Losing child’s primary teeth: ‘Do not shake them’

WHEN a child’s first/primary teeth loosen, a parent is supposed not to shake them as they must fall out by themselves.

Shaking means extraction force, a situation that might disturb the child’s nerves, among other damages. Usually, primary teeth loose takes place between six to eight years of age, and should be pushed out by new/permanent ones at the bottom, but not the shaking.

The absorption takes place under the losing baby teeth, through which its root gets smashed, hence, pulls out by itself. “We strictly allow no tooth shake as the action might affect the nerves and therefore cause serious damages to a child,” insisits the Dentist for Sekou Toure Mwanza Regional Referral Hospital, Dr Casmir Kiloya.

Some possible negatives include the infections, heavy bleeding and the swelling, which (swelling) might cause the death. Dr Kiloya educates more that sometimes, the resorption works slowly due to the long interval between the baby and new teeth, a move that also slows the losing for outgoing teeth.

“As a result, the new tooth emerges adjacent to the first one. That is when we advise the parents to immediately consult the dentists.” In such a situation, the dentists have lots of options, including extraction of the outgoing tooth, to pave the way for the coming one.

Experts also give a time frame for the new tooth to adjust in a proper (teeth) line; otherwise, more medical procedures should takeoff to make it perfect.

Dr Kiloya insists the parents to avoid manual teeth extraction for their children, a situation that might cause permanent teeth gap, when the attempt pulls out the wrong tooth. “It is very possible to pull out the permanent one, which has no replacement at all,” he stresses, explaining further that: Normally, only incisors and canine type of teeth are part of the baby/primary set of teeth, which have to falloff and get replaced.

The rest, which are premolar and molars type of teeth, have emerged to be only seen in a permanent set of teeth. “However, these can fall out only when they contract some diseases, but will never be re-grown,” he says.

According to the available data, the function of incisors, which are sharp in nature, is to take the first food bites and support the lips, while the Canines are for food ripping and tearing.

Again, Premolars type of teeth are for tearing, splitting and breaking up food before it (food) has been sent to molars for smashing/ grinding.

In totality, a person’s permanent teeth can be extracted due to decay or gum problems, whose causes are sugary food consumption as well as wrong teeth brush practices.

According to him, the one who uses left hand for brushing should start on the same side, upper line and outer part, to the right side.

Next brushing is at the bottom teeth line on the outer part, to the left side, then switch into the inner part of the mouth, on the upper line, from left to right, then bottom line, from right to left. Another step is to brush the top of premolars and molars, for removal of food residues that might affect the teeth.

The tongue should also be clearly brushed, not only for food residues removal but also to prevent the fungus that might tear such an organ. “Tongue brushing also prevents bad breath. Oral cleaning consumes between three to five minutes and should take place at-least twice a day, after breakfast and dinner,” he says.

Dr Kiloya explains further that the person can also have teeth brushing after lunch, if the situation allows. He advises those with teeth brushing opportunities at working places to make it, especially after sugary food consumption, whose residues should be removed not beyond 10 minutes, to avoid teeth and gum decay. Usually, says the Dentist, humans have important bacteria in their mouths, namely ‘Staphylococcus aureus’ and ‘Streptococcus pyogenes’, for oral health protection purposes.

The bacteria are very fond of sugary foods. After the consumption, they then excrete poisonous acid, which is seriously affecting the teeth.

“That is why we call up on immediate teeth brushing after sugary food consumption,” he says. Again, brushing should be calmly conducted so as to avoid affecting and removing teeth layers, mostly enamel, dentine and pulp, and eventually affect the nerves.

Enamel removal therefore exposes the dentine that should be always covered, a situation (dentine exposure) that leads into slight pains and sometimes teeth numbness. If violent teeth brush persists will remove the dentine layer, which is for pulp covering.

In the long run, the pulp layer that covers the nerves will also disappear, causing serious teeth pains, on top of more oral health complications.

Dr Kiloya also warns over uses of improper tooth picks, especially those available at potato chips vending points, saying that the materials are a source of gum complications. Proper toothpicks are available at supermarkets, directs the expert, adding that: “But there are also ‘dental floss’ toothpicks, which is our first recommendation. They are abundantly available in pharmacies and hospitals.”

Commenting on common oral health problems, Dr Kiloya says that teeth and gum decay dominates, especially to children, as result of excess sugary food consumption.

He urges the parents to control the consumption, despite an abundance of sugary foods factories in Lake Zone, mostly for sweets and biscuits.

People should also conduct regular oral health check-ups, for timely treatments. The Sekou Toure officerin-charge, Dr Bahati Msaki, supported the motion, saying that the hospital regularly organises the camps for health specialists to set the services close to citizens.

The just ended camp, about a month back, was composed of specialists from Sekou-Toure and Zonal Referral Bugando Hospital, for paediatric, dental, cancer, ophthalmology, and Gynaecology as well as radiology services. Others were for blood related diseases, digestion system, Psychiatry, Dialysis and laboratory services.

There were also medical tests like echocardiogram (ECHO), Ultrasound Scan (USS), Cardiovascular, computerised tomography (CT) scan as well as X-Ray.

“We also offer diabetes, ulcers, kidney, sickle cell and blood cancer as well as anaemia fight services,” she affirms.

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