DENTAL IMPLANTS FOR CHILDREN WITH MISSING TEETH !
Dental implants in the case of a child is very challenging and questionable, some might say without teeth how a child will be able to eat ( no diet no nutrition )or function well for speech & most important growth of surrounding skeletal & alveolar bone tissues which will apparently affect the facial profile & self-confidence of the child.
Loss of even one tooth can affect a child in various different aspects, earlier adults didn't give much importance to a child’s emotional , psychological & social problems but nowadays as we are stepping into the rush of world we know that because of competition these days everyone has to show their best & fullest of their potential to win the race.
If kids at their initial baby steps, feel any baggage dragging them back how they will be able to excel in the real world? And above all that parents are more conscious about how their kids look! If a child needs a tooth replacement then they are obviously searching for a permanent solution & not a temporary one, so that their child would feel more confident about that & doesn't hesitate or shy in front of anyone.
Hence Implant is a necessity for them to function properly, moreover they have a great blood supply and faster healing capacity which will allow the body to adapt the implant more easily .
As a parent you are the one who will be most worried for his/her child & want to know each aspect of this treatment & how it will affect your child eventually.We know that you want the best for your child & that's why we are here to guide you through this process or journey of implants for your child.
If one or two teeth are lost due to trauma then absolutely we can wait for implants until the growth is complete for the child, or they hit puberty and the things can work on temporary solutions till then & as soon as the growth is complete no treatment plan is better than implants but yes continuous check are required further to assess the implant positioning In future as well.
If you ask the ideal age for implant placement it will be 15 years for a girl child & 17-18 years for boys. As growth in girls is achieved comparatively at a faster rate than boys.
Lets now discuss the plan according to your needs:
So, let's say you want replacement of only one tooth which your child lost due to any kind of trauma or injury, at the age of lets say 7 or 8! ( if the tooth is with you and you visit a dentist that can be replanted or not, that's a whole different story , but when you don't have the tooth and visit a dentist for replacement, we are talking about that state) Now what?
At the age of 7 (either girl or boy) the growth is not completed enough for implant placement although it's the best long term option available. You can either go for a temporary crown replacement, obviously not a fixed one so that your adjacent permanent teeth are not affected and after the growth is complete one can plan an implant supported over that.
But on the other hand if we place an implant in the lost tooth site and re-evaluate it on a regular basis with a non-anatomic crown, so that it is temporarily available for looks and the bone resorption is avoided, then observe its movement with bone growth better word is remodel, then once it gets settled we can plan for a permanent prosthetic rehab. The story changes completely, when the implant site changes as the skeletal growth occurs in all three directions in different sites of the skull.
For example,
Upper jaw is divided into 3 parts - the front growth segment & two lateral growing segments posteriorly. Depending upon the position of growth lines from where the growth drift occurs and direction of growth i.e, in case of upper jaw bone resorption occurs from the nasal floor side & deposition occurs on the palate side making the jaw grow in downward direction.
So, at least if the child has hit puberty & his/her growth spurt has occurred then these changes will occur slowly but will not make any drastic change in the positions of implants, However if implants are placed before puberty the growth spurt can cause a drastic change in implant position making the condition worse!
As they rightly say,
Those little feet, Won't be little forever!
Likewise, the bones of your child will grow & develop for his/her betterment & we don't want to hinder that right?
As you can appreciate the changes from childhood to adulthood in the above pictorial representation and what we want to show you is that notice that changes in you face size occurs drastically in the beginning 4-5 phases and then the size remains relatively constant after that, although we are not denying for the remodeling changes which occurs throughout our life, it's just about the drastic changes that we are concerned for.
One should be prepared for all the pros & cons of implants when the patient sitting on your dental chair is a child.Realtooth experts are there to solve your problems, why do you need experts???
As there are several drawbacks also of placing implants in children like, their bone growth might be hindered because of implant placements, the implant might get displaced from where it has been placed, they can hit into the sinuses , can impinge on nerves or vessels. An expert can advise a treatment plan with almost zero complications but if any occurs also they are skilled enough to manage that too!
Now if we talk about the lower jaw, it is comparatively more stable to positioning implants in the long run. The growth of the lower jaw finishes earlier as compared to upper jaw , so we have that advantage for implants.
Now if we talk about the lower jaw, it is comparatively more stable to positioning implants in the long run. The growth of the lower jaw finishes earlier as compared to upper jaw , so we have that advantage for implants.
We just have to keep a check on their positioning & the respective changes in bone regarding that & that's all! If the bone implant position changes also, those minor corrections can be adjusted via prosthetic changes also.
So, what is the take home message regarding this blog? Children are fragile and require utmost care when we talk about dental care. So, first of all you have to take care of your child emotionally as well as mentally if she/he is facing such kind of situation because it's not easy for them.
When we as adults are scared of these dental treatments and very skeptical about implant treatments and thoughts regarding it, then think about those little footsteps who are just into the phase of play and slay but have to go through all this mental stress of negative social responses which make them more conscious and break them emotionally.
Also , if your child is feeling emotionally low BE THERE FOR THEM ! That's the only key plus we can provide you certain pointers to keep in mind for keeping you child emotionally and mentally healthy Talk about emotions with your child, and encourage them to recognise and label their emotions. You can also let your child know that it’s natural to have all sorts of feelings. Role-model a positive outlook for your child – for example, ‘I’m disappointed that my cake didn’t cook properly, but that’s OK – I’ll try it again another time’.
Support your child when something is bothering them. For example, if your child is having trouble with friends at school, you could give your child plenty of hugs and reassure them that you’re there for them.
Help your child learn to manage small worries so they don’t become big problems. You can do this by gently encouraging your child to do things they’re anxious about instead of avoiding scary situations.
Further , you can visit the whole article about child care by just clicking onto the link if you want to know more.
https://raisingchildren.net.au/school-age/health-daily-care/mental-health/children-s-mental-health
