHILD TO EAT FRUITS?🤷🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♀️

I keep mentioning in my posts that sugar in fruit is the best sugar. That whole fruit is safe for teeth apart from the fact that it is loaded with nutrients and great for health.

But what if your child isn’t a fruit lover?

Here are some tips to help you help your child. Send me a comment with questions and suggestions. Do share it with anyone you think will benefit.

A SPECIAL THANKS TO .eat.in.color FOR SOME GREAT TIPS🤗

DOES YOUR CHILD LIKE FRUIT? What’s their favourite fruit? What have you tried to get them to eat fruit?

IN TEENAGERS AND YOUNG ADULTS, we use fixed 😬(coloured or ceramic) and Invisalign invisible aligners to correct irregularly positioned, crowded and protruded teeth.

Orthodontic treatment helps rearrange teeth to perfect the smile and also correct how the teeth and jaws function.

Importance of orthodontic treatment
▫️Helps to create a functional bite that provides protection to the jaw joints
▫️Arranges the teeth well so the oral hygiene is easier to maintain
▫️Creates a balanced and pleasing facial profile
▫️Creates beautiful smiles 😀

WANT A BEAUTIFUL SMILE FOR YOURSELF? AGE IS NO BAR. I GOT BRACES IN MY LATE 40s 😃😃

WHEN WE GUIDE TEETH TO ERUPT WELL EARLY, THE CHANGES ARE REMARKABLE!

GUIDING TEETH TO ERUPT BETTER, EARLY!

DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS A CORRECT AND AN INCORRECT WAY TO SWALLOW⁉️⁉️⁉️🤨

✅Correct Swallow: Our teeth join, Our tongue pushes against the roof of the mouth and we swallow. There is no movement of the lip and face muscles.

❌Incorrect Swallow: Your child pushes the tongue in between the front teeth, purses their lips and squeezes the cheek muscles to swallow. This is called a Tongue Thrust swallow or a REVERSE SWALLOW.

A Persistent Tongue Thurst swallow can lead to an open bite. A persistent finger or thumb sucking habit can also lead to an open bite.

▫️We manage open bites by placing an appliance in the mouth.
▫️We call it a habit breaking appliance
▫️The appliance is fixed to help the open bite close
▫️ It helps the child give up the sucking habit by acting as a reminder and a physical barrier
▫️It prevents the tongue from resting or pushing in between the teeth when swallowing
▫️In addition to these appliances, tongue, lips and breathing excercises are also essential to retrain the oral muscles to achieve adequate posture and function

Have you noticed an open bite in your child’s mouth? Do contact your Pediatric Dentist and Orofacial myotherapist to get help with persistent oral habits.

GOOD QUALITY SLEEP 💤 😴 at night is directly related to how well your child grows and performs in the day. Breathing through the nose 👃🏾 when asleep, with the mouth closed and lips together - ensures good quality sleep.

▶️ADENOID is a mass of lymphatic tissue present behind the nose and the TONSILS are a pair of lymphatic tissue behind the throat. Allergies will cause the adenoids and tonsils to swell up and block the breathing passage forcing the child to breath through the mouth.

WHY IS NASAL BREATHING IMPORTANT?

👃🏾Our nose has natural filters in them that purify the air we breathe
👃🏽Nasal passage humidifies the air and oxygenates the air which inturn provides more oxygen to the body. This promotes restful, deep sleep and helps is adequate growth and development of child
👃🏾When children have good quality sleep at night, they are focused and calm in the day unlike mouth breathers who may have difficulty focusing and display signs of hyperactivity
👃🏽When nasal breathing requires effort, your child will breathe through the mouth. Poor oxygenation due to mouth breathing causes restless sleep, snoring and tooth grinding. Your child may have SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING.
👃🏼Nasal breathing promotes good tongue posture. It encourages the tongue to rest correctly against the roof of our mouth. mouth 👄 breathing forces the tongue 👅 to rest down . Poor tongue posture fails to mould the jaws and causes crowded and crooked teeth 🦷

SLEEP DENTISTRY & MEDICINE now believe that enlarged adenoids, tonsils and compromised breathing passages need to be treated to achieve better sleep quality, good growth of the teeth and jaws & an alert and attentive child!! 👧🏽🧒🏽👦🏾

DOES YOUR CHILD LEAVE THEIR LIPS APART AND MOUTH OPEN⁉️Share with me how your child sleeps. It may contribute to how well they enjoy their day!

IS YOUR CHILD HAVING A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP? 😴 💤💤

❓What constitutes a good nights sleep?
❓Is it the number of hours?
❓Is it the quality of sleep and how restful you child appears?

