Children’s Dentistry

Fissure sealants

Where appropriate, sealants can be placed onto the premolars and molars to reduce the chance of food and plaque trapping in teeth. This lowers the risk of dental caries (decay) in the posterior teeth. Your dentist will advise you on sealants should they be appropriate.

Introducing your child to the dentist

Once you’ve established a good tooth-brushing routine at home, the next step is the first trip to the dentist.

Take your child to the dentist when they’re as young as possible and at least once by the time they’re two. This is so they become familiar with the environment and get to know the dentist. The dentist can help to prevent decay and identify any health problems at an early stage. Just opening up the child’s mouth for the dentist to take a look is useful practice for when they could benefit from future preventive care.

When you visit the dentist, be positive about it and make the trip fun. This will stop your child from worrying about future visits.

Take your child with you when you go for your own dental check-up appointments so they get used to it.

Hints & tips

A regular teeth-cleaning routine is essential for good dental health. Follow these tips and you can help keep your kids’ teeth decay-free:

• Start to brush your baby’s gums with a soft toothbrush at bath time, or even let your baby have a go themselves as long as you supervise them. This establishes brushing their teeth as part of the washing routine.
• Start brushing your baby’s teeth with fluoride toothpaste as soon as the first milk tooth breaks through (usually at around six months, but it can be earlier or later). It’s important to use a fluoride paste as this helps prevent and control tooth decay.
• Children under the age of three can use a smear of family toothpaste containing at least 1,000ppm (parts per million) fluoride. Children between the ages of three and six should use a pea-sized blob of toothpaste containing 1,350-1,500ppm fluoride.
• Make sure your child doesn’t eat or lick the toothpaste from the tube.
• Brush your child’s teeth for at least two minutes twice a day
• Encourage them to spit out excess toothpaste but not to rinse with lots of water.
• Supervise tooth brushing until your child is seven or eight years old

Brushing properly

• Guide your child’s hand so they can feel the correct movement.
• Use a mirror to help your child see exactly where the brush is cleaning their teeth.
• Make tooth brushing as fun as possible, using an egg timer for at least two minutes.
• Don’t let children run around with a toothbrush in their mouth as they may fall over.

If you would like further information, click here or request an appointment by calling 01277 500 332