Children’s dentistry: Paving the way for a lifetime of healthy oral habits
At Advanced Dental Care Clinic, we want to help our younger patients get off to a good oral hygiene start and believe that prevention is always better than a cure. As such we are committed to helping parents learn how to best care for their children’s teeth to ensure they understand the importance of a consistent oral hygiene routine.
Many parents can help encourage their children and teach the importance of good oral habits by creating an educational, yet fun, oral health routine together. As a result, this helps to instil good oral health habits that will last a lifetime.
Below we have compiled some useful tips about how to encourage your child and get them excited when it comes to cleaning their teeth!
Lead by example
When you’re at home, we recommend following a proper oral hygiene routine along with your kids to help teach them about the importance of oral health. It is important to brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and floss at least once a day.
Regular dental check-up’s
However, while at home oral care such as brushing flossing and following a healthy diet is extremely important, brushing and flossing is only one part of ensuring optimal oral health. Brushing and flossing cannot remove plaque inside your mouth which over time, hardens into tartar. And can only be removed by a dentist.
At Advanced Dental Care Clinic on the Gold Coast, we recommend bringing your child to our practice for their regular check-up and professional clean twice a year. During this time, we can help teach your child how to take care of their teeth properly whilst creating a fun and engaging experience. At this oral examination, we will assess your child’s mouth to detect, prevent and protect their teeth from dental decay or any other dental problems. By bringing your child in to see us at an early age, you not only ensure their optimal health but also avoid having to pay for expensive dental care later in life.
Brushing and flossing techniques
We recommend supervising your child during their oral care regime until they get the hang of the following steps:
- Use a pea-sized dab of a fluoride toothpaste. Take care that your child does not swallow toothpaste.
- Use a soft-bristled toothbrush on the inside surface of each tooth first, where plaque may accumulate most. Spend approximately 2 minutes brushing your teeth, and if your child has a favourite song, you can play this in the background to help distract them.
- Start flossing your child’s teeth at the age of 4. Brushing alone will miss food particles and plaque that has built up between the teeth. If you start early once your child reaches the age of 8, they will more likely feel comfortable flossing on their own
- Brush the surface of each tooth, especially the front and back chewing teeth and don’t forget to brush the tongue, which can also accumulate bacteria.
Fissure sealants to protect your child’s teeth from decay
Here at Advanced Dental Care Clinic, we provide fissure sealants to help protect the health and integrity of your child’s smile and prevent decay-causing- bacteria from reaching the pits and fissures of teeth. Fissure sealants are placed on your child’s first permanent back molars between 6 and 7 years of age so that they never need to have a filling. If required the rest of the molars are usually sealed as soon as they appear which can be any time between 11 and 14 years. They are a protective plastic coating, which is applied to the chewing surfaces of teeth at risk of decay.
To discover more about children’s dentistry or to book an appointment for your child to see one of our fun and friendly dentists at Advanced Dental Care Clinic on the Gold Coast, please do not hesitate to contact us
