"The NHS seems to only offer tooth removal in cases of severe decay - yet experts urge parents to seek alternative opinion and treatment where possible, because baby teeth need to remain in the mouth for lots of other reasons; chewing on well-formed teeth helps the jaw bones to grow and develop properly, provide spacing for permanent teeth, allow normal chewing of food important for digestion and are also necessary for the development of sounds and proper speech development. As certain molars are expected to be in the child's mouth until 12-13 years of age - early removal may have significant impact."A shocking report in the Guardian has highlighted the true extent of the dental issues in the UK:
Young children are suffering pain, facial infections and blood poisoning because their baby teeth are being left untreated, with some undergoing the trauma of having teeth extracted because many dentists wrongly think primary or "milk" teeth are not worth repairing, said Monty Duggal, a professor of children's dentistry.
The mistaken belief that baby teeth should not be filled is leading to NHS dental hospitals having to perform emergency removals of children's teeth – which can sometimes involve extracting every tooth in what is called a "full clearance" – he adds.Read more here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jan/09/children-tooth-decay-dentist-monty-duggal
You can read the full paper the article is from here:
http://pi2.ingenta.com/content/rcse/fdj/2011/00000002/00000001/art00003;jsessionid=2v3pph02l7fop.alice
It seems to be lost on the nhs that we should be looking at what's causing these issues in the first place? Is it negligent parenting or contagious bacterias? Or both? Or neither? Apart from poisoning our water, what is the government really doing about it?
ReplyDeleteThis government are increasing the cost of everything so much that the main types of food discounted in the 'supermarket price wars' is junk - therefore families will be buying & eating this junk, which will just lead to more obesity & tooth decay. That's what this government are doing! (Rant over lol).
ReplyDeleteI am happy to report that My dentist is always happy to hear about research about breastfeeding and dentistry! Take it in to your dentist and discuss it folks!
ReplyDeleteDentists should give extra attention to all patients. As a kid, it was recommended that I visit the dentist every six months, but being a kid, I'd suffer from tooth pain after a few months. There should be balance between non-intervention and intervention by dentists.
ReplyDeleteAccording to The Independent article, "an undercover investigation has exposed poor quality assessments, inadequate examinations and treatment plans among NHS and private dentists." This is truly unacceptable. I hope that the General Dental Council will monitor professional standards for dentists.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, the main reason for not restoring baby teeth is to avoid traumatising a young child to the point that they refuse to see a dentist, rather than because they're considered not worth restoring. There *are* conservative ways to halt decay relatively non-invasively, whilst leaving the affected teeth in situ, but unfortunately the decay does sometimes progress to the point where a GA is needed.
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