Caries, gingivitis... How to treat these 4 dental problems that make you lose your appetite? You will understand after reading this →

Caries, gingivitis, dental trauma and malocclusion are common oral problems among adolescents.

Oral problems can affect the healthy growth of teenagers. Parents should pay attention to the oral health problems of teenagers, and teenagers themselves should also improve their own oral care capabilities.

01

Dental caries

Dental caries is one of the most common oral diseases, and nearly half of the young people in China are troubled by dental caries. Dental caries is commonly known as "tooth decay" or "cavities".

There are a large number of various bacteria in our mouths. Some of these bacteria stick to the surface of the teeth and clump together to form dental plaque.

They ferment food residues in the mouth, releasing acidic substances that corrode the teeth. Over time, cavities will form.

"If you don't fill a small hole, you'll suffer from a big one." Don't delay treatment just because you think the cavity is small. When the cavity is small, filling treatment can prevent further damage to the tooth.

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If caries is allowed to progress and invade the pulp, pain and other symptoms will occur, and root canal treatment is needed to remove the infected pulp. If the pain is ignored and caries progresses to destroy the tooth too much, the only option is to extract it and restore the missing tooth through implantation.

The most effective way to prevent dental caries is to regularly remove dental plaque (brushing teeth with a horizontal vibrating brush every morning and evening, and using dental floss to clean the interdental spaces), and to enhance the ability of teeth to resist bacterial erosion by improving the anti-caries ability of the tooth surface (regular fluoride application, pit and fissure sealing, etc.), improving eating habits (reducing the frequency of sweets intake, drinking less carbonated drinks), etc. At the same time, oral health examinations should be carried out once a year, and dental caries should be treated in a timely manner.

02

Gingivitis

Gingival swelling and bleeding during brushing are very common among teenagers. Gingival bleeding is an early warning signal of periodontal tissue self-protection.

When this happens, it means that the gums have been infected by bacteria. There may not be obvious pain at this time, but it is often accompanied by bleeding gums when brushing teeth or eating, red and swollen gums, bad breath and other symptoms.

When the gums are inflamed, a doctor needs to perform teeth cleaning to remove the plaque and tartar accumulated on the teeth to reduce irritation to the gums. The inflammation can be relieved within a few days and the gums can return to normal.

If not treated in time, dental tartar will accumulate over time and cause tremendous pressure on the periodontal tissues, developing into periodontitis, and in severe cases, causing teeth to loosen and fall out.

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Therefore, teenagers should pay attention to oral hygiene and brush their teeth carefully, correctly and effectively. The toothbrush should be rotated 45 degrees so that the bristles are aimed at the "gingival sulcus" and vibrate in short distances to remove the bacteria in the "gingival sulcus" as much as possible.

In addition, annual dental cleaning can perfectly make up for the defects of brushing. If there are "warning signs" such as red, swollen and bleeding gums, bad breath, and tartar on the tongue side of the teeth that cannot be brushed off, you should seek medical attention in time and receive professional treatment.

03

Tooth trauma

During their daily activities, teenagers are easily exposed to sudden external impacts, which may lead to tooth trauma.

After dental trauma occurs, teeth may become loose, broken, gums may be torn, bleeding, etc., and even worse, serious consequences may occur such as tooth loss or alveolar bone fracture.

Accidental damage or missing teeth will cause certain harm to the appearance and psychology of teenagers, affect their daily social activities, and also affect their chewing and pronunciation functions.

Therefore, if a tooth is injured, timely treatment is required to avoid missing the treatment opportunity.

When a tooth is broken, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible. When the broken tooth is large, the pulp may be exposed. The exposed pulp tissue is red and should be avoided from touching, hot or cold stimulation, or contamination from other things.

When a tooth is dislocated, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible to reposition and fix the dislocated tooth. When preserving a dislocated tooth, you should hold the crown of the tooth, do not pinch the root of the tooth with your hands, and do not brush the root of the tooth by yourself.

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The teeth should be soaked in saline or milk. If conditions are not favorable, the teeth can be held under the tongue and soaked in saliva. Avoid drying them and go to the hospital as soon as possible to avoid missing the opportunity.

The golden treatment time after tooth dislocation is half an hour. The longer the delay, the lower the success rate of tooth replantation.

In order to reduce the possibility of dental trauma, young people are advised to pay attention to the following points: first, avoid intense or collision-prone activities; second, wear protective braces when playing basketball, boxing and other sports; third, if there is protrusion of teeth, actively undergo orthodontic treatment to reduce the probability of dental trauma.

04

Malocclusion

Uneven teeth, medically known as malocclusion, are mainly caused by congenital genetic factors or acquired environmental factors, such as diseases such as adenoids hypertrophy, bad oral habits such as lip biting, etc.

There are many manifestations of malocclusion, the most common of which are crowded teeth, buck teeth, overbite, etc. Many parents do not pay enough attention to malocclusion, thinking that it only affects the appearance of their children.

However, in addition to affecting appearance, malocclusion can also have other negative effects on children.

First, it affects oral health. Crowded and misaligned teeth are difficult to clean, and over time, they are prone to caries and periodontal disease.

Second, it affects oral function. Malocclusion may affect pronunciation, chewing, swallowing, breathing and other functions, and in severe cases may even cause sleep apnea syndrome.

Third, it affects mental health. Malocclusion affects appearance, speech pronunciation, etc. It can also affect the self-confidence of adolescents, making them prone to inferiority and increasing their psychological burden.

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Many parents have outdated ideas and believe that orthodontic treatment should wait until all their children’s teeth have changed.

Parents should realize that the growth and development process of children is the process of malocclusion. Some conditions, such as overbite and buck teeth, may be due to abnormal jaw development. Once the opportunity is missed, the effect of wearing braces is very limited and may need to be combined with orthognathic surgery.

Parents should develop the habit of taking their children to the doctor and for oral examinations regularly so that malocclusion can be detected early and treatment can be intervened early.

Source: Healthy China

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