We are pleased to inform you that Dr Kalaiarasu Peariasamy is now one of our panellist for DoktorBudak.com. This means that we can now answer your questions about your child’s oral health and dental issues. We know that at the tender period of childhood, parents will have to face such problems.
Dr. Kalaiarasu Peariasamy is a Senior Consultant and Head of Paediatric Dentistry at a government hospital in Selangor. He graduated with Bachelor of Dental Surgery from the University of Malaya and Masters in Paediatric Dentistry from the University of London, England. He holds the Fellowship in Dental Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and the Intercollegiate Membership in Paediatric Dentistry from the Royal Colleges of England and Glasgow. He completed his CCST(UK) in 2001. He has lectured both locally and internationally on topics focused on paediatric dentistry. His main interests are in paediatric oral diseases, multi-disciplinary role in cleft lip/palate and dental trauma.
Welcome Dr Kalai, and we welcome your questions about oral health.
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7 responses to “Welcome Dr Kalai to Doktorbudak.com”
Dear readers, thank you for your questions. Please note that your questions will not be answered immediately ( within hours/few days ). We will try to come up with articles in accordance to your questions as soon as possible.
Hi doctor.
Anak lelaki saya umur 6thn. Sekarang gigi keseluruhan ronggak. Gigi dpn hitam dan tinggal tunggul. Sy ada bw jumpa dentist, dan dimaklumkan gigi tersebut akan gugur sendir.. xperlu dicabut. Apa yg merisaukan, saya takut gigi baru akan tumbuh atau ia melmbtkan pertumbuhan gigi baru. Saya risau pmknan dia pun kurang dan mungkin malu sb tahun depan akan nail darjah 1. Pndgn doc pls…
Salam sejahtera Puan,
Anak puan mengalami masalah kerosakan gigi atau karies pada gigi susu (primer). Karies boleh mengakibatkan struktur gigi ditandai dengan lubang yang berwarna coklat atau hitam dan sekiranya karies tidak terkawal ianya boleh menjalar ke saraf gigi atau merosakkan gigi sehingga hanya tertinggal tunggul gigi.
Gigi yang terlalu rosak atau tunggul biasanya tidak terasa sakit tetapi ada kemungkinan infeksi boleh berlaku sehingga terjadinya abses (bengkak gusi).
Dalam keadaan ini, pencabutan gigi harus dilakukan.
Gigi kekal biasanya akan tumbuh setelah gigi susu gugur apabila umur kanak-kanak berusia sekitar 6 hingga 7 tahun. Bila gigi susu/tunggul menyekat pertumbuhan gigi kekal dari tumbuh ke tempat sepatutnya maka pencabutan gigi susu/tunggul harus dilakukan.
Sekiranya, terdapat tunggul gigi yang tidak tanggal walaupun gigi kekal telah tumbuh dan ianya mengakibatkan gigi menjadi berlapis-lapis maka pencabutan tunggul gigi perlu dilakukan.
Puan adalah digalakkan untuk membawa anak puan berjumpa dengan doktor gigi selepas 6 bulan untuk pemeriksaan semula dan dapatkan nasihat tentang pencegahan karies gigi khasnya pada gigi kekal yang bakal tumbuh.
Dr Kalai
Hi Doctor,
My 2 years 10 mos daughter has brittle tooth. She had fallen down twice that caused her mouth to bleed, and cracked her front teeth to half. What should we do ?
Dear Parent,
I would presume your child had normal looking teeth at eruption, and perhaps overtime it appeared ‘chalky’ before becoming ‘brittle’. This condition is called “Early Childhood Caries” and it is most often seen in children before age 3 years. It is usually associated with bottle feeding especially during sleeptime.
The severity of Early Childhood Caries may vary; initially, the caries tend to affect the upper front teeth, then progressively the first and second molar teeth becomes affected. It may show an extremely fast progression and cause early pulp death. Furthermore, if the caries remain active, the teeth may easily be cracked or broken especially during falls.
In the first instance, if your child is bottle feeding, avoid bottle-feeding at night. Ensure your child has good oral hygiene by brushing twice daily with fluoridated toothpaste. See a dentist for professional advice on your child’s “brittle-teeth”, and to exclude other conditions including dental developmental anomalies.
Kind regards
Dr Kalai
Hi Doctor, my son is 1 year 8 months and already all his teeth. My concern is: how do I keep his teeth clean when he refuse to allow us to brush his teeth nor would he wants to do it on his own. We tried demostrating, acting, making it fun etc but all fail. He doesn’t eat much sweet stuff but occassionally we allow him one or two sweets/chocolates. Your advice is highly appreciated. Thank you
Dear Parent,
Great to know your son has teeth erupting appropriately for his age. It is common for children of his age to have very minimal toothbrushing skills, so do not despair! In most instances, parents need to be responsible for their child’s oral hygiene care at least up to the age of 6 years.
A helpful way to conduct toothbrushing for your son would be to initially sit him on your lap or on a chair and face him. Then,wrap, from behind, one arm around his head and lift up his upper lip and proceed to brush his teeth with your other hand. For the first few days, just concentrate on a few front teeth, then gradually proceed to clean his other teeth especially the molars. You should select a soft brush with a small head and big handle, perhaps one with a cartoon character or alternatively consider using an electric toothbrush of appropriate size. Also, introduce a smear amount of child toothpaste each time during brushing, ideally after breakfast and before bedtime. After brushing, wipe his teeth with a clean wet linen, and later when he is able, encourage him to rinse out with water.
Another great way to help your child would be to position his back on your lap and proceed to brush while looking down into his mouth. I have attached a helpful link for demonstration below;-
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a554806/caring-for-your-babys-teeth
On the issue of sweets/chocolates, try and restrict them to once a week, preferably during weekends. This is a simple way to monitor his snack intake.
If your have additional concerns about your son’s oral care, do not hesitate to contact me again.
Kind regards
Dr Kalai