Is Occupational Therapy Right for Your Child?

About Me

Is Occupational Therapy Right for Your Child?

I'm an occupational therapist. Contrary to popular belief, this does not mean that I help people feel better about their jobs. I actually work with children, and help them with whatever functioning they need to improve. My young clients have handwriting issues, attention deficits, sensory processing disorders and more. Many parents are concerned about their children's development, including whether they're reaching milestones, whether they're able to complete daily tasks, or how they behave socially. If you've been thinking about your child's abilities lately, your family might benefit from an appointment with an occupational therapist. Find answers to your questions and learn more about how occupational therapy might benefit your child here.

Orthodontics Can Help Kids That Are Missing Permanent Teeth

Baby teeth tend to fall out as a child's permanent teeth erupt, but there are times when kids are born without certain permanent teeth. This condition is called congenitally missing teeth, and the permanent teeth that are missing will never grow in. If your child has this issue, you may want to talk to an orthodontist to find out if braces could help solve the problem.

Why This Happens

Experts are not entirely certain why some children are born without certain teeth, but it is relatively common. Approximately 2% to 10% of people are missing at least one permanent tooth, and missing wisdom teeth is the most common type of teeth people are born without.

When a permanent tooth is missing, there is still a baby tooth there (except for the wisdom teeth). The baby tooth that is in this spot will normally stay there permanently because baby teeth usually do not come out until they are pushed out. If this is the case, your child would need to take really good care of this baby tooth so that it lasts a lifetime.

If the baby tooth comes out, there are several ways dentists can fix the problem that is created when there is a gap in a person's mouth.

Solutions For The Problem

One of the solutions for this problem is to put in an artificial tooth replacement. This could be a bridge or a dental implant. A bridge is held in place with the teeth that are next to the gap, while a dental implant is grafted into the jawbone. If your child is missing numerous teeth, a dentist may suggest creating partial dentures to solve the problem.

The other solution that often works is for the child to get braces. With braces, an orthodontist might be able to move the teeth over to fill in this gap. This method works fine when a child is only missing one or teeth permanent teeth, but it may not work well if the child is missing a lot of teeth.

Before you can find out which option is right for your child, you will need to take him or her to a dentist and to an orthodontist. Orthodontists are able to correct a lot of different problems with the teeth and jaw, and this might be the best solution for the problem your child has. To learn more about this, talk to your child's dentist and make an appointment with an orthodontist, like Dr. Mar, in your area.


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