How well your child sleeps will determine how focused they can stay during the day and how well they will perform in their daytime activities.

🫥If your child snores, has noisy breathing, grinds their teeth at night or sleeps with their mouth open
🫥If your child is restless when they sleep, tosses, turns, kicks; sleep talks, wakes up or sits up in the middle of the night, has nightmares, bed wets, drools,
🫥 Finds it hard to wake up, doesn’t look fresh when he wakes up
🫥Is irritable, angry, hyperactive in the day

Your child may have very poor quality sleep at night because of mouth breathing and poor oxygenation.
Get your child examined for SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING if they show any of these symptoms.

Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments section.

Guiding the teeth early helps them come out better!
-

▶️ADENOID is a mass of lymphatic tissue present behind the nose and the TONSILS are a pair of lymphatic tissue behind the throat. Allergies will cause the adenoids and tonsils to swell up and block the breathing passage forcing the child to breath through the mouth.

WHY IS NASAL BREATHING IMPORTANT?

👃🏾Our nose has natural filters in them that purify the air we breathe
👃🏽Nasal passage humidifies the air and oxygenates the air which inturn provides more oxygen to the body. This promotes restful, deep sleep and helps is adequate growth and development of child
👃🏾When children have good quality sleep at night, they are focused and calm in the day unlike mouth breathers who may have difficulty focusing and display signs of hyperactivity
👃🏽When nasal breathing requires effort, your child will breathe through the mouth. Poor oxygenation due to mouth breathing causes restless sleep, snoring and tooth grinding. Your child may have SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING.
👃🏼Nasal breathing promotes good tongue posture. It encourages the tongue to rest correctly against the roof of our mouth. mouth 👄 breathing forces the tongue 👅 to rest down . Poor tongue posture fails to mould the jaws and causes crowded and crooked teeth 🦷

SLEEP DENTISTRY & MEDICINE now believe that enlarged adenoids, tonsils and compromised breathing passages need to be treated to achieve better sleep quality, good growth of the teeth and jaws & an alert and attentive child!! 👧🏽🧒🏽👦🏾

DOES YOUR CHILD LEAVE THEIR LIPS APART AND MOUTH OPEN⁉️Share with me how your child sleeps. It may contribute to how well they enjoy their day!

WHAT ARE OPEN BITES⁉️🙋🏾‍♀️🙋🏾‍♂️

▫️Teeth in the upper jaw must always overlap the teeth in the lower jaw when we bite down on our grinders
▫️When your child’s upper and lower teeth fail to overlap, leaving an open space, it’s called an OPEN BITE
▫️Though open bites can occur in the back as well as in the front of the mouth, the anterior open bites or those in the front, occur more often in children

WHY AN OPEN BITE?

▫️Thumb- sucking, finger-sucking or a prolonged use of a pacifier leads to unwanted pressure on the upper front teeth and roof of the mouth. This can lead to an "anterior open bite"
▫️The position of the tongue at rest and while swallowing shapes our upper jaw. Faulty tongue position and function can also cause an open bite.
▫️Many children who have blocked breathing passages and breathe through their mouths will rest their tongue between the front teeth rather than against the roof of the mouth causing the bite to open
▫️Faulty tongue motion while swallowing- also called a TONGUE THRUST or REVERSE SWALLOW, will contribute to causing an open bite in the front teeth

DIAGNOSING THESE FAULTY BITES EARLY & EARLY CORRECTION IS IMPORTANT. This helps prevent severe bite problems and complex orthodontic treatment in future.

Let your Pediatric Dentist evaluate if your child has an openbite

CATCH THEM YOUNG!

🌀When malocclusions are noticed and treated early, it goes a long way in preventing the need for severe orthodontic problems and major orthodontic treatment in future.

🌀In many cases, treating children early not only helps their jaws grow better but also helps them breathe, sleep and perform better.

🌀Visit your pediatric dentist so they can examine your child and intervene early if required. Know anyone who would need an early intervention? Share this post with them! 🤗

CATCH THEM YOUNG!

