Why is my child complaining of tooth pain?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 40% of adults report tooth pain in a given year. And if that statistic isn’t staggering enough, an average of 34 million school hours are lost each year due to dental emergencies for kids who require unplanned care. That’s a lot of missed time spent battling tooth pain that could have been prevented.

So when it comes to tooth pain in kids, what are the typical causes?

1. Cavities

Cavities, also called dental caries, are formed by tooth decay. And tooth decay forms over time, starting with the development of plaque that then begins to attack the teeth, and destruction begins. Cavities often result in a toothache, as the pulp inside the tooth swells and become irritated from the bacteria. Since there is no place for the swelling to expand inside the tooth, the nerve is compressed, resulting in pain. In the most severe cases, discomfort can extend beyond the tooth root to the bone.

But if your child has a cavity, you should know they aren’t alone. According to the CDC, 57% of kids age 12 to 19 have had a cavity in their permanent teeth. And about 90% of adults age 20 or over have had a cavity too.

2. Tooth Abscess 

A bacterial infection causes a tooth abscess. Abscesses are pockets of pus that can occur in different areas near the tooth for various reasons. Dental abscesses are quite painful and can be very dangerous if not treated, so it is important to know the signs and symptoms.

• Severe, constant throbbing toothache 
• Pain or discomfort with hot and cold temperatures
• Pain, discomfort, or sensitive teeth with the pressure of chewing or biting
• Fever
• Swelling in the face, cheek, or neck 
• Tender, swollen lymph nodes under the jaw or in the neck
• Bad breath (halitosis)
• Foul-smelling and foul-tasting, salty fluid in the mouth that comes on suddenly
• Pain relief, if the abscess ruptures

Though dental abscesses are less common in children, they do happen. An untreated abscess can cause tooth loss and travel to the surrounding lymph nodes, the heart, and the brain. If your child shows signs of an abscess, you must contact their pediatric dentist as soon as possible.

3. Dentin Hypersensitivity 

The dentin in your tooth is the protective layer beneath your enamel that guards the tooth’s nerves and blood vessels. When the dentin loses the protection of enamel, those narrow pathways let heat and cold or sticky and acidic foods stimulate the nerves and cells inside the tooth. The result is dentin hypersensitivity (also called tooth sensitivity).

If your child is experiencing dental hypersensitivity, their pediatric dentist near Vancouver, WA, will likely recommend self-care products, including tooth powders, toothpaste, mouth rinses, and chewing gum. Know that cold and hot drinks and foods can contribute to tooth pain, and the teeth may be sensitive to toothbrushing and flossing. Be sure to let the dentist know so a treatment plan can be determined.

4. Broken or Cracked Tooth

Surprisingly enough, broken or cracked teeth aren’t all that uncommon. Rough play and sports, accidents like slips and falls, etc., can cause a broken tooth before you know it. And if your child breaks or cracks a tooth, chewing can cause movement of the pieces, and the pulp can become irritated. If your child has a broken or cracked tooth, have them rinse their mouth with warm water to clean the area, and apply a cold compress on the outside of the cheek to prevent swelling. Over-the-counter (OTC) anti-inflammatory painkillers, such as Advil and Tylenol, can reduce swelling and pain until you can get your child to the dentist.

5. Sinus infection

Sometimes, tooth pain is not related to the tooth or a problem in the mouth at all. But since the largest sinuses are located above the back teeth of the upper jaw and the roots of the upper teeth are located close to the sinus cavity, inflammation in the sinuses might cause pain in nearby teeth. Common symptoms of a sinus infection include the following:

• Postnasal drip
• Greenish-colored nasal discharge
• Nasal stuffiness
• Congestion
• Tenderness of the face under the eyes or at the bridge of the nose
• Tooth pain
• Headaches on the forehead or front of the face
• Coughing
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Halitosis (bad breath)

Contact Must Love Kids if your child has a toothache.

If your child is experiencing tooth pain, request an appointment with the team at Must Love Kids. We’ll help get to the root cause of the pain and help them feel better as soon as possible. No one likes to see kids suffer unnecessarily. We look forward to helping you and providing recommendations on good oral health to prevent future toothaches.

Do you have questions about palate expanders? Don’t worry, we’ve got the answers!

Before we answer all of your great questions, let’s make sure you know what your palate is. And, what is this thing the dentist is recommending, anyway? Well, your palate is the roof of your mouth; it’s that space that you can push your tongue into to try to stop a brain freeze or when you are just acting silly. The front portion of your palate is hard and bony, and the back portion is soft and made of muscle.

A palate expander is a small device that your dentist, pediatric dentist, or orthodontist puts in your mouth to make your upper jaw a bit bigger. Once your jaw is bigger, it will make it easier for you to take care of your teeth and gums. And, if you need braces when you are older, it will make it easier for your braces to do their job. Your dentist will have you wear the expander for a few weeks or up to a year, depending on how much help your jaw needs.

You’re probably wondering, too, if it will hurt to get an expander. Getting an expander shouldn’t hurt; however, it might be slightly uncomfortable as you get used to it. We recommend that your mom or dad give you some Tylenol or Advil before your appointment to get your expander and maybe for the next day or two while you get used to it. Think of the expander as what it feels like to build new muscles. You might be a bit sore, but it goes away pretty quickly, and you will feel so much better. The good news is that you will get used to your expander within just a few days.

