Dental Care

Aside from tooth decay, the biggest dental concern for young children is trauma or injury. Children face several potential risks for dental injury:

• Accidents, falls, and injuries to the mouth, gums, tongue, cheeks, and lips are common during childhood.
• Babies often injure their face and mouth when learning to crawl or walk
• Toddlers and preschoolers may accidentally bite the sides of the mouth or tongue while running or eating
• Children involved in car accidents are more likely to suffer face and mouth injuries if they are not in a car seat

What’s more, brushing and flossing teeth, though essential to good oral hygiene, can cause gum bleeding. For children with hemophilia, even minor mouth trauma is a particular concern because it almost always causes bleeding. You cannot prevent mouth bleeding, but you can take steps to avoid unnecessary injuries.

• Provide soft toys and utensils
  
  Use a soft toothbrush and floss gently. Keep hard plastic or metal toys out of your child’s reach. Instead, provide toys made of soft plastic or padded fabric. When feeding your baby or toddler, use a plastic-coated spoon.
• Enforce safety rules
  
  Discourage your child from putting toys or hard objects in his mouth and from playing with toys that have sharp edges. Never allow your child to walk or run with an object in his or her mouth, such as a pen, pencil, or paper clip. Insist that your child sit down while eating and chew food slowly.
• Get a mouth guard
  
  It is strongly recommended that children wear mouth guards when playing contact sports. And children with bleeding disorders should be strongly discouraged from participating in football, soccer, wrestling, or boxing.

Children with hemophilia are more likely to have prolonged bleeding or oozing when they start teething or when their permanent teeth are coming in. Control slight oozing by applying firm, gentle pressure to the area.

Before orthodontic work begins, make sure to review the treatment plan with your HTC staff. In most cases, the placement of braces does not cause bleeding. However, the orthodontist should know about your child’s hemophilia and take care to avoid cutting or irritating the gums when placing bands and wires on the teeth. The orthodontist can show you how to apply dental wax to wires to protect gum tissue.

The extraction of wisdom teeth requires careful planning and follow up. The dentist or oral surgeon must consult with your HTC to plan the surgery. You will need to be fully informed about what will happen before, during, and after the procedure. Write down questions in advance and bring them with you when you meet the treatment team.