Last Updated on March 14, 2024 by Neelam Singh
The secret to a child’s radiant smile and the key to ensuring it remains bright and healthy lies in effective gum care. Dr Vishal Arya is a dedicated paediatric dentist and an alumnus of Nair Dental College in hospital Mumbai, Maharashtra, with more than two decades of experience. Besides, he is a Professor in the Department of Pediatric and preventive dentistry at Sri Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary University, Gurugram, Haryana, but he also plays a pivotal role in nurturing the oral health of countless children through his thriving private practice in Delhi. Here is an excerpt of the exclusive interview with THIP Media with Dr Vishal Arya. For the full interview click on the YouTube link.
Q. Can you provide us with instances of how gum care can be beneficial for children’s oral health?
See, before I answer this question, how gum care can be beneficial for the overall oral health of the children, we should first know why this gum problem occurs. What is aetiology? What is the basic root cause? Why do gum problems occur in children? Okay, so for that everybody is aware of one term which is plaque. Everybody knows that. We see it in TV ads everywhere. We see plaque. ‘Remove the plaque, remove the plaque’. ‘Do brushing. Do brushing’.
This is a common term and we listen to it since we are children until our adulthood and everyone is listening and removing the plaque. Now, what this plaque actually is, this plaque actually is a bacterial film, right? Bacterial film along with food debris, along with mucus they mix together and form a layer over the surface of teeth and the margins of gums.
And if this is not removed on a regular basis, it will cause gum disease as well as tooth disease. So we should first understand why gum disease is happening. The main reason is that plaque is there. Persistent plaque is there. So that will lead to gum disease as well as teeth disease.
Now, how this affects the overall oral hygiene and oral health of the child. If this plaque is not regularly removed by brushing and flossing on a regular basis, it will lead to inflammation of the gums and decay of the teeth. This happens because of the bacteria present over the gums over a persistent period of time, right?
This inflammation will lead to bleeding gums, fuss in the gums and loosening of teeth, and bad breath. All these are signs and symptoms of gum disease. So once we do proper oral hygiene measures, proper brushing and flossing, and remove this plaque, the gum disease will go away, teeth will remain healthy. So if good gums give a strong foundation to the teeth, which are firm, chew well. There is no pain, there is no mobility in the teeth. So overall oral hygiene and these flossing and brushing measures, they definitely yield improvement in gum as well as the tooth.
Q. What are some practical and effective tips for cleaning the gums, particularly in children? And more specifically if there’s any dental approaches with the help of a dentist?
The very first thing is for the newborn child, we should start cleaning the gum pads as well as the tongue of the child soon after feeding. As soon as you feed the child, you should take a towel like rough cloth and clean the gum pads, even if teeth are not there. But gum pads are there. Gums are already there in the children’s mouth when they are born.
So you should clean the gum pads as well as the tongue on a regular basis. That will remove the bad bacteria or harmful bacteria from the child’s mouth first thing. Okay? As soon as the first tooth starts to come in the mouth, which will be around six months of age, you should start brushing the teeth as well as the gums. The proper technique of brushing should always be learned and taught to the children.
Besides, brushing should not only clean the teeth, but also remove the plaque from the margins of the gum. So it should be always done at a 45 degree angle towards the gums.
Once this is done in a proper manner, in a sequential manner, not missing any surface of the teeth and the gum area, the inflammation or the plaque will go and the inflammation will not occur. Along with that, flossing should be added to the oral hygiene measures. As soon as the teeth start to erupt and they form contacts, we should start doing the flossing.
Encouraging children to maintain this good gum health can sometimes be very challenging. I’d suggest being a good role model to them as parents, caregivers. Teach them how to brush properly step-by-step.
Try dummies, like some soft toy with teeth, with a big brush and brush their teeth. Ask them to brush their own teeth, likewise. Make it funny so that they feel it is more engaging.
Q. How about neglecting gum care in children?
See, anything neglected definitely worsens. There is no doubt about it. So if you know, your child’s teeth are bleeding while brushing or spontaneously they are bleeding and you are neglecting it, then it will definitely lead to worsening of the things later on. The bleeding will increase. First formations can happen. Teeth may become mobile and then sometimes things go out of hand. So it is better. Prevention is definitely better than cure. So you should act early as soon as you notice any signs of gum disease.
Q. Are there any common misconceptions or myths that parents often encounter regarding gum care for children?
Parents, they have one thing in mind. These are just milk teeth. Gums are just for the timing with milk teeth and they’ll fall off. There is no need to take care of a child’s teeth. So this is the most common misconception. What can happen anyway? They’ll fall off anyhow and the permanent teeth will then come. But these milk teeth and the gums surrounding the milk teeth, they form a foundation for the permanent teeth to come.
They help in phonetics by developing the speech. Okay? And the gums form a seal around the milk tooth. Whenever the gums are intact, they form a seal for bacterial invasion inside. So they help in all manners. So it should not be always taken lightly that they are just milk teeth and milk gums.
Q. Is it possible to enhance children’s gum health through natural remedies or any home care practices, along with home care practices?
Along with brushing and flossing, massaging the gums increases their blood supply and improves their health. Then simple salt water rinses, like we call saline water rinses. They also help in reducing the inflammation and reducing the bacterial count in the mouth. So these are one or two simple measures we can apply.
Q. Prevention is the key when it comes to gum disease in children. So, what proactive measures can parents take to protect their children from these gum diseases?
Ideally, a professional checkup every six months for the child is one thing that parents can do. Secondly, they should themselves learn the proper brushing technique and teach their children the proper brushing technique. Similar is for the flossing techniques, right? And just keep on checking your child’s teeth and gums once in a month by lifting the lip, opening their mouth wide, and see for any sign and symptoms of disease. Because red gums can be noticed by even a layman, you do not even need a dentist to visit. If there’s some redness around the gums, then look into the child’s mouth. And professional cleaning every six months to a year, this will go a long way in maintaining the gum health.
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