Now that you know what your palate is and how an expander can help, let’s answer your other questions.

1. Do I have to clean my expander?

You will need to clean your expander three times a day. The plaque in your mouth loves to stick to the plastic and metal of your expander, but thankfully, cleaning it is easy. All you have to do is brush around the expander’s bands, plastic, and support arms. We’ll give you a special kind of brush called a proxabrush that will make it easy for you to get into the small narrow areas. Keeping your expander clean will help make your mouth more comfortable.

2. Can I still eat candy?

We do have a little bit of bad news for you. While you have your expander, you will need to avoid sticky foods as well as hard and chewy foods. This means you need to stay away from the following types of goodies:

• Hard foods like popcorn, peanuts, potato chips, candied apples, and corn on the cob.
• Sticky foods like chewing gum, gummy bears, fruit Roll Ups, caramels, taffy, Skittles, Milk Duds, and Jolly Ranchers.
• Soda and sports drinks that contain high amounts of sugar.

So, think of this as a good time to enjoy some soft snacks, such as pudding, smoothies, mashed potatoes, yogurt, and ice cream. 

3. Do I have to get braces?

Not all kids who get an expander will need to get braces. Sometimes, an expander is needed just to help make your mouth bigger for your adult teeth to come in. But, often a kids’ dentist might recommend that kids get an expander before braces. An expander is intended to make space for your teeth to come in straight and to straighten out your other teeth once there is more room in your mouth. Don’t be afraid to ask your dentist if you will need braces. They will tell you what they think is best for your mouth to make sure you have a happy and healthy smile.

Dr. Mo and the Must Love Kids Pediatric Dentistry team can answer any questions you have about palate expanders.

It’s totally normal to have questions about palate expanders. At your appointment with Dr. Mo, we’ll tell you everything you need to know and answer any other questions you might have. So don’t be afraid to speak up and ask away! We love working with kids, and our job is to ensure that your experience with your palate expander is a good one so that you can tell all your friends about it. 

None of us enjoy seeing our kids uncomfortable, so when you get the news that your child has one or more cavities, it’s natural to dread the appointment to get them filled. Taking your child to the dentist, especially for a dental procedure, can feel overwhelming. But what if we told you that there’s a piece of cutting-edge dental technology that could help your child feel calmer and more comfortable throughout their dental procedure?

This is where Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia comes in! This painless dental anesthesia delivery system makes several improvements to the traditional method of injecting localized anesthetic by hand. Together, these benefits make it capable of transforming your child’s experience during dental procedures. I

t’s this transformation that makes it so popular at our practice. If you’ve never heard of it before, though, it’s natural to wonder exactly what it is and what attributes allow it to provide such an improved experience for your child. We’ve put together a guide to help you understand just that.

What is Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia?  

Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia is a new and painless dental anesthesia delivery system. This system uses cutting-edge technology to painlessly deliver anesthesia directly to the tooth that needs it. Instead of the traditional needle with a syringe that’s pushed down by a dentist, Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia consists of a pen-like delivery tool that’s connected directly to a specialized computer system. It receives real-time pressure feedback, which allows it to flawlessly control the speed of the anesthetic as it is injected into the gum tissue.

What are the benefits of this dental anesthesia?

Just like other advances in dental technology, Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia provides quite a few benefits over traditional methods. It’s especially beneficial for children because it can make their experience during a procedure—such as getting a filling for a dental carie—calmer and more positive than ever.

1. Less Scary for Kids

One of the first things you—and your child—will notice about the Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia Wand, which is what administers the anesthetic to your child, is that it doesn’t look like a typical syringe and needle. Instead, it looks like a pen with a tiny needle on the end, which makes it much less scary and intimidating for children. Seeing the syringe and needle can be a scary moment for your child, but this eliminates that. It’s a simple change in appearance, but it can make the process of numbing their mouth much easier for everyone involved, especially your child!

2. Less Pain

When localized anesthetic is delivered with a traditional needle, several factors can make it more painful. The first is the speed with which the anesthetic is pushed into the area, and the second is the number of times that the needle needs to be taken out and reinserted. This change in the needle’s positioning is often necessary to completely numb the entire area with traditional methods. Topical anesthesia can be used to help offset this by numbing the surface of the gums before injections are delivered, but multiple injections can still be particularly hard on kids.

The Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia system fixes both problems by delivering the local anesthetic at a set, controlled speed, and eliminating the need for multiple injections. With less pain and only a single injection, you won’t have to worry about getting your child to sit still or calm down for a second injection—they’re simply one and done! It’ll be over before they realize it, with as little fuss as possible.

3. More Precise

While traditional local anesthetic injections often end up numbing a larger area of your child’s face, Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia uses advanced technology to provide real-time feedback to deliver the exact amount of anesthetic right where it’s needed. This high-tech system and its easy-to-control wand work together to help your child’s dentist deliver anesthetic to a precise area—directly to the tooth that needs it.

