Paediatric/Children's Dentistry
Children need oral health care just like adults. The milk teeth function best when they are healthy and well cared for. Unfortunately, children often have difficulty caring for their teeth well and so get dental problems.
When should children start to visit the dentist?
We suggest that children start to visit the dentist at approximately 2-3 years of age. At around 3 years of age children are typically more independent, inquiring and interested in new experiences and so securing the child's cooperation is much easier. It is possible to treat a child at a younger age but this is usually a bit more challenging and parents should be prepared for this.
How do we introduce the dentist to a child?
We also strongly recommend that the first 'visit' should not be the child's dental visit at all but that he/she should simply be accompanying the parent(s) during the parent's routine dental visit. The purpose of this 'visit' is to help the child to gain familiarity with the the dental office environment and build a positive set of experiences with a minimum of stress on the child. Subsequently the child can have a dental appointment for a checkup scheduled, preferably together with the parent.
What sort of dental treatment does a child need
Commonly treatments for children include:
Dental Scaling and Prophylaxis
Children generally do not develop tartar (dental calculus) to the same extent as adults but it is still important to remove plaque and tartar to facilitate home oral hygiene. More importantly, such visits are an opportunity to audit the child's own tooth-brushing and reinforce the importance of good oral hygiene.
Tooth coloured fillings
These are similar to fillings for adults in most respects
Less commonly the child's dental condition might require
Root canal therapy
This is sometimes necessary if the child has had very extensive tooth decay (caries) involving the nerve of a tooth. If the tooth in question is an adult tooth the process required is similar to adult root canal therapy. For primary (milk) teeth the process different because the material to be used needs to be absorbed by the body when the tooth is ready to change.
Dental extractions and surgery
If a milk tooth become infected and root canal treatment is not feasible, it is advisable to have the tooth extracted. This is to protect the permanent tooth which is developing inside the gum very close to the root of the milk tooth. A persistent infection can interfere with development of the permanent tooth leading to discoloration, delayed eruption, poorly formed enamel or structural deformities.
Orthodontic treatment
On occasion orthodontic treatment may be advisable. This is usually aimed at correcting problems which will be more difficult to correct later on like cross-bites.
How do we help a child cope with dental treatment
Treatment under oral sedation, intravenous (IV) sedation and General Anaesthesia (GA) are available options. (GA will not be done in our office).
We generally do not use these options as we believe it is better to build positive relationships with our young patients and give them positive experiences. This is to reduce the likelihood of dental fear and phobia which some people carry into adulthood.
However some, thankfully rare, situations (very extensive dental treatment needed on a child who is already fearful is a good example) are better managed with the patient unaware of what is going on. This is where IV sedation and GA are helpful.
When should children start to visit the dentist?
We suggest that children start to visit the dentist at approximately 2-3 years of age. At around 3 years of age children are typically more independent, inquiring and interested in new experiences and so securing the child's cooperation is much easier. It is possible to treat a child at a younger age but this is usually a bit more challenging and parents should be prepared for this.
How do we introduce the dentist to a child?
We also strongly recommend that the first 'visit' should not be the child's dental visit at all but that he/she should simply be accompanying the parent(s) during the parent's routine dental visit. The purpose of this 'visit' is to help the child to gain familiarity with the the dental office environment and build a positive set of experiences with a minimum of stress on the child. Subsequently the child can have a dental appointment for a checkup scheduled, preferably together with the parent.
What sort of dental treatment does a child need
Commonly treatments for children include:
Dental Scaling and Prophylaxis
Children generally do not develop tartar (dental calculus) to the same extent as adults but it is still important to remove plaque and tartar to facilitate home oral hygiene. More importantly, such visits are an opportunity to audit the child's own tooth-brushing and reinforce the importance of good oral hygiene.
Tooth coloured fillings
These are similar to fillings for adults in most respects
Less commonly the child's dental condition might require
Root canal therapy
This is sometimes necessary if the child has had very extensive tooth decay (caries) involving the nerve of a tooth. If the tooth in question is an adult tooth the process required is similar to adult root canal therapy. For primary (milk) teeth the process different because the material to be used needs to be absorbed by the body when the tooth is ready to change.
Dental extractions and surgery
If a milk tooth become infected and root canal treatment is not feasible, it is advisable to have the tooth extracted. This is to protect the permanent tooth which is developing inside the gum very close to the root of the milk tooth. A persistent infection can interfere with development of the permanent tooth leading to discoloration, delayed eruption, poorly formed enamel or structural deformities.
Orthodontic treatment
On occasion orthodontic treatment may be advisable. This is usually aimed at correcting problems which will be more difficult to correct later on like cross-bites.
How do we help a child cope with dental treatment
Treatment under oral sedation, intravenous (IV) sedation and General Anaesthesia (GA) are available options. (GA will not be done in our office).
We generally do not use these options as we believe it is better to build positive relationships with our young patients and give them positive experiences. This is to reduce the likelihood of dental fear and phobia which some people carry into adulthood.
However some, thankfully rare, situations (very extensive dental treatment needed on a child who is already fearful is a good example) are better managed with the patient unaware of what is going on. This is where IV sedation and GA are helpful.
Neonatal oral health
Oral health care of preschool children
- Babies should have their gums cleaned regularly using a clean piece of cloth or cotton. This helps introduce the concept of brushing the teeth later
Oral health care of preschool children
- Brushing introduction
- Brushing for the child with the child 'playing' at brushing
- Supervised brushing
- Unsupervised brushing with periodic audit