The Australian Academy of Paediatric Dentistry and the Australian Dental Association recommends the first visit should be at 12 months old. The earlier children begin regular dental visits, the better the chance it is to prevent any major problems later.

Smilegroup will discuss the importance of regular cleaning of your infant’s teeth, the use of fluoride treatment, and why you should not put your child to bed with a bottle.

Smilegroup generally recommends that children have check-up visits every six months. This however depends on the dental needs of each individual child.

Just like your child’s fast-growing body, children’s teeth are also growing and changing at a much faster rate than adults’. Going for a dental visit once every 6 months means that your Paediatric Dentist can keep track of his or her dental development and treat any problems early.

Preventive dental care is focused on minimising the chances of dental problems wherever possible, at an early age.

Smilegroup provides an effective system of preventive dental care starting from your child’s first dental visit. This includes: brushing, flossing, fluoride, oral habits, proper diet, sealants, sports safety, and guiding dental growth and development.

Some children with extra needs are more susceptible to tooth decay, gum disease or oral trauma while some may have bite problems. At Smilegroup, our aim is to detect these problems, determine their cause and treat these problems.

Your Paediatric Dentist is specially trained to provide dental care for children with significant medical conditions or special needs.

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Some children need more support than a gentle caring manner to feel comfortable during dental treatment.

Nitrous oxide or happy gas can help some children feel more relaxed and comfortable. It is a commonly used dental sedative. While receiving happy gas your child will remain completely awake and responsive.

General anaesthesia provides an effective way of completing dental care while a child is unconscious. Our practice provides dental treatment under general anaesthesia through a hospital day-care facility.

We often find that this is a best solution for some children who require extensive dental treatment or are not able to tolerate treatment comfortable in a normal practice setting.

General anaesthesia is always administered by a specialist anaesthetist, who is highly skilled and trained in this area. This together with our paediatric dental expertise ensures the best possible care for your child.

Fissures are the natural grooves on the biting surfaces of teeth. Some deep and narrow fissures on teeth can often trap food and attract bacteria, which made lead to plaque and decay. In children, the chewing and grinding surfaces of the molars and premolars are often most at risk of decay.

Fissure sealants “seal out” the grooved and pitted surfaces of vulnerable teeth. A plastic coating is applied to prevent food and plaque build-up, so that this reduces the risk of decay.

Many research studies have shown that sealants are an effective in preventing tooth decay. Sealants can last for many years if properly cared for. Your Paediatric dentist will however, check the sealants during routine dental visits and recommend re-application or repair when necessary.

Space maintainers are small metal or plastic appliances designed for your child’s mouth. They are used to help hold open the empty space of a lost tooth, steady the remaining teeth and prevent further movement until the permanent tooth takes its natural position in the jaw.

Space maintainers are unobtrusive in appearance and most children adjust well to them after a few days. It is often best to keep teeth in their normal position with a space maintainer, than to move them back in place with orthodontic treatment later.

Stainless steel crowns are silver coloured “caps” generally used to restore teeth that are too badly decayed to hold fillings, need a nerve treatment, or when durability is just as important. Crowns with white facings are available and this option is assessed on a case by case basis.

The best way is to have them start their own daily brushing routine once they wake up and before they go to bed. We recommend that you:

1. Let your children watch that you are brushing and flossing regularly.
2. Let your children choose their own toothbrush & toothpaste flavour.
3. Read them story books about tooth brushing.
4. Praise your children as positive reinforcement is very important. We recommend saying to your child: “Your teeth are so clean and sparkly, keep up the good work and keep on brushing.”

Baby or primary teeth allow children to speak clearly and chew naturally. They also help guide the eruption of the permanent teeth, so its very important to keep good care of these teeth.

In children under the age of 4, when their teeth are still straight and not crowded, thumb sucking does not pose a large problem. However, it is important to stop this habit before your child’s permanent teeth appear as their new teeth and the contour of their jaw bones may be adversely affected.