4. Fewer Side Effects

Since this painless dental anesthesia delivery method is so precise, it also results in fewer side effects. This means that while the area that needs to be numbed will experience no pain at all, your child shouldn’t experience the uncomfortable, lingering feeling of a numb tongue or lips. Without that infamous fat lip sensation, they’ll have an easier time eating and speaking right away. Plus, it just helps them recover faster overall, which is a great bonus for both of you!

Must Love Kids has your child’s comfort in mind.

Computer Assisted Local Anesthesia is just one of several ways we can transform your child’s experience with dental care and procedures, making it easier and less stressful for both you and your child. Plus, transforming your child’s experience with dental procedures can help make taking them to future appointments easier as they build more positive experiences. If you’d like to learn more about this painless dental anesthesia delivery technique, other ways we can make your child’s experience at the dentist more comfortable and less stressful, or simply how to know if your child has a cavity from a pediatric dentist in Vancouver, WA, feel free to schedule a consultation with Dr. Mo or Dr. G at any time.

Tooth extraction is relatively rare when dealing with baby teeth. There are many preventive and restorative treatments that can help with just about any dental issues your child might experience. However, baby tooth extraction is sometimes needed, and your dentist can ensure that the appropriate treatment option is chosen.

Don’t Hesitate to Bring Your Child to the Dentist.

The first thing you should know about baby tooth extraction is that it can be avoided through early intervention. You shouldn’t hesitate to bring your child to the dentist if they complain of tooth pain or increased sensitivity.

Putting off a visit until later increases the chances that the dental issue will continue to progress. As it becomes worse, your child will become more likely to require extraction for their baby or primary teeth.

When caught early enough, common dental issues can be handled through filling cavities, pulpotomies, dental bonding, or other relatively simple treatment options. Extracting a tooth is generally the last resort and only becomes necessary once serious decay or damage has taken hold.

The Stages of Tooth Decay

Tooth decay is one of the most prominent issues that leads to tooth extraction. It has multiple stages of progression, and tooth extraction is generally only required for the most advanced stages.

The first stage is demineralization, where bacteria start to cause enamel to weaken. This stage is fully reversible through the use of fluoride, including fluoride toothpaste and treatment at your dentist’s office. Fluoride remineralizes enamel, restoring its strength.

If not remineralized, the enamel will begin to decay. This leads to the formation of dark spots that eventually give way to cavities. Bacteria continue to thrive and grow in the cavities, extending them deeper.

Eventually, the tooth decay can extend to the next layer of the tooth, the dentin. This soft layer underneath the enamel is even more susceptible to decay once it is exposed. At this stage, your child will have extreme sensitivity.

When tooth decay works through the dentin, it reaches the pulp, which is the soft tissue containing nerves and blood vessels inside the tooth. Bacteria will quickly infect the pulp, causing swelling, pain, inflammation, and more. A root canal or pulpotomy is necessary to resolve the issue at this stage.

If left untreated, the bacteria can cause an abscess within the tooth, causing severe pain and issues in other parts of the mouth. At this stage, tooth extraction is a likely outcome.

Preparing for Orthodontic Treatment

Tooth decay is not the only reason that your child might need a baby tooth extraction. Children often require some form of orthodontic treatment as they develop, whether it’s braces or other interventions. At this stage, children will have a combination of both baby and permanent teeth present, and some of the baby teeth could pose an issue.

Extreme crowding could be a potential issue that would require tooth extraction ahead of orthodontic treatment, as there simply isn’t enough room for teeth to assume the correct positions.

In most cases, tooth extraction is avoided whenever possible. In the case of orthodontics, early baby teeth removal can often lead to complications. If the adult teeth aren’t ready to emerge, removing a baby tooth leaves a gap that other teeth might shift into, leading to further crowding and misalignment problems.

Why Pull a Baby Tooth If It’ll Fall Out Anyway?

Baby teeth eventually fall out on their own to make way for permanent teeth. At first glance, this might make tooth extraction seem unnecessary. However, the reason for tooth extraction is typically urgent, and waiting for the tooth to fall out naturally will simply take too long and cause more issues.

All of your child’s baby teeth will have emerged between the ages of 6 months and 2 to 3 years. They’ll lose those teeth between the ages of 6 and 12. This means that a tooth that must be extracted might not be lost naturally for years to come.

In that time, the decayed or damaged tooth will continue to be highly sensitive and painful for your child. An abscessed tooth can allow infection to spread throughout the mouth and even affect the jawbone. Avoiding these serious consequences means extracting teeth when the treatment is necessary.

The Dental Care Your Child Needs

Tooth extraction can be a very frightening prospect for children. At Must Love Kids, we provide the care and relaxing atmosphere needed to provide the best experience for children no matter what type of treatment they need. You can contact us today to schedule an appointment with a pediatric dentist in Vancouver, WA.

Did you know that children can experience obstructive sleep apnea just like adults? Although the symptoms in adults and children share many similarities, one significant cause tends to happen much more frequently in children: tongue ties.

Let’s take a closer look at the relationship between tongue ties and sleep apnea in kids.

What is pediatric obstructive sleep apnea?

Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep-disordered breathing condition that occurs in children. Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, is just one of three different forms of sleep apnea. It’s the most common type of sleep apnea in children and adults. 

