12 May Looking After Your Childrens Teeth

Many people ask us, when is the right time to start bringing my child to see the dentist? They worry that if they are too young then they will be uncooperative and difficult.

At Thackeray Dental Care, we encourage you to bring your children along as soon as you can. We are passionate about preventive care, so the earlier we see your child, the better chance we have of ensuring they remain decay and disease free for life.

We will spend time with Mums to be discussing what to expect with their baby’s developing dentition and when to expect it. We start here, during pregnancy, giving good education to enable good habits.

Your child will start erupting teeth at around 6 months of age but remember some can be earlier and others have been known to be as late as 15 months old. We would certainly like to see your child once the first tooth has come through.

What do you do at the dental appointments for young children?

Early on, the emphasis is on getting your child familiar with the surrounding environment and to associate it with having fun. We also need your cooperation with this so remember not to reflect any anxiety about dentistry you may have onto your child. Dentistry has moved on and is not the scary place some of us remember as a child.

Avoid using phrases like… “It won’t hurt” …their thoughts “I never thought it was going to, but I will now you have made me think about it!”

Be guided by your dentist, they will assess how involved to make the visit. Maybe the first visit is a ride in the dental chair, followed by sticker time.

As your child gains confidence and becomes bigger your dentist may offer preventive treatments such as fluoride application or fissure sealants.

Sometimes, sadly, we need to put fillings in teeth, but rest assured any treatment is carried out with no discomfort and minimal fuss. We all have young children so you can be confident that we understand.

What can I do to ensure my child remains decay free?

• Get registered with a dentist shortly after birth
• Visit your dentist at regular intervals – be guided by your dentist
• Introduce tooth-brushing as soon as possible and encourage twice daily brushing using a fluoride toothpaste
• Encourage your child to spit after brushing, not rinse
• Watch your child’s consumption of sugary foods, and of course foods with hidden sugars in.
• Don’t deny treats but if they are having sweeties it is better to have them after meals rather than spread out during the day, this will cause less potential for decay.
• As your children get older, allow them to brush their own teeth but we advise still supervising brushing until they are 8 or 9

Surely baby teeth don’t last for ever so why worry about looking after them?

As your child grows they will start to develop their adult teeth and the first will appear between the ages of 5 and 7. The baby teeth or deciduous teeth as we call them will start to fall out around that age too but there will be a mixture of teeth until your child is between 11 and 14 years of age. It is important that we maintain the deciduous teeth to hold the spaces for the adult teeth to erupt into.

As part of your child’s dental check we also assess their growth and development and decide when and if they have a need to have orthodontic (teeth straightening) treatment.

We look forward to welcoming you at your next visit or if you would like to join the practice then please call 01623 629359 and speak to Sam or Gill who can arrange your visit. They can also give you more information about our family packages we have available.

You can also book online through our website – BOOK HERE