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ASK THE EXPERTS
My child is wetting the bed. What can I do?
Bedwetting is common in children 6 years and under, and can also continue in children older than this. You should encourage your child to not feel embarrassed or ashamed. It is caused by making a large amount of urine through the night; having a bladder that can only store a small amount of urine at night; or not being able to fully wake up from sleep to go to the toilet.
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It’s a good idea to seek professional help for bedwetting after about age 6. Start by seeing your doctor. Treatment can involve encouraging the child to empty their bladder when they need to during the day; using a night alarm that wakes the child up when moisture touches the bed; or medicines or sprays prescribed by a doctor to help the bladder work better at night. Some medicines can treat bedwetting in older children. However, wetting often returns when these medicines are stopped. Bedwetting alarms are often helpful in older children. A bedwetting alarm sounds when it detects moisture in the bed.
Most children who wet the bed overcome the problem between the ages of 6 and 10.
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My son is eight years old. After visiting our dentist recently, he recommended we seek the advice of a specialist orthodontist. I feel it is too soon. Isn’t he too young to commence orthodontic treatment? What is the optimum age to have a consultation and commence treatment?
This is a great question that is asked often by many parents. Timing is a very important factor in early orthodontic treatment. Orthodontic problems your child may be facing is usually evident by the age of seven– this is the age when most children’s first adult molars have already erupted and their upper adult incisors have started to erupt. The Australian Society of Orthodontists recommends that children be seen at this age so that an evaluation can be made as to whether they will need orthodontic treatment in the future; and, if not, the orthodontist can monitor the eruption of the child’s permanent teeth as they grow.
There are many benefits to seeking an assessment for early orthodontic treatment and these include:
1. Addressing thumbsucking or finger sucking habits
2. Maintaining space for erupting permanent teeth if a baby tooth has been lost early
3. Addressing protrusive upper teeth which may reduce the risk of trauma and even helping with self esteem and confidence
4. Guiding the growth of your child’s jaw
5. Guiding the eruption of permanent teeth if they appear impacted
6. Reducing a traumatic bite when lower teeth bite into the upper gum
At your child’s initial orthodontic consultation, an assessment will be made based on how your child is biting; how many adult and baby teeth are present and if they are crowded or impacted. A discussion with you and your child will then be made recommending whether your child requires orthodontic treatment now or later. Another important factor that is taken to consideration is whether your child is mature enough to cooperate with treatment.
Apart from the above benefits, early treatment can also make further orthodontic treatment less complicated and of a shorter duration, if required. And in some cases, later treatment may not even be needed.