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the airway in a person’s throat becomes blocked, typically by the soft tissues in the throat falling backward. This results in snoring but also has several negative long-term health effects. Getting a diagnosis and treatment for pediatric OSA is vital to ensure your child can sleep well and develop appropriately for their age.

How do I know if my child has pediatric sleep apnea?

Many parents notice their child’s OSA symptoms before getting a confirmed diagnosis. The most common symptoms of pediatric sleep apnea include:

• Open-mouth breathing while resting or sleeping.
• Snoring as a normal nightly behavior.
• Noticeable pauses in breathing while sleeping.
• Daytime tiredness despite appearing to sleep through the night.
• Restlessness while trying to sleep.

It’s important to get a professional diagnosis if your baby or child is experiencing OSA or other sleep-disordered breathing symptoms. A pediatrician or sleep specialist can provide this diagnosis, but it’s important for your child’s pediatric dentist to be involved as well. 

How do tongue ties impact obstructive sleep apnea?

A tongue tie, also known as ankyloglossia, is a congenital condition characterized by a short frenulum where the tongue attaches to the mouth. Lip ties are a similar condition in which the frenum between the lip and gums is too short. Both conditions make it difficult for infants and children to nurse, eat, drink, and speak.

There are two primary ways in which tongue ties can either trigger or worsen obstructive sleep apnea in children.

1. Open-Mouth Breathing

Kids with tongue-ties often exhibit open-mouth breathing, especially while sleeping. Unfortunately, chronic open-mouth breathing can dry out and irritate the soft tissues in the mouth and throat. Tonsils often become inflamed due to this irritation, causing them to swell and block the airway.

2. Low Tongue Position

A tongue tie physically forces the tongue to lay at a lower position than it should, particularly while at rest when the tongue should touch the palate or roof of the mouth. Over time, this low tongue position prevents the palate from developing properly as your child develops, resulting in smaller nasal passages and sleep-disordered breathing.

What is a frenectomy, and will it stop OSA symptoms?

A frenectomy is a simple in-office procedure used to revise tongue or lip ties. The treatment process involves clipping the frenulum to allow the tongue or lips to have a greater range of motion. Although frenectomies can be done at any age, it’s most beneficial during infancy.

At Must Love Kids Pediatric Dentistry, our dentists prioritize your baby’s comfort during the procedure, and we provide a gentle anesthetic to alleviate any discomfort. Unlike many other pediatric dental practices, our dentists use an advanced dental diode laser for frenectomies. An ultra-precise laser means less bleeding and swelling, and your baby will heal faster than traditional surgical methods.

After a frenectomy, you’ll need to practice some easy exercises with your baby to help them regain full movement of their lips or tongue. Many parents notice a positive change in their baby’s behavior within a few days to a week.

If your child’s primary cause of OSA was a tongue tie, then a frenectomy should stop their symptoms. If your child’s OSA has a different cause, a frenectomy will greatly help alleviate their symptoms when combined with additional treatment.

Laser frenectomies at Must Love Kids Pediatric Dentistry in Vancouver, WA

The dentists at Must Love Kids Pediatric Dentistry provide gentle pediatric dentistry services, from your baby’s first checkup to helping your pre-teen straighten their smile with braces. Laser frenectomies are an important service we offer for babies struggling with nursing or toddlers experiencing open-mouth breathing and sleep apnea symptoms. If you suspect your child may have a tongue tie or they’re having trouble sleeping, schedule a consultation with their pediatric dentist.

You’ve already found out that you’ll be getting braces, and now the big day is almost here!

You may be feeling super excited, but you’re probably also wondering what it’s going to be like that first day. After all, it’s not like a dental cleaning or getting a filling, which might be things you’re used to. Braces are something new, and that means you don’t exactly know what to expect.

If this sounds like how you’re feeling, we’ve got your back! We’re going to go over everything you need to know about the first day with braces.

How Braces Are Applied to Teeth

Good news – having braces applied to your teeth doesn’t hurt, and Dr. Mo will be done in about an hour or two! The only thing you need to do during your visit is sit back, relax, and let Dr. Mo work on your teeth. 

There are about five steps involved in having braces put on your teeth.

Step 1: Cleaning Your Teeth

First, Dr. Mo needs to make sure your teeth are perfectly clean. This part is similar to regular dental cleaning, but you’ll probably be wearing a special mouthpiece that keeps your cheeks away from your teeth. This mouthpiece is important because your teeth need to stay dry while the brackets are being glued on. 

Step 2: Placing the Brackets

After your teeth are prepped and dry, Dr. Mo will then place brackets on your teeth. These are the square metal pieces that will hold the wires in place.

Dr. Mo will pick brackets for each tooth based on its size and shape. She’ll attach these with a special adhesive that works like a super strong glue. The adhesive Dr. Mo uses will then be cured with a special light, which hardens the glue.

Step 3: Placing the Bands

Sometimes Dr. Mo will also place special metal bands around your molars. These metal bands work like an anchor for your braces and can help move your teeth better when you have big gaps or a lot of crookedness. These metal bands are also placed on your teeth with a special dental glue.

