Children under the age of 5 are treated free if their parent/guardian is a regular patient.
This allows us to familiarise children with our team, environment, sights and sounds of the Dental Practice. Almost all of our team members are mums who are used to and very comfortable dealing with children. We’re skilled at putting them at ease and explaining things using language appropriate to the child’s age. By coming early and regularly, they grow up, as many of our patients have, with no fear of the dentist at all.
Visiting the dentist regularly allows us to offer advice and identify any potential problems as early as possible and, if necessary, to take preventative action.
Deep pits and grooves can be found on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. Such pits and grooves are termed ‘fissures’ and are usually so narrow that toothbrush bristles and streams of water are not able to clean them effectively. These form a favourable environment for bacteria to flourish, often resulting in tooth decay.
Fissure sealants can be applied to your tooth to seal off pits and fissures from the oral environment. Sealing the tooth surface protects fissures from bacteria and fermentable foods like sugar and starches to prevent decay from starting deep within the fissures. Any tooth with pits and fissures can be treated, provided the surface to be filled is sound and has not been previously filled. The most commonly treated teeth are the molars and premolars.
Sealants are applied easily and painlessly, no drilling is required. The tooth is properly cleaned, treated, dried, and the sealant applied A very bright light is then used to harden the sealant to form a protective coating over the tooth.
Children should brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, always before bedtime and on one other occasion, typically in the morning. Brushing at a set time or as part of getting ready for school helps establish a routine, which helps with this. Tooth brushing removes plaque from the teeth surfaces, the fluoride within the toothpaste helps to keep teeth strong and fight tooth decay.
Parents/Guardians should assist with their child’s brushing until they think they are brushing all of their teeth each time and are brushing for a minimum of two minutes and twice a day.
For ages 0-2, use a smear of toothpaste containing at least 1000ppm (part per million) fluoride.
For ages 3-5, use a pea-sized amount containing between 1300ppm and 1500ppm fluoride.
For 6 years +, use an adult toothpaste or children’s toothpaste containing between 1300ppm and 1500ppm fluoride. Use a small pea-sized amount to brush half of their teeth, let them spit, and then use another small pea-sized amount to brush the other half of their teeth and spit again.
For all children and adults: SPIT out the toothpaste, BUT DO NOT RINSE. This allows a very small amount of toothpaste to remain on the teeth surfaces.
The right toothbrush can help to get your child excited about brushing. It is important to use an age-appropriate brush.
Ages 0-2: small, soft manual brush. Ages 3-5: small soft manual brush or a rechargeable children’s electric toothbrush. Ages 6+: small to medium-sized manual toothbrush or a rechargeable electric toothbrush.
We would recommend an Oral-B electric toothbrush. We are not sponsored or incentivised to say this; our dentists have reviewed all of the research and believe this type of toothbrush is the best. Electric toothbrushes don’t need to be expensive, our dental team can advise you on these if required.
The main cause of tooth decay is the intake of sugar in the diet. It is not only the amount of sugar that is important but also how often it is eaten or drunk. The more often your child has sugary foods or drinks, the more likely they are to have decay.
It is important to have sugary foods, ideally just at mealtimes. If you want to give your child a snack, try to stick to cheese, vegetables and fruit. Try to limit how much dried fruit (particularly Raisins) you give as they are high in sugar.
Don’t give them drinks containing sugars, including fruit juices, between meals. Give them water or milk instead. For babies, don’t add sugar to their drinks or to foods when you introduce them to solids. It is also worth remembering that some processed baby foods contain quite a lot of sugar. Try checking the list of ingredients: the higher the list of sugar is, the more sugar there is in the product. Generally, anything ending in ‘ose’ is a sugar, for example, fructose, glucose, lactose or sucrose.
If your child needs to take any medication, please remember to check with your doctor or pharmacist that you are being prescribed sugar-free medicines at all times.
After the age of one, introduce a golden hour before bed when your child has nothing to eat or drink except for water. Their teeth should be brushed just before they go to bed, so the last thing in their mouth is fluoride toothpaste.
