What could be the best gift you could ever give to your child? Toys, chocolates, books, a vacation at their dream place… the list goes on.

But wait, do you really think these are the best gifts? Great health, positive attitude could be the one you should never miss giving them. These can take them to unimaginable heights. Great health begins right from the day of fertilization. Proper care of mother’s health and consumption of nutritious food by her is crucial for the overall development of the baby.

As a parent, you would definitely provide a nutritious, well balanced diet to your child, but have you ever thought, is the nutrition from the food consumed by your kid completely absorbed by his body? May not be..

1. The process of digestion begins right in the mouth. Teeth and saliva play a very important role in this process. But if your teeth are not healthy or are lost, proper food chewing and breaking down of the complex food particles into simpler ones does not take place. Result – Indigestion, deficiency of required nutrients affecting the overall growth of your darling.

2. Now, does it make sense that teeth have to be taken care even if they are milk teeth and will fall down eventually?

3. Not just that, milk teeth guide permanent teeth to their proper position in the arch. Space created by the early loss of milk teeth gets reduced by the movement of adjacent as well as opposing teeth. Result, lack of sufficient space for eruption of bigger permanent teeth and they are forced to erupt in a wrong position in the dental arch leading to teeth crowding.

4. Further, milk teeth induce and influence the growth of jaws. Without this influence, jaws show diminished growth which could again lead to dental crowding.

5. Lack of proper growth in the upper jaws can affect the growth of nasal structure. Improper development of upper jaw can lead to nasal congestion, difficulty in breathing.

6. This deficient facial growth also affects the appearance of your child’s face and can lead to long term psychological as well as physiological problems for your kid.

Now let’s say your child’s tooth is infected and in the interests of the child, you opt to retain the tooth. While this is a beneficial step, the kid may still suffer due to the infected milk teeth. The prolonged pain and infection will still affect the development of your child. It as well affects his academics.

Invariably, infected teeth require complex procedures like Root Canal Treatment (RCT) to save the teeth which can be dreadful for children. They might develop phobia, distaste towards dentists and dental procedures.

Hence it is very important to take good care of your child’s teeth, go for regular check-ups. Prevention and early intervention are the best tools to handle dental problems of children.

So maintain dental hygiene for your child right from the day the first tooth is seen in the mouth.

1. Clean with fingers and extra soft tooth brushes. For the back side teeth, pit and fissure sealants can be of great help in preventing tooth decay. Topical fluoride application again can prevent the onset of tooth decay

2. Cultivate good dental habits like brushing teeth twice a day. Teach them the proper brushing technique as they will continue with this pattern even when they are grown-ups.

3. Mouthwash or fluoride toothpastes are not suggested for children below 6 years as they might swallow the chemical.

4. Have proper control on intake of sticky and junk food. They are the enemies of healthy teeth. Chewing raw vegetables and intake of fruits help them in stimulating the growth of jaw bones, teeth and gums.

5. Check the exfoliation pattern of milk teeth. Watch out for permanent teeth erupting behind the existing milk teeth or out of the arch. Consult your dentist at the earliest if the milk tooth is present even after the eruption of permanent tooth.

6. Any delay in teeth eruption should be watched. If needed X - Ray (Radiographs) might be of help to know the reason and can be helpful in planning the treatment

7. Any tooth cavities found in your younger one’s teeth should be addressed at the earliest as cavity spread is comparatively faster in children. Dental fillings at the early stages of the tooth cavity can save your child from pain and ill health.

8. Next most important thing is observe the oral habits your child has cultivated if there are any. Many infants suck their thumb or other fingers which is absolutely normal. But if this habit persists after the age of 6 then it can result in forward projected teeth.

9. Biting nails, lips, continued thrusting of teeth with tongue, breathing from mouth instead of nose, grinding teeth at night are all various other habits that can be harmful to the growth of face and body.

10. Further, children while playing or during contact sports can injure their front teeth. Mouth guards can save these vulnerable teeth from fracture or avulsion (whole tooth coming out of its socket). In case of tooth avulsion, it should be carefully cleaned, stored in saliva in the mouth or in milk container and dentist should be approached immediately. If properly addressed within 30-60 minutes that tooth can be treated, saved and fixed back into its position in mouth

Hence both milk teeth and permanent teeth play a huge role in the physical as well as mental development of your children, so never ignore any dental issues.

Prevention and early intervention are still the best treatment methods in the world.

Happy parenting.. Enjoy the smile of your loved ones forever.