Step 4: Attaching the Wires

After the brackets and metal bands are in place and set, Dr. Mo then adds the wire. These wires straighten your teeth by guiding them slowly into a better position. Dr. Mo will use special colored rubber bands to hold these wires in place by securing them to the metal brackets on your teeth. The best part is you get to choose the color of your rubber bands! 

Step 5: Final Fit

After everything is in place Dr. Mo will have you sit up and see how the braces feel. Your new braces will feel like you have a lot of stuff in your mouth, but you shouldn’t feel anything sharp or painful. If something doesn’t feel good, Dr. Mo will take a look and make changes to make sure you feel before you leave the office. 

What Braces Feels Like the First Day

Right away you’ll notice that your mouth feels kind of funny. Your new braces might feel big and your mouth will also feel dry since you had it open for so long. Dr. Mo will give you lip balm and a special wax called orthodontic wax. She’ll show you how you can put a little bit of wax on any part of your braces that feel uncomfortable or pokey against your lips, cheek, or tongue.

After you get home you might notice that your teeth feel sensitive or uncomfortable, especially when you eat for the first time. This is normal, and don’t worry, within a day or two you’re going to feel much better! Your mouth just needs a little time to get used to your braces.

Your Next Visit to the Dentist

After your first week or two with braces, you should feel pretty used to wearing them. Keep using your wax as needed, wear lip balm, and make sure you’re drinking plenty of water. You also want to be careful that you don’t eat anything you’re not supposed to. If you’re not sure about eating something, always ask your parents first.

After your braces are put on you’ll see Dr. Mo again every 4 to 8 weeks for a check-up and tightening. During these visits she’ll examine your braces and sometimes take an X-ray. If everything looks good, Dr. Mo will tighten the wires on your braces to make sure they keep moving your teeth. You’ll also get a chance to change your bands to a different color if you want! If you or your parents ever have questions about your braces, Dr. Mo can help. Your parents can get in touch with Dr. Mo by calling our Vancouver, WA, office or asking a question online.

We use our jaws almost constantly to eat, speak, express our emotions, and even swallow. Despite this near-constant use, we don’t often think about them—we just trust them to do their jobs! When we do think about our jaws, it’s easy to view them as independent from the rest of the body, but they’re just as connected as any other joint. This means that when your child has jaw misalignment, it can lead to a surprising range of problems, many of which can impact their sleep patterns and the way they feel every day.

When your child isn’t sleeping well, it shows—the resulting fatigue impacts their mood and causes them to act hyperactive or very obviously exhausted. All of this can make it difficult for them to concentrate in school and learn new information even if they’re trying. The good news, though, is that treating a jaw misalignment can improve or resolve many of these problems, helping your child feel better in ways you may not expect! To help you understand just how big of an impact these treatments can have on your child’s daily life, we’ve put together a list of 5 problems most people don’t know are caused by jaw misalignment.

Dental Wear and Injuries

The enamel protecting our teeth is incredibly durable. It’s part of what allows teeth to last for a lifetime when they’re cared for properly. It does tend to be brittle, though, so it can chip, crack, or break when enough force is applied to it. And teeth are more than capable of wearing each other down. This is exactly what can happen when your child’s bite is misaligned.

Jaw misalignment impacts the way your child chews, causing some of their teeth to wear more quickly than others. It also makes them more likely to suffer from bruxism, which is when they habitually clench or grind their teeth. Bruxism exerts a lot of force on teeth and risks chipping, cracking, or breaking them, but it can also cause your child’s teeth to wear down more quickly than they should. Over time this can lead to discomfort, emergencies, and procedures your child wouldn’t otherwise need.

Resolving your child’s malocclusion evens out the way their teeth come together and lets their jaws relax into a more comfortable position, making them less likely to clench or grind their teeth. This cuts down on the chance of dental injuries and excessive wear, which in turn helps their teeth stay healthier.

Sleep Apnea

Our jaws and airways are integrally connected, so the position of your child’s jaws can impact how open their airway is. Everyone’s jaws have an ideal position where they’re able to fully relax while keeping their airway as open as possible. This ideal position helps your child breathe easy and reduces joint and muscle strain. When your child’s jaw isn’t in an ideal position, however, it can cause their airway to narrow. This can contribute to obstructive sleep apnea, especially when paired with weak muscles in their mouth or throat.

For some patients, resolving malocclusion is a permanent way to open up the airway, stopping snoring and relieving or even eliminating symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea. Since sleep apnea has a range of symptoms, including fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and increased risk of anxiety, depression, and heart disease, even a reduction in symptoms can improve the way your child feels. Everyone’s case is unique, so it’s always wise to seek out an orthodontic evaluation to see if resolving your child’s malocclusion could help. Because this connection is prevalent in kids and treatment could transform your child’s daily life, it’s worth looking into!

Improper Swallowing and Poor Oral Posture

A misaligned bite can also lead to issues in oral posture and the way your child swallows, In short, it impacts the way the facial muscles work together. Improper swallowing, which is when the tongue presses against or between your teeth as you swallow instead of against the roof of your mouth, can lead to problems of its own. After all, that’s a lot of daily, repeated pressure against your child’s teeth. Poor oral posture, when the tongue rests by pressing against the upper or lower teeth, can be more harmful because it’s constant. These issues can lead to problems like an open bite, protrusion, and mouth breathing.

