As an adult, you also struggle to articulate your feelings of pain or discomfort. It takes the shape and form of grumpiness, irritability, or rude behavior. When you realize your health is the main culprit, you explore options for help. But kids continue to suffer because they don’t know what bothers them. They may not be able to express it well. Think of pain or uneasiness in the mouth. While your child doesn’t understand the exact issue, you can look for signs and prevent them from worsening by seeking medical help. Generally, children should be seen by a pediatric dentist. They are the child specialists for their dental health.
You can check with Dr. Roland Pagniano Jr. pediatric dentist, if you live in Dublin. Let’s now delve into those situations that demand urgent dental attention.
Earache or headache
A child may have problems with the jaw joints and jawbone connected to gums and teeth. Jaw issues take time to manifest in the actual affected area. However, they can develop as an earache or headache. If your kid’s overall health is okay, you can visit a dentist for a checkup. Sometimes, teething and teeth infections manifest as painful jaws close to the ears or headaches.
Another cause of jaw or head pain can be teeth grinding or Bruxism. Young kids may grate their teeth during their sleep. In some cases, stress can be the main factor. However, the most common cause remains tooth misalignment, such as a combination of adult and baby teeth in the jaws. A pediatric dentist can determine the proper treatment or method to soothe your child’s discomfort.
Bad breath
Kids must be aware of the hygiene issues, such as bad breath. Please check your kid’s breath several times a day to track this. If their breath smells foul even after brushing, visiting a dentist will help find the reason. Chronic bad breath often hints at hidden medical disorders like sinus infection, tonsillitis, and acid reflux. Because dentists know the oral environment better than any other specialists, they can point out these risks early. Or, bad breath can purely be due to decaying teeth or ailing gums. Gum abscesses like infections can also be the culprit for your kid’s foul-smelling mouth. In either case, prompt treatment can prevent the health from weakening further. It can be easier to restore their wellness, too.
Several cues are there to lead you to your kid’s dental discomfort. For instance, you want to be alert if your kid suddenly starts yawning or chewing too much. You can also monitor their behavior because infants to preschoolers cannot specify their problems. So, don’t scold them if they become cranky, cry, eat less, or avoid their favorite activities. Some behavioral changes hint at their discomfort, which can be beyond the mouth, too. However, monitoring them will help you differentiate between brief or persistent red flags. In dental health, you can take eating only soft food or no food as a sign of trouble with chewing. Of course, these behavior changes cannot be situational, where a kid throws a tantrum for not getting the things they asked for.
