Child laughing with many teeth showing.

A lot of people think that the baby teeth are the ‘first go of it’ before the adult teeth come out. For this reason, they don’t worry so much about doing treatment on baby teeth. In fact, we should take extra care of your kids baby teeth for these reasons:

  1. Decay in deciduous teeth move very quickly through the teeth. It can infect the nerve and then go on to cause decay in the adult tooth sitting under the gum. Once decay infects an unerupted adult tooth, it is quite involved to fix.
  2. A higher risk of decay in deciduous teeth usually translates to a higher risk in decay in adult teeth. How well you take care of their baby teeth will affect their experience with decay as an adult. Give them the best start and they can continue on as they grow.
  3. Taking out baby teeth before it’s time for them to come out due to infection and abscesses can result in the space closing before the adult teeth are ready to come through. This needs careful monitoring, or a space maintainer to keep the space. If space has been lost from removing a baby tooth too early, orthodontic treatment will be needed to open up the space again.
  4. Children can find it hard to communicate pain. They may be living with discomfort without anyone knowing, resulting in poor nutrition and trouble concentrating at school.

 

Make sure your kids have the best start they can by bringing them in for regular check ups. Good dental habits start young, and dental problems caught early are easily fixed. It will allow your child to be their best self and thrive at home and school.

Some children in Australia have access to the Child Dental Benefits Scheme. The government allows $1,026 per child, over a two year period for basic dental services. We accept CDBS patients and can claim directly from Medicare, on your behalf. This means no out of pocket payments for you at the end of appointment! Easy!

 

BOOK YOUR CHILD IN FOR A MEET AND GREET

We get so many questions about how to clean your teeth and toothbrushes. Here are the ins and outs of toothbrushing, and a breakdown of the different types of toothbrushes:

Manual vs electric:

  • This can be personal preference.
  • Manual toothbrushes take more skill to use as you have to physically manoeuvre them around each surface.
  • Electric brushes do a lot of the work for you and can be helpful if you’re finding it hard to brush every surface of every tooth.
  • Electric brushes with a pressure sensor and timer can help avoid overbrushing.
  • Electric toothbrushes can help do more work if you have dexterity issues. For example if you have arthritis in your hands, or for young children.

Hard vs soft bristles:

  • Soft bristles are best for your teeth and gums.
  • Hard bristles can cause overbrushing and toothbrush abrasion lesions. These can become sensitive and need maintenance over time.

Shape of the toothbrush:

  • A brush with a smaller head is best.
  • Toothbrushes with larger heads make it harder to clean the corners of the mouth.

Other kinds of brushes:

  • Orthodontic brushes and interproximal brushes are good additions to your home routine.
  • These have smaller heads and different shapes to help get into hard to reach areas like between teeth and behind the lower front teeth.
  • Interproximal brushes can be used like toothpicks to go between the teeth.

How to keep my brush clean?

  • Change your toothbrush every 3-4 months.
  • Keep your toothbrush dry and away from the toilet. Use a toothbrush case if necessary.

Do you have more questions about toothbrushing?

POP IN TO SEE OUR DENTISTS

 

How should you take care of children’s teeth? This can be a question that parents and carers struggle with everyday, especially as your children start gaining their independence.
Let’s talk about the best ways to take care of children’s teeth, how and when to brush, and when to come in to the dentist.

It’s easiest to think about children in the following age ranges: 0-3 years old, 3-6 years old, and 6 years onward.

 

0-3 years old

Children of this age range have their primary or baby teeth coming through. It is normal for the timings to vary between children, as long as the teeth erupt in the correct sequence.
If you are worried about the eruption of your child’s teeth, book in for us to have a look.

  • When children start to get their teeth, use a wet facecloth, soft baby’s toothbrush, or silicone finger brush to gently rub over their teeth and gums.
  • Do this twice a day, morning and night.
  • No toothpaste is needed.
  • Avoid sending them to bed with a bottle of formula, juice, or letting them fall asleep whilst breastfeeding.
  • Visit the dentist as soon as their first teeth come through to get them used to the sounds and noises.

 

3-6 years old

Children of this age have their primary/baby teeth. Their adult teeth are developing under the gum.