Although these behaviors are subconscious, they’re not impossible to change! If your child has one or both of these issues, you can pair your child’s orthodontic treatment with myofunctional therapy, which is as simple as exercising their face and jaw muscles every day. This retrains them to move the way they’re meant to and works with orthodontic treatment. Since these behaviors can continue to shift your child’s teeth even after they’ve had braces, this is sometimes an essential but simple step for long-term results.

Gastrointestinal Symptoms

There are two main ways that jaw misalignment can cause gastrointestinal issues. The first is improper swallowing. Improper swallowing often causes your child to swallow air, and that air causes gastrointestinal symptoms like stomach aches, bloating, and loss of appetite. The second way involves how your child chews. The first step of digestion begins in your child’s mouth, so if they’re unable to chew as thoroughly as they would with an even bite, poor digestion can result. Bigger pieces of food are harder for your child’s digestive system to break down, leading to stomach aches and even poor nutrition despite a healthy diet.

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder

A misaligned bite can put more stress on your child’s jaw when they chew or cause bruxism, both of which can lead to symptoms of TMJ disorder. These include jaw pain or stiffness that makes eating and speaking difficult as well as lesser symptoms like frequent headaches, sore muscles, earaches, dizziness, and more. These symptoms can make it difficult for your child to fall or stay asleep, impacting the amount and quality of sleep they get each night.

Not every child with a misaligned bite will struggle with TMJ disorder, but if so, orthodontic treatment might be the key. When treatment is complete, your child will likely sleep more soundly at night and feel better during the day!

Comprehensive Care for Malocclusion

At Must Love Kids, we know just how important it is to ensure that your child receives comprehensive care for their jaw misalignment. Orthodontics isn’t always the full solution to your child’s jaw misalignment—they may need additional treatment, such as myofunctional therapy, to gain the full, long-term benefits of their orthodontic treatment. If they need this aspect of treatment but don’t receive it through comprehensive care, their teeth can begin shifting back into their previous positions after braces are removed.

A vital aspect of giving your child the best result possible is catching these issues early, so it’s important to see a pediatric dentist in Vancouver, WA, like Dr. G and Dr. Mo, who are trained to look for jaw misalignment and malocclusion. They know what signs to look for in your child and will help set you up with needed resources. This makes Dr. G and Dr. Mo vital resources for you in the effort to make sure your child gets the best comprehensive care possible.

Jaw misalignment can significantly impact your child’s daily life, but early diagnosis and treatment can provide results that transform the way your child feels. If you’re ready to take the first step toward determining if your child needs orthodontic treatment, feel free to schedule an appointment with Dr. G or Dr. Mo at any time.

Your child has been experiencing a toothache, and their pediatric dentist has discovered that a badly decayed baby tooth is the cause of the problem. The good news is that your child’s tooth is able to be saved. However, a dental filling won’t be able to fix the issue. Now what? In this situation many pediatric dentists recommend a procedure called a pulpotomy.

What is a pulpotomy?

A pulpotomy is a fairly common tooth decay treatment option for kids’ primary (baby) teeth. In fact, many pediatric dentists refer to a pulpotomy as a baby root canal when discussing treatment options with parents.

If you’re a bit taken aback by the idea of your child going through a root canal, rest assured that a pulpotomy is not the same process as the root canal you may have experienced as an adult.

Pulpotomies are far less invasive than traditional root canals and are performed on live teeth that simply need more protection than a dental filling is able to offer. During a pulpotomy, a pediatric dentist will only remove decayed tooth and coronal pulp. Coronal pulp is simply the nerves and soft tissue within the tooth above the gumline.

Pulpotomy vs. Pulpectomy

Though the terms sound similar, there is a big difference between a pulpotomy and a pulpectomy. A pulpectomy is the more invasive option that most people recognize as the traditional root canal procedure.

While a pulpotomy is done on a live tooth and only removes diseased coronal pulp, a pulpectomy is used on a dead tooth and removes all pulp, including that located in the tooth roots.

When is it necessary?

A pulpotomy is necessary when a child’s decayed tooth is too damaged for a typical dental filling and pulpitis is present.

Pulpitis is inflammation of the tooth pulp. This condition occurs when tooth decay has broken down enough tooth enamel to reach the inner layer of dentin and eventually the pulp itself. Symptoms start as tooth sensitivity and can quickly result in a terrible, nagging toothache for your child.

A pulpotomy is often the last resort before a decayed baby tooth has to be pulled.

Why not extract all decayed baby teeth?

Since baby teeth are temporary, many parents naturally wonder why their child’s problem tooth can’t simply be pulled.

Although your child’s baby teeth won’t be around for long, they serve a very important purpose while they’re present. They ensure your child is able to speak and eat properly. Most importantly, their natural loss allows for future adult teeth to erupt in proper alignment.

Premature loss of baby teeth can lead to trouble chewing and tooth alignment issues, including gaps between adult teeth, crowding, and crookedness. For these reasons, a pulpotomy is a fantastic solution for saving valuable baby teeth while preventing further decay or damage from occurring.

