Children’s Dental Requirements And Costs

Good oral hygiene is important to your child’s overall health. Studies show that poor dental care can lead to respiratory infections, kidney disease, and even increases the chances of cardiovascular ailments. Dental care should begin even before your little one’s first tooth appears. A balanced diet, brushing teeth twice a day, and flossing at least once a day can ensure that your child has healthy teeth and gums.

Most kids just love sugary sweet candy and junk food. These can lead to several dental issues that require dental treatment. The most common dental issues among children and their treatment required are:

Bad Breath

Children are prone to bad breath, which is also known as halitosis. This is because they love munching on chips and candy, which stick to their teeth and result in a sticky film of bacteria (known as plague) on the teeth. These cause the teeth to rot and produce bad breath.

Treatment required

You may need to prevent your child from eating too much junk food, like burgers, chips, and sweets. The dentist may also suggest regular cleaning.

Cost of dental consultation

₹500 to ₹1,000

Tooth sensitivity

Sensitive teeth can be painful. Tooth sensitivity may be caused by different factors, including cavities, eroding of enamel, teeth grinding, permanent teeth appearing, and gum disease.

Treatment required

Depending on the cause of the problem and the level of pain your child is experiencing, the dentist may suggest special products, like desensitizing toothpaste and fluoride gel, filling cavities, or scaling and deep cleaning.

Tooth decay

Kids of all ages are highly prone to tooth cavities. This occurs dental plaque builds up and erodes the tooth enamel, causing a hole. Plaque is formed when bacteria in the mouth comes into contact with food, acid, and saliva. This sticky substance covers the teeth and slowly eat away at a tooth. You may think that your child is too small to have cavities. However, tooth decay is very common and more than 30% children between three to five years of age typically have cavities.

Treatment required

At times, cavities cannot be seen by the naked eye. Regular cleaning by a specialised paediatric dentist can help with the early detection of cavities. If detected early, cavities can be removed with cleaning and filling. However, if the condition becomes more serious, a crown may be required.

Cost of filling

₹2,000 to ₹4,000

Gum disease

Known as gingivitis, gum disease causes inflammation of the gum tissues. Without timely treatment, this can weaken the tooth and even lead to bone damage.

Treatment required

Your child’s dentist may suggest regular brushing with a special toothpaste and flossing at least once a day. Paediatric dental cleaning to remove plaque and tartar may also be needed.

Cost of deep cleaning

₹500 to ₹2,000

Tooth misalignment

It is common for children to have overcrowding, overbites, and underbites. Malocclusion, or the misalignment of teeth, may be caused by genetics, overuse of pacifiers, prolonged bottle feeding, thumb sucking, or an injury. If not corrected in time, malocclusion can cause several dental problems, like tooth decay, teeth loss, and gum disease. It can also affect the way your child chews food, cause a host of other health issues.

Treatment required

Regular visits to the dentist can help identify alignment issues early. To rectify overcrowding and misalignment, an orthodontist may recommend palatal expanders, wire braces, Damon braces, or removable aligners.

Cost of braces

₹1,00,000 – to ₹5,00,000

Other common dental issues among children

• Early loss of primary teeth
• Mouth breathing
• Difficulty chewing food
• Disproportionate jaw

Get the Onsurity for your time of need

India had 2.7 lakhs dentists registered with the Dental Council of India (DCI) in 2021. This made us the country with the second highest number of dentists in the world. However, dental costs have been rising and we need a plan that supports us when we need dental treatment for our children. With Onsurity, you can choose from different dental plans, along with a host of health benefits with unmatched customer experience.

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Don’t let dental issues make your jaws drop

Is your child experiencing a toothache? Maybe overcrowding of teeth is preventing proper speech development. Does your little one fall sick very often? This could be due to dental problems. Early detection can prevent all these issues. Don’t let the cost of dental consultation and treatment impact your child’s life and impede proper development.

With Onsurity, you can get a suitable dental plan. Plus, you can benefit from free teleconsultations, book lab tests online and have samples collected from the comfort of your home, order medicines at attractive discounts, and get all the help you need to make the claims process smooth and fast.

Not already an Onsurity member? Contact us today to unlock amazing healthcare benefits at highly affordable monthly subscriptions starting at Rs. 145/month.