My own children have been coming in to see me since they were about 12 months old. A child’s mouth is exceptionally dynamic with many changes occurring throughout the initial years of a young person’s life.

Diet and habits such as thumb sucking can affect a child’s mouth for years to come, so it is important to monitor these habits.

I have surrounded myself with a great team who has a special interest in taking care of our young people. I have 2 dental hygienists who have been professionally trained at Sydney and Alberta (Canada) University to care for the oral health of children and adults.

If a child regularly visits a dental practice, not only does this put the child into a preventative dental mindset, should work be required in the future, the child has a relationship with the dental team making it a positive experience for them.

My philosophy with children is simple; the earlier the better.

People ask me if they should take their child straight to a pediatrician, my answer to this is not initially. A good quality general dentist is all your child needs; a pediatrician is a specialist. We will refer to a pediatrician if there is something that needs to be addressed by them.  My answer here is if you are feeling sick do you go to your GP medical practitioner or do you go to a specialist immunologist?

I encourage parents to give their babies tooth brushes to chew on, the earlier you start the better.  Obviously care and supervision are essential, but it is all about getting the child used to what it is and what it feels like.  You can every now and then gently brush the gums.

Here at the MLC Centre Dental Surgery, Sydney CBD, we try and only charge the fund rebate or fund only for all of a children patients under the age of 14.

Helpful Tips for Stressed Parents from the Dentist

Our children are our greatest asset, there is nothing more satisfying and joyful than seeing a happy healthy smiling child. Parents go to great lengths to keep their children happy and healthy. A healthy smile is an important part of overall health. Parents can play a key role in helping to make dental care a part of their child’s daily routine.
Here are some tips to help parents encourage good dental habits:

• Start early—teach even your young children the importance of taking good care of their teeth.

• Have your child brush their teeth at least twice each day, for at least two minutes—the simple 2 for 2 plan. Use a soft bristle toothbrush—one that fits your child’s size. Set up a calendar where you mark off when they clean their teeth morning and night, reward them with gold stars etc on the calendar. Important point here is that this is settig up the rituals of cleaning, It is most important just for you to brush them at least once a day well, the pther time your child can try they can have the reposibility of doing it themselves.

• Place a match-head or pea sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste on your child’s brush. Children up to age 8 need help with good tooth brushing. Always use children’s toothpaste until the child is 8 years of age, especially if you live in a city that has had fluoride added to the water. Children’s toothpaste is one that has a low concentration of fluoride in it, not one that has the latest TV show characters on it, be careful here because often these toothpastes have adult strength fluoride in them.

• Have your child spit out the toothpaste after brushing, but not rinse with water, that way some of the fluoride stays on the teeth for added protection.

• Remind children to reach back far enough to clean those important six-year molars—they’re meant to last a lifetime. Your child will get their first adult teeth at the age of about 6, and they are often the back molars so go undetected by parents for a while.

• Once your child’s teeth touch each other, floss every day. Children up to age 12 need help with flossing.

• Have your child wear a mouth guard when playing contact sports.

• Take your child to the dentist every 6-9 months, start taking your child to the dentist with you when they are about 3. Get the dentist to let your child take a ride on the chair, explore the surgery a little. This is basically a time for them to start to get used to the environment, the smells the sounds etc. By the time your child is about 4 try and get them to have a basic check up and maybe have their teeth cleaned basically. Once again, it is a slow process so that eventually your child is quite happy to go to the dentist. I get parents to practice with their children, roaring like a lion so the dentist can count your teeth. The dentist is going to use an electric tooth brush to clean your teeth, I tend to show the children first on their thumb so they can feel the sensation and know it doesn’t hurt.

• Talk to your dentist about putting sealants on the chewing surfaces of your child’s permanent molars.

• Set a good example by brushing and flossing your own teeth properly

• Good eating habits are important for your child’s overall health and for strong, healthy teeth. Be careful of sugar filled foods and drinks, also acidic drinks and refined carbohydrate foods.

• Parents who are using baby formula need to be aware that the formulas’ made using demineralised water are preferable. Some baby formulas’ use dehydrated town water that causes the fluoride to concentrate in the formula. Most companies now use demineralised water because of this fact.

Fluoride use in the community has always been a debatable subject. There has been an uncountable number of studies in more than 20 countries over the last 50 years have shown that the use of fluoride reduces dental caries (holes in the teeth), and does not increase the prevalence of any other medical issues. The general public has long thought that fluoride is only beneficial to the teeth of developing children. It is true that there is a benefit to children whilst their teeth are developing but it has been shown that the daily washing of fluoride products across the teeth at any age and all ages reduces the risk of caries. Appropriate fluoride intake has been shown to reduce caries by as much as 50-60% in children and also acts as a preventative measure in adults.

Dental Sealants

Dental sealants or fissure seals are when the dentist places a type of clear or white filling material into the deep grooves of the molar teeth. This filling fills up the grooves that the toothbrush is unable to clean appropriately, so therefore acts as one of the best preventions available in dental market today. The process is painless and very quick to do. Children cope very well with the process. They are generally done in the 6 and 12 year old molars, meaning the large teeth in the back of the mouth that come through when your child is 6 years old and 12 years old approximately.

Fear of the Dentist

All children do not start out fearful of the dentist, they either learn the fear from parents or have a bad dental experience to start with. The most important aspect when taking your child to the dentist to start with is that you approach it with fun, you explain what is going to happen e.g. we are off to the dentist he needs to count all your teeth and just make sure everything is healthy, he will want to look in your mouth, so you will have to roar like a lion, it makes it easier. He will want to clean your teeth with a special toothbrush and toothpaste etc. Do not talk about how bad it can be, or pass your own fears onto your child. Dentistry is a lot different today, and the experience can be quite normal. As has already been discussed, start taking your child with you to explore a little, just take your time it may take a couple of visits before your child is comfortable enough to let the dentist have a look. The last thing you want to do is wait until there is a problem, because then it is much more difficult, the child is completely out of their comfort zone and the experience is not generally good. Slowly at first and then regular check ups, because by the time something needs to be treated, your child is happy, been through it all before, in their comfort zone and then is not fearful of the situation, trusts the dentist because they have seen them a number of times before.
Together with your dentist you can make the experience enjoyable and rewarding, with regular checkups issues can be picked up early and treated easily, and the dentist can offer advice on prevention, so hopefully your child teeth will stay healthy for the rest of their life, and you will have taught your child valuable lessons that they can take into the rest of their lives.

Remember here at the MLC Centre Dental Surgery, Sydney, CBD, the dentists charge fund only for most dental treatment for our child patients under the age of 14.