What happens during my child’s pulpotomy?

The process of getting a pulpotomy is easy for most kids. In terms of chair time and invasiveness, the entire procedure is right between dental fillings and traditional root canals.

There are four steps to a typical pulpotomy appointment.

After you and your child arrive for their appointment, you are welcomed into the office and situated in an exam room. The check-in process is the same as most treatments and checkups.

The first step in a pulpotomy is receiving an evaluation from their pediatric dentist and getting numb. Our doctors take comfort very seriously and will ensure your child’s tooth is completely numb before moving forward.

The second step is the gentle removal of any decayed tooth enamel surrounding the cavity. This is the same process that happens before placing a dental filling.

The third step is opening the pulp chamber and removing the coronal pulp within the tooth. During this step the dentist will also place special medication within the now empty space in the tooth.

The fourth step is sealing the pulp chamber and covering the tooth in a protective stainless steel crown. Your child’s pulpotomy is now complete, and they are ready to go home.

Sedation can help your child experience a trouble-free pulpotomy.

If your child has had a dental filling done before and handled it well, a pulpotomy should be a very similar experience. If your child is feeling nervous or doesn’t enjoy visits to the dentist, Must Love Kids offers a few sedation options to ensure their patients are relaxed and comfortable.

Find out if it is the optimal treatment for your child’s toothache.

Toothaches and temperature sensitivity are the first signs of a problem. If your child is experiencing any sort of oral discomfort, it’s important to book a dental appointment as soon as possible rather than wait for their next preventive care appointment. Similarly, if your child has a known cavity, the sooner the tooth is treated, the less intensive the treatment needed will be.

You can learn more about pulpotomies and whether your child is a candidate by scheduling an appointment with us at Must Love Kids. You can either give us a call during business hours or fill out a quick online form here.

It’s common for parents to assume that tooth decay is the result of infrequent brushing or flossing. While that’s true to an extent, it’s not the only reason children are more susceptible to dental caries, otherwise referred to as a cavity. Mutans streptococcus is the bacteria that causes tooth decay. It feeds on sugar and food particles, producing an acid that eats away at the enamel. This process is what causes the holes in the teeth known as cavities in both children and adults.

Since milk teeth (baby teeth) have a thinner protective layer, it’s not uncommon for kids to wind up with a cavity or two. Children can easily get dental caries even when parents try their best to prevent them with a regular oral routine and healthy eating habits. That’s why it’s important that your little one visits the dentist as soon as the first tooth pops out and keeps doing so every six months or more.

A Cavity Checklist for Parents

As adults, it’s easy to know when you have a tooth problem — the throbbing pain in the jaw, sensitivity to hot and cold drinks, sore gums … you get the idea. But how can you tell when your little one has an oral issue like dental caries? Our kids don’t always know the right words to tell us what’s hurting. In fact, it’s quite possible for your child to suffer from a cavity without you even knowing it. Must Love Kids Pediatric Dentistry has a pretty handy checklist you can use to know if your child has a cavity.

What your child will say

• “I have a toothache.”

Tooth pain in children can mean a number of things. It could be that a new tooth is trying to break through the gumline or that you need to be on the lookout for cavities.

• “My gum is sore.”

It’s easy for kids to misinterpret a toothache for gum pain. This happens mostly with toddlers than with older kids, but in either case, to be on the safer side, check for cavities.

• “It hurts when I chew.”

Older kids can let you know right away if they have difficulty chewing, but for younger children, parents have to get a little creative. Try to pick up on any unusual eating habits like only chewing with one side of the jaw or a sudden refusal to eat their favorite “hard” foods, like apples and carrots.

• “I don’t want any ice cream.”

Now that’s a sentence many parents thought they’d never hear. Working on the assumption your little one has no dietary restrictions, a refusal to eat their favorite sugary snacks or hot and cold drinks may point to cavities.

What parents will see

• You notice spots.

See any white, chalky, or dark spots on your little one’s teeth? That’s an early sign of tooth decay, which, if left untreated, leads to cavities.

• Your child has bad breath.

You may not see this, but you’ll sure smell it. Even with a regular oral routine, your little one’s breath doesn’t quite get that minty freshness. That’s because of the excessive cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth, which is more prevalent in the early stages of tooth decay.

• You see holes, chips, and cracks.

Holes are the biggest telltale sign of cavities in children. But dental caries also weaken the enamel and can make your little one’s teeth more fragile and prone to breakage. Because of this, chips and cracks can also be a sign of dental caries.

Must Love Kids Pediatric Dentistry Cavity Treatment

Of course, the best way to tell if your child has a cavity is with a visit to your local dental office. At Must Love Kids Pediatric Dentistry, our dentists have the experience and training to identify early signs of dental caries in your child’s teeth. Dr. Mo and Dr. G diagnose cavities after a careful oral examination of your little one’s mouth and check for early signs of decay using dental X-rays. Our dentists may then recommend a full spectrum of options based on the extent of the decay and your child’s oral history.

Cavity Solutions

Must Love Kids Pediatric Dentistry’s cavity solutions won’t just treat the current cavity, they’ll also prevent any more from forming. Here’s a glimpse at some of our treatment options for dental caries in children.

