Oral Health Options for Kids

H Jon

12 years ago

<img class="alignnone wp-image-112" alt="chattery-teeth" src="https&colon;//medusamagazine&period;com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/chattery-teeth-1024x768&period;jpg" width="806" height="605" />&NewLine;Oral health options for kids are often an expensive reality&period; Between cleaning fees, cavity checks, and orthodontic work, prices and services vary&period; Luckily, as the options and technology revolving around tooth care continue to improve, the prices of some services are becoming more affordable&period; If you have a child, here is a brief rundown on what to expect when it comes to taking care of his teeth&colon;&NewLine;Basic Oral Hygiene&NewLine;While not all insurance plans cover visits to the dentist, some dental offices offer services at affordable—or even free—prices&period; Additionally, some government programs, such as Medicaid&&num;8217&semi;s CHIP, will help cover the cost of dental care for many families&period;&NewLine;When you take your child to the dentist, here&&num;8217&semi;s what you should expect&colon; Assuming that your child has no cavities and doesn&&num;8217&semi;t require any fillings, the dentist will primarily focus on cleaning the teeth and promoting basic oral hygiene&period; You can beat the dentist to it by encouraging your child to eat healthy meals and reduce the intake of sugar and sweets&period; Choose toothpaste with fluoride for your child, and set regular brushing times&period; You can also talk to your child&&num;8217&semi;s dentist about sealants for your child&&num;8217&semi;s teeth&period;&NewLine;Orthodontic Care for Children&NewLine;When children get a little older, it is likely that they will require some sort of service—invasalign, braces, retainers, tooth removal, spacers, etc&period;—to help their mouths grow and/or straighten their teeth for aesthetic purposes&period; Here are some of the options you may encounter&colon;&NewLine;Invisalign and Similar Products&colon; Invisalign uses a clear plastic mold that covers teeth and is changed every two weeks&period; The two-week time period allows for a new mold to be made, which is used to slowly align teeth by making minor adjustments to each mold&period; Unlike conventional braces, many prefer invisalign because it is clear, can be taken out easily, and draws less attention to the mouth&period;&NewLine;Braces&colon; Braces are used to correct gaps in teeth, overbites, underbites, or to help align the teeth and lips&period; There are three different types of braces that are currently being used&colon; metal braces, ceramic braces, and lingual braces&period;&NewLine;Tooth Removal&colon; Don&&num;8217&semi;t be surprised if your child&&num;8217&semi;s dentist or orthodontist suggests removing a tooth, or teeth, in order to make more room in the mouth for growing teeth&period; Most commonly, oral professionals will suggest the removal of wisdom teeth, although occasionally other teeth will be removed as well&period;&NewLine;Spacers and Bands&colon; Orthodontic spacers are rubber bands or pieces of metal that are inserted into the mouth in between teeth to help make room for other, incoming, teeth&period; Usually, the spacers will stay in the mouth for 1-2 weeks, to slowly push the teeth apart&period; Then the dentist or oral professional will remove the spacers&period;&NewLine;Retainers&colon; Retainers are most commonly used to realign teeth&period; Sometimes they will also be used to help with spacing problems, speech problems, or other medical maladies&period; Retainers help control the shifting of teeth and are very common for children, even younger children&period;&NewLine;Whatever oral health questions you may have, your dentist or orthodontist can provide you with a full range of answers and explanations, as well as options concerning the best method of correcting a problem in your child&&num;8217&semi;s mouth&period;&NewLine;&NewLine;This article was provided by Samantha Greenbaum, health-conscious mother of two&period; If you&&num;8217&semi;re interested in better oral care for your children, Samantha recommends you visit http&colon;//www&period;gittessbraces&period;com/&NewLine;