Understanding common dental conditions.

Causes:

• Frequent sugar intake
• Poor oral hygiene
• Nighttime bottle feeding with milk or juice (Early Childhood Caries)
• Low fluoride exposure

Clinical Features:

• White chalky spots in the early stage
• Brown or black cavitated lesions
• Tooth pain or sensitivity

Management:

• Topical fluoride application
• Restorations such as composite, glass ionomer, or stainless-steel crowns
• Pulp therapy for extensive decay
• Dietary counselling and oral hygiene instruction

Preventative Care:

• Regular fluoride application
• Good oral hygiene
• Dietary counselling
• Early diagnosis and intervention to help avoid caries and hypersensitivity

Causes:

The exact cause is not fully understood, but it is thought to be multifactorial and related to disturbances during enamel formation from late pregnancy through early childhood. Possible factors include:

• Childhood illnesses such as high fever, respiratory infections, or otitis media
• Prenatal or perinatal complications such as hypoxia, prematurity, or cesarean delivery
• Early exposure to antibiotics, especially amoxicillin
• Environmental toxins such as dioxins or bisphenol A

Clinical Features:

• Demarcated white, yellow, or brown opacities on affected molars or incisors
• Soft and porous enamel that may break down under chewing stress
• Tooth sensitivity to temperature or brushing
• Difficulty achieving anesthesia due to pulpal inflammation
• Increased risk of post-eruptive enamel breakdown and rapid caries

Management Depends on Severity:

• Mild: Desensitizing agents, fluoride varnish, and remineralizing agents
• Moderate: Composite or glass ionomer restorations
• Severe: Preformed stainless-steel crowns on molars for protection
• Very severe or non-restorable: Extraction followed by space maintenance or orthodontic guidance when appropriate

Effects:

• Feeding difficulties
• Speech problems
• Dental anomalies such as missing teeth or malocclusion

Management:

• A multidisciplinary approach that may include surgery, orthodontics, speech therapy, and prosthodontics
• Regular dental monitoring and preventive care

Clinical Features:

• White streaks or mottled enamel in mild cases
• Brown staining and pitting in more severe cases

Management:

• Cosmetic restorations such as microabrasion, bleaching, or veneers when clinically appropriate
• Monitoring fluoride sources such as toothpaste and water

Common Habits:

• Thumb sucking
• Pacifier use
• Tongue thrusting
• Mouth breathing
• Bruxism or teeth grinding

Effects:

• Proclined upper teeth, open bite, or crossbite
• Speech and swallowing issues

Management:

• Habit reminder therapy
• Counselling and positive reinforcement
• Habit-breaking appliances such as a palatal crib when clinically appropriate

Examples & Causes:

• Hypodontia: Missing teeth associated with genetic factors
• Supernumerary teeth: Extra teeth, such as mesiodens
• Enamel hypoplasia: Thin or pitted enamel associated with nutritional deficiency or illness during development
• Dentinogenesis imperfecta: Discoloured or weakened dentin associated with genetic factors

Management:

• Restorations or crowns for appearance and function
• Orthodontic or surgical removal of supernumerary teeth when appropriate
• Preventive care to minimize the risk of dental caries

Causes:

• Poor oral hygiene
• Hormonal changes during puberty
• Mouth breathing
• Certain systemic diseases, including leukemia or diabetes

Symptoms:

• Red or swollen gums
• Bleeding while brushing
• Bad breath

Management:

• Scaling and polishing
• Improved brushing and flossing
• Assessment and management of underlying systemic causes

Causes:

• Genetic factors
• Oral habits such as thumb sucking or tongue thrusting
• Premature tooth loss

Clinical Features:

• Crowded or spaced teeth
• Open bite, crossbite, or deep bite
• Esthetic and functional concerns

Management:

• Interceptive orthodontics such as space maintainers or habit-breaking appliances
• Early orthodontic evaluation, often around age seven