Childrens Dentistry

Childhood has been identified as the most important stage of your “dental life”; both in terms of long term dental health and also in terms of establishing good-or bad- oral habits.

As dental professionals we believe in preventative dental care and encourage our patients to bring their children to the practice at an early age, as early as 6 months. Regular checkups from a young age will ensure children won’t suffer from untreated dental decay with devastating effects to their growing dentition. The initial two visits are used to help your child become familiar with our staff, facilities and the general experience of having a checkup. We tend not to start any treatment till your child is ready. Our team will take special care that your child feels safe and cared for.

The age 1 dental visit lets parents discuss:

• How to care for an infant’s or a toddler’s teeth
• Proper use of fluoride
• Oral habits, including finger and thumb sucking
• Ways to prevent accidents that could damage the face and teeth
• Teething and milestones of development
• The link between diet and oral health

Before leaving the office, you should have a clear idea about:

• Your child’s development
• Your responsibilities
• Follow up care by the dentist
• Your child’s likelihood or having problems with cavities or bite

Our main objective is to prevent dental diseases so from around 3 years we suggest six monthly checkups. At each checkup, we will undertake the following:

• Gentle scale and polishing
• Instructions on the proper way of brushing teeth
• Dietary advice and general health discussion with parents
• Fluoride treatment

• It is very important a maintain a consistent and daily oral program with your child as soon as their first tooth appears. After every feeding, wipe your child’s gums with a warm wet terry wash cloth, small gauze pad, or a finger cot. This removes excess food and bacteria to help prevent caries. Once more teeth start to appear, brush them with the smallest, soft bristled toothbrush you can find. Do not use tooth paste.
• If your child falls down, and experiences trauma to their teeth, lips or tongue please bring them in as soon as possible to have one of our dentists check the area. If a tooth is knocked out, you must act quickly. If it is a permanent tooth, place the tooth in some cold milk, and get to a dentist immediately. If the tooth can be cleaned off properly and placed within your child’s mouth within 30 minutes, it has a fair chance of taking root again.
• Use only a pea sized dot of toothpaste to brush your child’s mouth. Fluoride will help strengthen the teeth against decay. Choose a toothbrush size that is adapted to your child’s age.
• Do not put your child to bed with a bottle filled with milk, juice or formula. The substances will sit on your child’s teeth while they are sleeping and cause decay, which in turn leads to tooth lose.
• A balanced diet is essential for a child’s development. Feed your child a variety of healthy foods; they are beneficial for the teeth, bones and soft tissue of the mouth. Your child’s diet should include all the five major food groups – fruits, vegetables, breads/grains, milk products, and meat/poultry or fish. Avoid starchy and foods high in sugar content – they lead to tooth decay.

Treating a child from an early age allows the dentist to spot overbites, under bites and cross bites. Just like everything, the sooner you start, the better. As they say prevention is better than cure, so prevent oral pain for your child by calling us today.