Your Child’s First Visit

Caring for your child’s "baby" teeth is essential to his or her overall wellbeing. These teeth will help your child learn to speak, chew food correctly and have a positive social impact.

Parents often ask when should my child first see a dentist?

The ideal time for your child to meet the dental team is six months after the first (primary) teeth erupt, commonly around 3 years of age. This gives your dentist and hygienist a perfect opportunity to meet with your child, giving them an opportunity to become comfortable to the dental environment in a friendly and fun way.

Our first step is to spend time with you and your child discussing toothbrush skills and food choices that help prevent tooth decay. We also review the child’s medical and dental history, take any necessary radiographs, perform a cleaning including possible fluoride requirements, and inform you of your child’s present dental needs along with any recommended treatment.

Your dentist and hygienist will carefully examine the development of your child’s mouth and through sharing information and education, performing preventive evaluations and promoting good life-long oral hygiene habits and dietary advice.

Children should use a soft toothbrush and should be supervised so they do not swallow toothpaste.

Let your child learn from your example

Brush twice a day, and floss at least once a day. Attend your regular Preventive Care Visits as recommended by your dentist and hygienist. Select snacks carefully, checking the nutritional value and sugar content and limit “grazing” unless its fruit or vegetables. Early preventive measures, good oral health habits and regular visits to the dentist are ways you can help your child achieve lifelong strong healthy teeth and gums and maintain a beautiful smile.

Many parents are worried about thumb sucking as it can affect the alignment of their child’s teeth. This habit should be discouraged and crease by school age.

If your child loses a tooth – don’t rinse the tooth under water but place tooth in a cup of milk and come straight to Close Dental and we will help you.

At Close Dental, we provide DVD’s, music CD’s, movie goggles, toys, building blocks, colouring books to entertain your child while you are being treated.

Suggestion: Don’t forget to bring your camera to capture this Special Occasion.

5 steps to help make your child’s first visit to the dentist a pleasant experience.

1. Choose a dentist who is caring, a practice that is friendly and makes your child’s first visit a “special occasion”. How will you know? Ask them what ‘special program’ do they have for children and how many children does that practice see?
2. Discuss the visit beforehand – assure your child that the dentist will take them for a “fun ride in the chair and count their teeth”. Never in debriefing to them say – "it won’t hurt as they do not hear the word ‘won’t’
3. Don’t share your personal anxiety about going to the dentist.
4. Don’t let others tell your child about negative dental experiences.
5. Select an appointment time that’s best for your child routine – for example early morning.

What about fluoride?

Fluoride supplements for children is a very personal decision. There are many opinions within the dental profession and it is important that you are fully informed and comfortable with your decision. Check with your local council if there is fluoride supplements in the water within your area. It is important to assess your child’s current fluoride intake, age and potential risk of dental decay before recommending fluoride supplementation.

Through proven techniques and experience all of the practitioners here at Close Dental believe that fluoride can have an extremely beneficial effect on the teeth, whether you are a child or an adult.

For more information refer to QLD Governement Oral Health Website or Australian Government Dental Health For Children Website

What are fissure seals?

Fissure seals are a plastic material coating that fits into the fissures (the grooves on top of teeth) to help protect the teeth from decay. It acts as a barrier to prevent retention of debris, plaque and bacteria in these fissures which causes decay.

Fissure sealants are primarily placed onto 6 & 12 year old molar teeth and occasionally onto premolar teeth depending on the anatomy and/or decay risk of the individual patient.

The use of dental sealants have a retention rate of 70 to 90 percent and sometimes the question we are asked is ‘why on primary teeth’

Deciduous first molars have a timeline of 10 years and the deciduous second molars a timeline of 10 – 12 years. It is important to maintain the occlusal integrity of the tooth so dental sealant are very important.

The Benefits of Laser Dentistry for Children

If your child has tooth decay, you will want it treated as soon as possible to avoid any dental discomfort for your child. Close Dental has made a commitment to your child’s oral health by offering laser dentistry within the practice. Laser dentistry offers your child a safe, anxiety free experience without the drill, and in most cases, without anaesthesia.

The laser removes decay with the energy of light. The specialized light produced by the laser is selectively absorbed by the cavity or soft tissue. In the case of treating a cavity, the laser gently removes the decay, leaving more of the healthy tooth intact.

In addition to treating cavities, the laser is effective for soft tissue procedures on the gums, cheeks and tongue. At Close Dental our dentists are using the laser for such procedures as frenum release in young patients. The laser treatment offers less pain, less bleeding and faster healing times. A true benefit to dentistry’s most special patients.

All our dentists are trained in Laser Dentistry and will be happy to discuss the benefits of laser dentistry with you.

Do You Know Your Teeth?

The part of the tooth you see is called the crown. The rounded high parts of the back teeth are cusps. The hard white outer covering of the tooth is the enamel. Below the gumline, holding the tooth in the jawbone is the root of the tooth. You can’t see the root of the tooth unless on a radiograph (x-ray). The inner portions of the tooth consist of dentin, a bonelike tissue, and the pulp. The pulp is like a house for the nerves and blood vessels at the centre of the crown and root. Teeth have different shapes for different jobs. For example, when you eat, the upper teeth work together with the lower teeth of the same shape to bite, chew, and tear food.

The names of these teeth are

• Incisors. There are eight incisors located in the front of the mouth (four on the top and four on the bottom). They have sharp, chisel-shaped crowns that cut food.
• Cuspids. The four cuspids are next to each incisor. Cuspids have a pointed edge to tear food.
• Premolars. Also called bicuspids, the four pairs of molars are located next to the cuspids. They crush and tear food.
• Molars. There are twelve molars, in sets of three, at the back of the mouth. They have wide surfaces that help to grind food.

Adults have 32 teeth. Depending on their age, children normally have 20 teeth, some may have fewer because they lose baby teeth as adult teeth grow.

In addition to chewing, teeth help you to speak clearly. The shape of the arch inside the mouth helps you talk. Many letters of the alphabet cannot be sounded without the help of certain teeth.

Teeth also give your face its shape and assist to the way you look. Not only do clean, healthy teeth and gums help you look good, they contribute to your total body health and well-being.

Toothy Books for Kids

Anyone who’s tried to get a toddler to brush their teeth knows it’s not something that comes naturally to kids. But dentists recommend you encourage your kids to start brushing their teeth around the age of two.

0-2years

• Whose Teeth? by Jeanette Rowe

3-5years

• The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist by Stan and Jan Berenstain
• Bright and Early Beginner Books: The Tooth Book by Dr Seuss
• Charlie and Lola: My Wobbly Tooth Must Not Never Ever Fall Out by Lauren Child
• My Loose Tooth by Stephen Krensky

Primary School

• Andrew’s Loose Tooth by Robert Munsch
• Arthur’s Tooth by Marc Brown
• How Many Teeth? by Paul Showers
• Nice Try, Tooth Fairy by Mary W Olson
• Open Wide: Tooth School Inside by Laurie Keller
• The Troublesome Tooth Fairy by Sandi Toksvig