A child’s teeth are often times difficult to care for. Struggling with your little one and trying to help them maintain routine dental maintenance to care for their teeth can be exhausting.
Regardless, it’s crucial to maintain the hygiene necessary to keep the teeth healthy. Without proper care such as flossing and brushing, a child’s teeth become very susceptible to tooth decay and cavities.
Children aren’t just at risk for tooth decay, but young children without their adult teeth may also experience the loss of a tooth during rigorous play or activity. Should a young child’s tooth ever come out due to increased pressure or force, you have to wait and allow the adult tooth to replace it in the future.
Dental implants are a popular form of tooth replacement. The implant is placed by a skilled dental surgeon who uses a titanium rod with a crown on top of it to replace a missing tooth. These implants are planted into the gum and jaw with a titanium rod which overtime, becomes a part of the mouth after the healing process. The crown used will greatly resemble a real tooth and can be hardly noticed by the naked eye.
Why Can’t Children Get Dental Implants?
Children are unable to benefit from dental implants when adult teeth have yet to come in. It’s highly encouraged that all adult teeth are present before a dental implant is even considered.
A child’s teeth and mouth undergo many changes in their younger years. Even after the adult teeth are all present, it can take a long time for the teeth to settle in properly. A child isn’t expected to have all of their adult teeth until the age of 12.
Considering that the teeth are still trying to take shape within the mouth and they aren’t stable enough in the bone to refuse movement, a dental implant could jeopardize the growth of the other teeth.
Boys under the age of 17, and girls under the age of 14 are discouraged from having dental implants until they are of an age where the teeth are finally durable and stable. A skilled dental surgeon will be able to tell through an examination whether or not it is safe enough to have a dental implant placed where the tooth is missing.
What Are the Alternatives for My Child?
Many dental surgeons will simply suggest waiting for the adult teeth to come in. An adult tooth will cover the absence of the missing baby tooth over time. However, a denture or bridge can be made with a singular tooth so that the child doesn’t feel self-conscious about the loss of their tooth.
Dentures and bridges will also present their problems such as putting the child at an increased risk for tooth decay. Proper maintenance of the materials will be necessary and so will regular hygiene. Flossing, brushing and using mouthwash can help prevent tooth decay and cavities even with a bridge or denture.