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Maintaining the Oral Health of Your Special Needs Child

November 15, 2018

Children with special needs often have unique oral health issues that are a result of their health condition, oral sensitivity, diet, or difficulty eating. Certain developmental disabilities may also affect the skills needed for completing everyday tasks, such as routine dental hygiene. Children who have special needs often have a higher risk for dental problems as well, so learning how to maintain the oral health of your child despite the challenges is essential to their overall wellness and quality of life.

Common Dental Concerns and Challenges

If you have a child with special needs, their condition may affect saliva production, how oral structure and teeth grow, what your child is easy to eat, and more. Some of the most common dental concerns and challenges in children who have special needs include:

  • Bruxism – Your child may grind their teeth during the day or while sleeping, and over time this can damage teeth.
  • Dry Mouth – Medications or your child’s condition may lead to dry mouth. It can also affect their nutrition and result in dental problems like gum disease, mouth infections, and tooth decay.
  • GERD – This can cause your child’s mouth to be more acidic, wearing down their teeth.
  • Bad Breath – Diabetes, digestive problems, some medications, and chronic sinusitis may result in bad breath.
  • Holding Food in the Mouth – Some children may hold food in their cheeks or mouth, an issue known as food pouching. This can result in the growth of cavity-causing bacteria.
  • Medications Affect Gums and Teeth – Certain medications may contain sugar, increasing the risk of cavities. Other medications may affect saliva production while certain seizure medications may result in enlarged gums.
  • Delay in Tooth Eruption – Your child’s teeth may take extra time to erupt, something that’s very common in children who have Down syndrome.

Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Mouth

Since children with special needs have a higher risk for oral health problems like gum infections, bite problems, enamel irregularities, and cavities, it’s so important to work on maintaining a healthy mouth. Here’s a closer look at a few tips that can make caring for your child’s oral health a bit easier.

Tip #1 – Assist Your Child in Brushing Twice Daily

Brushing daily is one of the most essential tasks for a healthy mouth. If your child needs help or some adaptations, here are some tips that can help.

If your child needs help brushing:

  • Be sure you’re able to see each tooth
  • Use a small amount of toothpaste on a soft bristled brush. For children who are bothered by the toothpaste or those with difficulty swallowing, you can brush with fluoride mouthwash instead.
  • Help your child rinse with some water after you brush. If they can’t, give them a drink of water.

If your child can brush on his own but needs a bit of help, here are some creative options:

  • Add a strap to the toothbrush to make it easier to hold if your child uses a strap to hold other items.
  • You can make the handle of the toothbrush bigger by using foam tubing or a bicycle grip to the handle. Another option is to cut a slit in a tennis ball, sliding it onto the toothbrush handle for easier grasping.
  • Other toothbrush options, such as a water pic or electric toothbrush, may make brushing easier for your child. 

Tip #2 – Get Professional Help with Sensitivity and Tolerance Issues

Many children with special needs have increased mouth sensitivity and may not tolerate brushing and flossing well. It’s often difficult to address this on your own, so take the time to get professional help for your child with these issues. Professional therapy may help your child overcome these problems so brushing, flossing, and dental care become easier.

Tip #3 – Don’t Forget Routine Dental Visits

Regular dental checkups and cleanings can ensure any potential problems are found before they cause your child discomfort and pain. It may take a little time to help your child feel comfortable at the dentist. Consider scheduling a visit to the office with no treatment. Let your child see the office, sit in the dental chair, meet the dentist, and get some oral hygiene tips.

It’s also a good idea to work with a dentist’s office that has experience with children with special needs so they’re prepared to help your child relax throughout dental checkups and treatment. Be sure to talk with the dentist and office staff about any concerns you have before treatment so you can all work together as a team to maintain your child’s oral health.

 

Avoiding Choking Hazards This Halloween

October 15, 2018

Halloween is one of those holidays that has a lot of prep work involved. There is the obvious prep work you need to do such as planning parties, purchasing candy, planning trick-or-treat routes, and picking out costumes,  but there is one thing you should be doing that isn’t so obvious – removing choking hazards.

There are so many potential choking hazards that your child can encounter during the Halloween season that is an unpleasant topic that must be discussed.  

Removing Choking Hazards from Halloween Costumes

Many parents pick out Halloween costumes based off of looks, but sometimes the cutest costumes are the most dangerous. When picking out a costume for your child keep the following things in mind so there are no choking hazards:

  • Avoid costumes that have extremely small parts such as sequins, glitter, or beads. This is especially important if you have younger children who like to put things in their mouth. Even older children will sometimes suck on small parts out of habit.
  • Think carefully about accessories. Parents are often so focused on picking out accessories for their child’s costume that they don’t think about the possibility of a choking hazard. Make sure any accessories you pick out (masks, headbands, wands or swords) don’t have small pieces that can fall off.
  • Be mindful of wigs and other items that could shed or cause small pieces to fall off.

Avoiding Choking Hazards with Halloween Candy

Halloween candy is so tasty, but it is probably the biggest choking hazard that your child can encounter. Keep your child safe by doing the following:

  • Inspect all Halloween candy and look for candy with small pieces. Remove any candy that may have small pieces so it doesn’t tempt your child.
  • Be careful with hard candy. It may not be small, but sometimes children will instinctively swallow it and it will get lodged in their throat.
  • Avoid candy that is too soft. Things such as marshmallows and taffy are soft but a child could swallow it and start choking.
  • Avoid candy that has things such as peanuts or gum inside
  • Be careful of candy that may have small toys inside them. Children won’t choke on the candy, but the toy could prove dangerous.

Other Ways to Keep Your Child Safe This Halloween

Reducing or removing choking hazards isn’t the only thing you can do to keep your child safe this Halloween season. Some other things you can do to keep your child safe include:

Verify that any cider or juice your child consumes is pasteurized. Harmful bacteria, such as salmonella, can grow in unpasteurized products. Prevent food-related illnesses by making sure you serve drinks that are safe and free of bacteria.

Keep party food safe. Make sure perishable foods have been properly chilled. Don’t allow food to sit out too long if it is perishable. Bacteria can grow on perishable food after two hours. Avoid potential food-related illnesses by making sure all perishable food is properly stored and only out for a minimum amount of time.

Pick costumes that will make your child visible when they are outside. Some parents encourage their children to have two costumes: one that is used for indoor parties and one that is used for outdoors. This allows the child to have a fancy costume while also having one that keeps them safe at night.

Plan for an After-Halloween Professional Teeth Cleaning Appointment

If you want to be completely prepared for Halloween, you will schedule an appointment to have your child’s teeth cleaned sometime in November. Children will do a lot of snacking on candy filled with lots of sugar. Even if they brush and floss regularly, the candy could still cause tooth decay to develop.

Scheduling an appointment for a professional cleaning will make sure your children’s teeth and gums are healthy after all that candy.

Prepare now for Halloween by calling our office. Call our office today to schedule an after-Halloween professional teeth cleaning appointment for your child.