WHAT IS AN ANTERIOR CROSSBITE IN MY LITTLE CHILD’S MOUTH⁉️

👉🏼An ‘Anterior crossbite’, ’Inverted bite’ or ‘Underbite’ are different terms to describe a situation where the upper front teeth and/ or part of the upper jaw (maxilla) are stuck behind the lower front teeth.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN TEETH ARE IN AN ANTERIOR CROSSBITE⁉️

▶️ The Upper teeth and jaw (the maxilla) should always be ahead of the lower teeth and jaw (the mandible)
▶️ This allows for good growth of the upper jaw (the maxilla), the cheek bones, the floor of the nose and all the mid-face area
▶️ A crossbite in the front does not allow the upper jaw to grow out well, thereby restricting growth of all the structures of the midface
▶️ This has aesthetic implications in a growing child where the cheekbones, nose and upper jaw look flat and the lower jaw excessively prominent
▶️ Children with anterior crossbites may have difficulty chewing and pronouncing certain consonants
▶️ An anterior crossbite may be caused by a strong genetic predisposition

WHEN SHOULD AN ANTERIOR CROSSBITE BE TREATED?⁉️

▶️ The sooner the better!
▶️ Once corrected the maxilla can grow out well
▶️ We treat little children between 3 to 6 years with a simple procedure called Planus Tracks.
▶️ This treatment procedure does not involve braces, wires and clips
▶️ It corrects the crossbite in a few months allowing the jaws to grow out well

Does your child have a crossbite? Do check with your Peditric Dentist. If you know of anyone with a bite like this, do share the post with them. Do ask your questions in the comments section. Happy to help You 🤗

TEAM WORK TO HELP INFANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES

DR. VEERALE PANCHAL!

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ACLP!Advanced Certified Lactation Professional 👶🏽🤱🏽🎉🥳😍♥️

You make us proud! 😘
All the best for your journey to become an IBCLC!

With a pediatric dentist cm lactation consultant on our team, we are now fully equipped to look after the infant - mother dyad and difficulties that they may have with feeding and tongue and lip ties.

EVEN PARTIALLY ERUPTED MOLARS CAN GET CAVITIES IF THE TOOTHBRUSH DOESN’T GET TO THEM 🪥😩

⚠️REMEMBER THOUGH, CAVITIES CANNOT OCCUR WITHOUT FREE SUGAR CONSUMPTION

▶️ Permanent molars erupt in sets of 4 on the four corners of your child’s mouth

▶️ The first set of four molars erupt at approximately 6 to 7 years and the next set at around 11 to 12 years

▶️ The thirds set of 4 molars, also called the wisdom teeth may or may not erupt

▶️ While these teeth are still low and erupting, the gum tissue covers the molars partially

▶️ This makes them harder to reach with a toothbrush and they can gather plaque and food easily

▶️ Your child’s toothbrush needs to get further behind and into the mouth in order that you can get to these 🦷s and keep them free of plaque

▶️ We advise that you hold the toothbrush perpendicular to the grinding surface to get to these teeth. We call this technique cross-brushing

▶️ Reduce the intake of sticky free sugars in your child’s diet

▶️Once these teeth erupt fully, we can seal the grooves with Pit and Fissure Sealants

Have you noticed your child’s permanent molars erupt? Make sure the 🪥 gets to them. Your comments and questions are welcome in the comment section.🤗 Looking forward to help!

WATCH OUT FOR THESE!

THE ‘6 YEAR MOLARS’.

As the name suggests, they creep in silently behind your child’s milk molars, in four corners of the mouth, when your child is 6 to 7 years old.

Some kids will feel the new tooth come in, but many won’t. The tooth brush needs to get to the new teeth.

Remember to CROSS-BRUSH these molars.

WATCH OUT FOR THIS WHEN YOUR CHILD TURNS 6 to 7 YEARS OLD 🧐👀🕵🏽‍♂️🔍

The first set of permanent molars erupt silently on the corners of the upper and lower jaws. Four in all. No milk tooth wriggles and sheds when these teeth erupt. These permanent molars erupt silently and most often uneventfully.

▶️ The molars will take close to a year to erupt fully so they can rise up to the same plane or level as the remaining teeth

▶️ While they are still low and partially erupted, they will gather plaque and food if the brush doesn’t get to them

▶️ Your child’s toothbrush needs to get further behind in order that you can get to these 🦷s and keep them free of plaque

▶️ We advise that you hold the toothbrush perpendicular to the grinding surface to get to these teeth

▶️ We call this technique cross-brushing

▶️Once these teeth erupt fully, we can seal the grooves with Pit and Fissure Sealants

▶️This protects the grooves on the molar from catching plaque and food

Have you noticed your child’s permanent molars erupt? Your comments and questions are welcome in the comment section.🤗 Happy to help!

HAPPY GAS MAKES DENTISTRY A BREEZE FOR YOUR CHILD!

