'All That Parents Want to Know...a Small Bites Initiative!

Dental Care in kids Childhood is a period of play, learning, and movement. Kids explore and imbibe from the world around, engage with others, eat different things, are affected by what’s happening in their environment. As kids get involved, however, they also start to show the effects of that exposure to the world around. Some of this is good and some bad. Parents need to intervene when the time is right. When a child complains verbally or nonverbally, we as parents shouldn’t overlook, as these are the symptoms that our child is overburdened. It is required to balance them physically, emotionally and mentally through right methods - play, intervention, and treatment as appropriate. Besides their outward play and engagement and the effects of it, what is also important is how kids react to the food they eat and their emotional well being. Stress is an important aspect to consider in children. When it comes to teeth and dental hygiene, it is equally important to take care of them. It is essential to pay special attention to baby's gums, baby teeth, and future permanent teeth. Small Bites, Bangalore conducted an event 'All That Parents Want to Know...', that covered many aspects of a child’s wellbeing. At the session, we listened to four experts- Dr. Premila Naidu, Founder Small Bites, Charmaine Kenita-Homeopath and Yoga Enthusiast, Dr. Neha- Orthodontist and Dr. Chetan- Mothercell, on a panel discussion about topics covering Dental Braces, Stem Cell Banking, Child Psychology, Food & Yoga for Children. In continuation on how to deal with stress in children, Dr. Charmaine Kenita says, “Yoga can help counter many problems in kids. Parents should introduce yoga to children as early as the kid is 4 years old as stiffness in adult joints starts as early as 25. Yoga helps in controlling the restlessness, agitation, and stress in children”. Talking about the importance of yoga, she mentioned that yoga at an early age encourages self-esteem, boosts confidence and calms the mind as well as the body. It teaches parents to be compassionate and cooperative with our kids. “We got to know that yoga not only helps in the personal development of the kids but also helps in dealing with various diseases that our kids are susceptible to. Yoga helps in curing ailments such as bronchitis or breathing problems. It also helps in slowing down the digestion process and helps in cleansing the gut. Yoga takes care of all the organ systems maintaining a sound and healthy body”, the homeopath and yoga enthusiast informed. “Also, we need to keep a check on what our kids are consuming and their frequency. As treatment always starts at home and prevention is always better than cure”, she added. “My child is suffering from acute bronchitis which leads to the deformation of his teeth too. Does bronchitis have any relation to our buccal cavity and how do we correct that?”, one of the mothers in the audience asked. “This medical condition can be corrected by Braces treatment”, Dr. Neha, the orthodontist responded. Today, medical science has solutions for almost all our problems. Similarly, it has solutions for the dental problem in kids too. If the tooth arrangements in our kids are not proper then we can always visit an orthodontist and if prescribed we can opt for the Braces Treatment. “One can start the treatment early only under three circumstances- to correct bad habits (3-4 years of age when the oral tissues are developing), jaw correction (9 years of age) and Dental alignment (at a later stage)”, Dr. Neha informed. Most of our kids suffering from breathing problems breathe through their mouth. As the air passage is blocked, it affects arches- upper and lower, nasal passage and teeth start narrowing. That’s when the orthodontists suggest for Braces. Braces treatment helps in the opening of nasal passage converting oral to nasal breathing.

Healthy and Happy Teeth The braces are not difficult to manage. The orthodontics laid out the guidelines; how to consume food while on braces, it's cleaning, buying special brushes and avoid front teeth while chewing food was a few to consider.

As we were in discussion on ways to counter various diseases in kids, Dr. Chetan, from Mothercell threw some light on the process of preserving tooth pulp storage which is commonly known as Dental Stem Cell. This non-invasive technology is a new concept in India but its awareness is already visible in western countries like the U.S. or U.K. It can be performed in kids who fall under the age group of 5-11 years. It’s an early intervention. Dental stem cell involves the usage of the milk tooth (fallen or about to fall) followed by the collection of the tooth along with its pulp. It doesn’t require extraction in kids. The tooth is then transferred to a sterile box to avoid contamination. This also helps in maintaining its viability (-196 degree Celsius) which ceases the biological activity of the stem cells for about 50-60 days. It is then introduced to room temperature and is checked for the quality of the stem cells, viable enough to act. Once the cells pass the tests, lab reports and a certificate will be issued to the patient. It also provides some confidential information which is only accessible to the parents or guardian of the minority. The Dental Stem Cell technology is ethical as it is non- invasive and observes no harm to the kid. It has been proved to correct Nerve injuries, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer but not restricted to these. One can store their own kid’s stem cells rather than using the induced pleuripotent cells which claim for a less source for stem cells. Stem Cells can revolutionize medicines more than anything else including antibiotics. It holds the promise of finding cures and treatments for a wide range of diseases. Given so much that there was shared, I came away with much information to use as my child grows older. What I’ve learned is that it is always important to preserve the child’s future now!