• Composite fillings

If your child needs a filling, we offer mercury-free, white, tooth-colored composite fillings. Dr. Mo and Dr. G will closely match fillings to your child’s surrounding teeth. This method will prevent further tooth decay and protect your child’s smile.

• Stainless steel crown

When the damage to teeth is extensive, a stainless steel crown may offer better protection.

• Dental sealants

Children at high risk of developing cavities may benefit from cavity prevention treatments like dental sealants. This thin, protective coating applied to the molars and premolars doesn’t allow particles and bacteria to accumulate in the grooves of the teeth.

• Fluoride treatments

Since dental caries weaken the enamel and make teeth prone to breakage, your child’s teeth can greatly benefit from fluoride treatments. It will help strengthen the enamel and, as a bonus, make it much harder for bacteria to erode the protective coating.

Spot cavities and protect your child’s smile.

While cavities in children are common, they’re not inevitable. With regularly scheduled visits to the Must Love Kids Pediatric Dentistry office, our dentists can spot tooth decay in the early stages and prevent cavities from developing. Contact us today, and we’ll help you protect the smile you love the most: your child’s!

Baby teeth may be temporary, but the health and strength of these primary teeth can either positively or negatively impact your child’s future smile.

Your child’s baby teeth serve five very important purposes.

Healthy primary teeth play important roles in nearly all aspects of your child’s growth and development.

Healthy primary teeth allow for:

• Thorough chewing of food and proper nutrient absorption
• Speech skills to develop easily and naturally
• Adult teeth to erupt as well-aligned as possible
• Reduced risks of future tooth decay on adult teeth
• Kids to feel confident in themselves and their smiles

Baby teeth suffering from untreated tooth decay may shed too early or too late, need to be extracted, or even cause the underlying adult teeth to come in crooked or damaged.

Protect your child’s smile by taking action against tooth decay.

The most common oral health problem in kids of all ages is tooth decay. Tooth decay can be caused by poor oral hygiene habits, a diet with too many enamel-damaging foods, or a hereditary weakness for cavities.

Baby teeth are particularly vulnerable to developing tooth decay simply because the enamel on these primary teeth is thinner than adult teeth. Youngsters often aren’t as skilled at brushing and flossing as well, which makes it easy for cavities to develop at a faster rate.

Parents can protect their child’s smile in three ways:

1. Establish a thorough but fun at-home dental care routine for mornings and nights.
2. Bring your child in for biannual dental checkups and cleanings with a pediatric dentist.
3. When tooth decay is discovered, follow through with the dentist’s treatment plan.

Let’s talk more about why your child’s pediatric dentist may recommend a filling for baby teeth.

Treating tooth decay on baby teeth is safe and beneficial.

Knowing that a baby tooth isn’t permanent can often leave parents wondering, “Does my child really need to have a filling so soon?”

The simplest answer is yes. If your child’s dentist recommends a filling on a baby tooth, they’re doing so for very important reasons.

When one of our pediatric dentists is examining tooth decay on a baby tooth, they’re keeping many factors in mind when making the decision to treat or wait. If the baby tooth is already about to shed on its own anyway, the dentist may decide it’s best to skip the filling and wait. If the baby tooth is going to be around for a while and the decay has already shown signs of progressing, it’s best to treat the tooth right away to prevent further damage.

As a parent, your child’s safety and well-being are always at the forefront of your mind. Our pediatric dentists want to reassure parents that the treatment process of getting a filling on a baby tooth is safe, easy, and often much quicker than parents realize.

After the gentle but swift placement of a new tooth-colored filling, you can feel confident knowing your child’s oral health is being protected from the damaging effects of untreated tooth decay.

What You Can Expect During Your Child’s Filling Appointment

Modern pediatric dentistry has evolved at a rapid pace. Many parents are excited to learn that something as routine as a filling can be a far easier and more comfortable experience compared to their own experiences in their youth.

When you arrive for your child’s appointment, you’ll be greeted by our welcoming, friendly team who will help you get checked in. Your child can play some games, read a book, and explore the fantastic comic book art in our office while you wait.

From there, one of our dental assistants will escort your child back to an exam room for their appointment. You might also come back with your child to speak with their dentist before returning to our parents’ waiting area once the dentist gets to work.

Our pediatric practice is outfitted with the latest technology, from digital X-rays to painless, needle-free anesthesia. Your child’s cavity may even have been previously detected, thanks to our state-of-the-art transillumination cavity-detecting camera!

Once your child is comfortable and completely numb, one of our dentists will expertly place a tooth-colored filling that will seamlessly blend in with their smile. After some polishing up, your child’s tooth will be done and they’ll be ready to head home!

If you’re worried about how well your child might sit for their appointment, perhaps due to anxiety or a medical condition, let their dentist know. We offer sedation dentistry for kids to help keep them comfortable and happy.

Protect Your Child’s Oral Health By Booking a Visit Today

When you’re ready to book your child’s filling appointment, you can do so by calling our Vancouver office or filling out this quick online form. If you still have questions about fillings for baby teeth or anything else to do with your child’s oral health, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team!