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.
