Different dental issues affect children from time to time. While most parents will seek treatment for tooth decay, retained milk teeth, orthodontic issues, and broken teeth, few pay any attention to bad breath or halitosis in kids.
They assume this is a passing issue that does not need medical treatment, and they try various homemade remedies to manage it. In most cases, the causative factor for bad breath in children is related to their oral health and can be handled by a kids’ dentist in Utah.
With the homemade remedies and nonchalant attitude, most parents take when their kids have bad breath, the causative elements of bad breath become very severe. Gum disease, tooth decay, dry mouth, and poor oral hygiene are some of the common causes of halitosis in kids.
Here are the treatment options for these issues.
Artificial Saliva Products
If your child’s bad breath is caused by dry mouth, synthetic saliva products are the ideal treatments. The products come in the form of moisturizing gels, mouthwashes, and sprays.
These are available without prescriptions, but it is best to get one from a pediatric dentist to guarantee the product causes no adverse reaction in your child. Other than the artificial saliva products, getting sugar-free treats, avoiding over-salted food and encouraging water consumption are recommended.
Professional Dental Cleaning
Professional dental cleaning is designed to get rid of bacteria on dental surfaces that are hard to reach. By getting rid of these bacteria, your child’s dental hygiene improves and bad breath is resolved.
Scaling and root planning and debridement are some of the cleaning techniques used for children with considerable tartar and plaque accumulation. To prevent future issues, the pediatric dentist will also schedule routine cleanings.
Use of Orthodontic Appliances
Even the best dental hygiene routine might not help your child much if his/her teeth are difficult to clean. Misaligned teeth are the standard issue that will make the use of your child’s teeth difficult. In these cases, braces might offer an ideal solution.
Space maintainers, dental retainers, and mouth guards also form a crucial part of orthodontic treatments to promote proper permanent teeth growth. The dentist might recommend habit appliances, such as palatal cribs to stop tongue thrusting if it persists in your child after three years since it affects proper permanent dentition.
Various types of endodontic procedures will be your child’s best treatment alternative if his/her bad breath is linked to tooth decay and dental abscesses. These include root canals, surgery, and re-treatments.
The treatments will get rid of the pus and bacteria that collects under affected teeth and causes bad breath while alleviating the pain associated with the conditions.
Children are more prone to halitosis compared to adults owing to the sweetened foods they take and low immunity. Bad breath irrespective of the age of your child is not normal.
It might be the primary issue that causes your child to have low self-esteem at a very early age. The above dental treatment alternatives are sure to improve the child’s breath and overall dental and psychological wellbeing.