Plaque on the teeth in children causes anxiety of parents, and not in vain. This visual sign, which darkens the impression of the baby's first smile, may signal the development of certain diseases. To begin with, you should independently determine whether the plaque requires home treatment or whether you need to contact a dentist for help. As a rule, light white plaque indicates that oral hygiene is not sufficiently observed, the wrong feeding or nutrition regimen is chosen, shades of plaque of darker colors warn of the onset of the primary stages of diseases.
Causes of the raid
Responsible parents are concerned about the question of why a child has plaque on his teeth. The reasons can be found on your own by examining the oral cavity, taking into account the individual characteristics of feeding. There are a number of factors that can lead to plaque in children, the most common of which are:
- Weakened immunity;
- Dysbacteriosis;
- The impact of medications;
- Poor oral hygiene;
- Features of the composition of saliva;
- fungal infection;
- Violations during intrauterine development.
Dentists call dysbacteriosis the most common reason for a child to have plaque on their teeth. The gastrointestinal tract of the baby is not yet ready for the effects of supplementary feeding, with which parents seek to improve the enzymatic digestibility of the baby.
Weakened immunity, especially if the newborn has suffered any diseases of the prenatal period or in the first months of life, also affects the condition of the child's teeth. A bad defensive reaction leads to serious problems : there are no proper reactions from all organs. If such a pathology is not treated, then the body begins to signal violations through the appearance of dark and even black plaque on the child's teeth.
The main reason is considered to be poor oral hygiene. It's not even that parents forget to regularly examine the child or clean his mouth. Sometimes the problem lies in the fact that the hygiene product is not chosen correctly or cleaning is carried out without taking into account physiological characteristics. In this case, you should contact a dentist who will select harmless and effective hygiene products and teach you how to use a toothbrush correctly and painlessly.
In addition, the use of antimicrobial and antibacterial drugs at an early age can provoke the appearance of plaque on the teeth of any thickness (as a rule, these drugs belong to the tetracycline group).
Fungal infection, which is often due to a poor diet (for example, insufficient amounts of vegetables and fruits with fiber), leads to difficulties with the baby's teeth. Also, do not forget that white and yellow plaque can be triggered by the characteristics of the child's saliva. If such a problem is detected, the doctor will prescribe a special set of vitamin supplements and trace elements that will even out the microflora of the stomach.
Violation of intrauterine development of the fetus, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy, brings negative consequences in the first years of the child's development. Plaque on the teeth of a one-year-old child can be triggered by a deficiency of fluorine and calcium during the diet of a pregnant woman.
The causes of plaque on the teeth, as we see, can be very diverse: from a woman’s malnutrition during any trimester of pregnancy to the choice of low-quality antimicrobial drugs.
Types of plaque and how to eliminate it
- Plaque on the teeth of a child at 1 year of age, with normal development, will spread only on the back surface, have a white or slightly yellowish color. When brushing your teeth, it is easily removed and does not cause pain.
- White plaque on the teeth of a child does not signal any pathology. These are just pieces of food that are left after feeding.
- Sounding the alarm when a yellowish coating is also not worth it: most likely this is due to insufficient oral hygiene or the choice of an inappropriate vitamin complex.
- Yellow plaque on a child’s teeth, if it is too thick, may be a reason to visit a dentist or pediatrician (read “ yellow teeth in a child ”).
- Dark plaque on the teeth of a child usually appears with a disturbed diet. The absence or low content of fruits and vegetables rich in fiber deprives the baby of the ability to independently chew solid food, as a result of which self-cleaning of teeth from plaque does not occur. An excellent method of dealing with dark plaque is a mixture of calcium glycerophosphate and lemon juice. With this tool, you need to wipe your teeth at night, avoiding contact with the gums, and leave until the morning (after the procedure, in no case should you eat or drink). Parents should get a special rubber brush, which will protect the child from the appearance of microcracks and abrasions of the oral cavity, and give an additional massage to the gums. Do not forget that nutrition should include sufficient phosphorus, calcium and fluoride.
- Black plaque on the teeth of a child signals the onset of pathology, more precisely, a violation of the digestive function. Sometimes black plaque signals the presence of a fungal infection or infection with worms. How to remove black plaque on a child's teeth should be decided only after a complete examination of the baby. Even if such a color of the coating is not caused by pathologies and diseases, but is simply a feature of saliva, this circumstance should not be ignored. Black plaque at a later age often leads to caries, tartar, gum damage by microbes. During treatment, a complex of vitamin supplements, various microelements are prescribed, proper cleaning and diet are monitored (a rich fiber content in vegetables, fruits, nuts is necessary). After reaching the age of one year, you can use special adapted pastes with a high content of fluorine to prevent caries in children. Make sure that the baby's mouth is always moist, because saliva is the best disinfectant for teeth.