⏩Happy Gas and Sweet gas are synonyms we use for ‘Nitrous Oxide -Oxygen’.
⏩You may remember ‘Laughing Gas’ from your science classes at school
⏩We use happy gas for inhalation sedation during treatment procedures in children
⏩The gas works as an anxiolytic
⏩Your child feels extremely relaxed and is able to tolerate sensations more easily
⏩They are able to cooperate better, allowing for superior quality of care

INHALATION SEDATION USING HAPPY GAS IS VERY VERY SAFE!

⏩Your child will remain awake throughout the treatment
⏩They will respond to requests and questions
⏩They can swallow and cough if they like
⏩Immediately after the procedure, your child can get back to all routine activities
⏩The effect of the gas lasts for only as long as we give it

YOUR CHILD NEED NOT SUFFER FROM AN ANXIOUS OR UNPLEASANT DENTAL EXPERIENCE. HAPPY GAS MAKES AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION IN ACHIEVING THIS OBJECTIVE.
CHOOSE HAPPY GAS FOR YOUR CHILD TODAY!🧡🤗

WHY ARE GAPS IN MILK TEETH GOOD⁉️⁉️⁉️

BECAUSE THESE GAPS GIVE THE LARGER PERMANENT TEETH ENOUGH SPACE TO ARRANGE THEMSELVES WELL!

WATCH THIS CHILD AT 3, 8 & 12 YEARS‼️

Believe it or not, it’s wonderful if your child has spaces between their milk teeth 🙌🏽

WHAT ARE THESE SPACES AND WHY ARE THEY SEEN ?

ℹ️Spaces in between milk teeth are a natural feature in children

◻️They indicate that the jaws are growing well and that the tongue is resting correctly, suctioned against the roof of the mouth (the palate)

◻️ Well spaced baby teeth indicate that there will be adequate space for the permanent teeth to arrange themselves in the jaws

◻️Permanent teeth are much larger in size than the baby teeth they replace and the extra spacing helps accommodate them well

◻️Tightly packed milk teeth with no gaps in them may look pretty. Unfortunately, there will be less space for permanent teeth

◻️This can lead to crowding and unsatisfactory alignment in the permanent teeth

◽️Food will get stuck easily between tightly packed teeth. Brushing and flossing is more difficult in these teeth

Does your child has tightly packed baby teeth or do they have gaps in their baby teeth? Take a look and let us know!

START EARLY!⏰👶🏽

Whether it’s the first dental check up or looking after your little one’s teeth, starting early can make all the difference.

1️⃣Oral hygiene starts even before the first tooth erupts
2️⃣Brushing starts when the first tooth erupts 🪥
3️⃣The first dental check up is advised by your little one’s first birthday 🎂

An early start will ensure a lifetime of good diet and hygiene habits and healthy teeth

Have you taken your little one to see the dentist yet? Have you started with their oral hygiene routine. Do go through our posts to see how and why.

Share your questions and experiences in the
comments below🤗

TREATING TONGUE TIES! 🪢

▫️A tongue tie is a band of tissue that tethers the tongue to the floor of the mouth.
▫️This prevents the tongue from resting in the right position against the roof of the mouth while swallowing. It also prevents the tongue from extending out of the mouth.
▫️May cause difficulties in latching in babies, speech and eating issues due to restricted tongue activity
▫️Causes narrow jaws and crowding of teeth since the tied tongue is unable to mould the jaws

LASER TONGUE TIE RELEASE⚡️⚡️

▫️We use a dental soft tissue laser to release the tongue tie in children, very easily on the dental chair. There is NO BLEEDING, NO STITCHES!🩸🚫
▫️Your child is taught tongue exercises to achieve maximum range of movement
▫️Exercises to lift the tongue up to the roof of the mouth or the palate with the mouth wide open - ELEVATION and to suck the back of the tongue to the palate IS THE ULTIMATE AIM
▫️Training the tongue to stick of the mouth - EXTENTION - is also a goal
▫️We prescribe exercises 10 days prior to the tongue tie release procedure so that the child and you can get comfortable with the exercises
▫️Exercises should continue for at least 3 months post treatment so that the tongue does not tighten or reattach as it heels
▫️These exercises also ensures good strength, flexibility and movement of the tongue
▫️They also improve tongue posture

Does your child have a tongue tie❓Do you suspect one❓Ask your Pediatric Dentist about a Laser Tongue tie release.

Share this post with family and friends you think benefit from this information. Ask your questions in the comments section below.

EXERCISING IS THE KEY TO GET THE TONGUE MOVING!

# happytoothclinicforkids

The tongue should be free to keep the breathing passage open.
Let your Pediatric Dentist assess your child for a tongue tie and airway problems associated with it