  • Brush their teeth and gums with a soft children’s toothbrush.
  • An adult should brush for them twice a day. It could be helpful to let them brush first.
  • Brush with children’s toothpaste.
  • Spit out the toothpaste and don’t rinse afterwards.
  • Avoid regular sipping of fruit juices, snacking on sugary foods such as lollies and dried fruits.
  • Visit the dentist every 12 months to make sure their teeth are developing as they should be. Problems caught early are easily fixed!

6 years onwards

Children of this age have their adult teeth starting to come through. It can be hard to keep their mouths clean due since they can have wobbly teeth and difficulty brushing these.

  • Brush their teeth with a soft children’s toothbrush twice a day.
  • Use a small smear of adult toothpaste. There are some non-mint flavoured toothpastes available if they do not like mint flavours.
  • Depending on how well they are brushing for themselves, an adult should brush for them once daily.
  • Spit out the toothpaste and don’t rinse afterwards.
  • Avoid snacking on sugary foods, avoid acidic drinks such as soft drink, juice, and sports drinks.
  • Visit the dentist every 6 months to make sure they’re keeping their teeth nice and clean, and to help screen for any problems.

 

The Child Dental Benefits Scheme (CDBS) – The government has granted $1,026 per child, over a two year period for basic dental services. We accept CDBS patients and can claim directly from Medicare, on your behalf. This means no out of pocket payments for you at the end of appointment! Easy!

If you are unsure please contact reception for more information or visit: www.humanservices.gov.au

Child laughing with many teeth showing.

Decay in children- why do children get decay so suddenly?

The enamel in baby teeth is thinner than adult teeth. As a result, a hole that takes a long time to form in an adult tooth, can take mere weeks to form in a baby tooth. Decay in children can be very easy to miss without regular dental checkups. Children can find it hard to communicate pain and often the signs of cavities can go unnoticed. The discomfort children feel can affect their nutrition, growth, sleeping habits, and concentration at school.

Decay in children can progress to infection very quickly. It is worth coming in at the earliest sign of decay in children. The smaller the hole, the easier the appointment. Easy appointments in a child’s young life sets them up for good dental experiences.

 

What can my child expect when coming to see us for the first time?

Here at Corio Central Dental, we aim to set your child up for good experiences with their teeth. We do this by:

  • Having meet and greet appointments to help your child get used to the dental rooms, noises, and instruments (“toys”) that we use.
  • We use very specific language to help make your child comfortable at the appointment. For example, ‘counting teeth‘.
  • We start by showing them all our tools, and counting their teeth. If your child is an appropriate age, we take x-rays, do a polish or clean, and apply a protective fluoride treatment.
  • When they’re more comfortable with us, we book them in for treatment. If your child is too young for treatment or too nervous, there are other possible options.


Help! My child is afraid of the dentist, what can I do?

A lot of dental fear is the fear of the unknown. These things can help some of the nervousness your child feels.

  • Talk through what a dental check up is like. Use neutral words to describe the appointment.
  • Bring your child in to watch while you get a checkup. This gets them used to our staff, environment, and noises without the pressure of having to do anything themselves. Most of the time they’ll see it as something interesting and want to have a sit in the chair themselves.
  • Play ‘going to the dentist‘ at home. Wash your hands, put on a mask, and wear some goggles. Let them wear a bib or a towel, and ask them to wear some sunglasses. Hold a torch or your phone flashlight up. Use their toothbrush, let them lie on your lap of over the arm of a sofa/edge of the bed and practice looking in their mouth. Count their teeth from the very back molar, across the front, to the back molars again. Touch each tooth with the brush head, and also the back of the toothbrush.
  • Avoid using negative words and threats to describe the dentist. Eg, don’t say ‘if you don’t brush your teeth, you’ll have to go to the dentist to have a tooth pulled’.
  • Several children’s shows have episodes in which the characters go to the dentist. It is worth looking up your child’s favourite character to see if they have something similar.


How much should I expect to pay for a children’s dental visit?

  • Some children are eligible for the Child Dental Benefit Schedule. You will get a letter from the government letting you know if you are. If you are not sure, please call our reception and we can check for you.
  • If you are a private patient, it is $68 for a examination. If you have private health cover, they will cover some of this. We can let you know of other treatment costs after the examination.

 

Decay in children is avoidable, but also very treatable. We will work together to make sure your child has a good experience at the dentist, and is set up for life.

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