Evaluating Your Child’s Complete Oral Health
Routine examinations and inspections are important to keeping any smile healthy, especially when it comes to younger children who’s smiles and oral structures are still developing. At our office, we strive to give children the best chance at optimal oral health for life, which includes performing comprehensive evaluations beyond routine dental checkups and cleanings. Pediatric evaluations involve more thorough and direct examinations of different aspects of your child’s oral health, including certain habits and quality of life factors that could be traced back to oral health and development issues. After a careful evaluation, we can help your child address such issues with professional, personalized pediatric oral health care.
What we evaluate, and why
- Mouth breathing – Mouth breathing involves breathing primarily through the mouth when your child sleeps. It can be caused by a variety of issues, such as crooked teeth, malformations in your child’s oral structures, and more. If not addressed, chronic mouth breathing can lead to problems such as chronic bad breath, tooth decay and cavities, an increased risk of gum disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and more.
- Airway obstruction – An obstruction in your child’s airway can result from a number of things, such as a foreign object that they may have swallowed or a condition with their oral, nasal, or facial structures. An obstructed airway can cause difficulty breathing, changes in your child’s pallor and skin color, agitation or fidgeting, and more. In case of obstruction caused by oral structures, it may also lead to chronic sleep breathing disorders.
- Sleep quality – Children’s sleep quality can be affected by several potential factors, but airway obstruction and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are highly common. If your child exhibits signs of sleep loss, such as trouble concentrating throughout the day, chronic tiredness and fatigue, and more, then we can perform an evaluation to determine if a sleep breathing disorder is to blame.
- Speech / behavioral issues – Issues with your child’s oral and facial structures can lead to several other problems, including speech problems (such as tongue-tie issues involving the adenoids and tonsils). They can also lead to issues that are commonly mistaken as behavioral troubles. For instance, when children suffer from poor sleep quality, they may be less able to concentrate in school or exhibit signs that might be considered disruptive.
Schedule an Evaluation for Your Child
For more information, or to schedule a pediatric evaluation for your child, call the Viva Dental office nearest you at 214-337-7800 in Dallas, or at 972-437-6000 in Richardson.
