When children are small, they may not always be able to tell you whether or not they are experiencing tooth issues. After their baby teeth have come in (and before their adult teeth are set), they can still experience issues such as tooth breakage and cavities -- but they may not be able to tell what the problem is. Here are a few signs that they may be having problems with their teeth.
Swollen Gums or Cheeks
Swollen cheeks are a sign of a dental abscess, which will usually appear as a protrusion on the gum line. These are infections that can occur for a variety of reasons, such as an untreated cavity or an infected area where a tooth has recently fallen out. These types of infections are very dangerous -- they can even be fatal -- so they need to be treated by a dentist right away. Usually, treatment is as simple as a course of antibiotics. If your child has a fever and an infection, medical attention is immediately necessary.
Reluctance to Eat
In younger children, pain may manifest simply as a reluctance to eat, as they may not always know exactly what's wrong. Children may identify a "headache" or similar rather than a tooth ache; even adults can sometimes have trouble identifying exactly where the pain is coming from, due to the way that the nerve endings work in the mouth. But because the pain will usually get worse when they eat, a child with a toothache may be disinclined to do so.
Refusing Cold Foods
Tooth sensitivity -- commonly to cold or sweet foods -- is a symptom of toothaches in both children and adults. This may mean that your child has a cavity or that their enamel is weak and worn. Either way, a visit to the pediatric dentist should clear it up. Tooth sensitivity can be treated temporarily by over-the-counter medications and there are some products (such as specialty toothpaste and mouthwash) that will also build enamel and reduce sensitivity overall.
Of course, the best way to ensure that your children have healthy teeth is to take them to the dentist regularly. As your child's baby teeth come in, you may want to increase their dental care to make sure that their teeth are coming in properly and there haven't been any complications. Dental abscesses and cavities can be extremely dangerous for a young child.
Share31 July 2017
The average dentist takes many client appointments each day and also deals with emergency situations on a regular basis. Dental emergencies are very common because people are likely to put off having tooth pain fixed until the pain becomes unbearable. Some people have anxiety about dental visits, and others are trying to avoid the expense of dental care. In either case, the end result is often a dental emergency. I have worked as a professional dental hygienist for many years and have seen all types of dental emergencies. I hope that this blog will help people identify potential emergencies before they become too serious and will allow people to know when to get help.
