Welcome to our kids page..
We do children’s appointments too.
Children’s teeth
We all know how hard it is to care for young peoples teeth. From tiny babies to the tallest of teenagers, how can we best help them?
Diet V toothbrush
People often believe that it doesn’t really matter what children eat and drink, so long as they brush their teeth twice a day. Right?
Wrong.
The main cause of tooth decay is not the amount of sugar in the diet, but how often it is eaten or drunk. The more often your child has sugary foods or drinks, the more likely they are to have decay. So it is important to have sugary foods just at mealtimes. Try to limit how much dried fruit you give as it is high in sugar.
Don’t give them drinks containing sugars, (including fruit juices), between meals. Give them water or milk instead. For babies, don’t add sugar to their drinks, or to foods when you introduce them to solids.
It is also worth remembering that some processed foods can contain quite a lot of sugar. Try checking the list of ingredients: the higher up the list sugar is, the more there is in the product. Generally anything ending in ‘ose’ is a sugar, for example: fructose, glucose, lactose or sucrose.
Brushing with a fluoride toothpaste last thing at night, and at least one other time during the day, will help to prevent tooth decay, but getting their diet right is ultra important too.
What about toothpaste?
Children’s teeth teeth are much more prone to decay than they are when we’re adults, so they need fluoride to prevent tooth decay.
All children up to three years old should use a smear of toothpaste with a fluoride level of at least 1000ppmF (parts per million of Fluoride). After three years old, they should use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste that contains 1450ppmF.
You can check the level of fluoride on the packaging of the toothpaste. Children should be supervised when brushing up to the age of 7. You should make sure that they do not rinse but spit out the toothpaste, and that they don’t swallow any if possible. This way the fluoride stays in the mouth for longer and will be more effective.
When should they go to see a Dentist?
It is recommended that children should go to the dentist with their families as soon as possible. You should then take them regularly, as often as your dental team recommend. This will let them get used to the noises, smells and surroundings and prepare them for future visits. The earlier these visits start, the more relaxed the children will be.
This is why we offer a specific appointment to build confidence, and ensure they do not have a fear of attending. We try and make the appointments as fun and age appropriate as possible.
Babies
Babies are obviously not able to clean their own teeth, and children will need help to make sure that they clean them properly until they are about 7 years old. As soon as teething has started you should start cleaning your child’s teeth.
Your baby should start teething at around 6 months old and will continue until all 20 baby teeth come through.
At around 6 years old, the adult teeth will begin to appear behind the baby teeth, so they may get new teeth even before the tooth fairy has been!
This will continue until all the adult teeth have come through at around 14 years old.
Teenagers
Even the tallest & most independent, knowledgeable, worldy-wise ‘I-don’t-need-any-help-thanks’ teenagers do actually need a bit of help. Sometimes. Just a bit.
Especially with hormones flying everywhere, a possibility of braces, and a general lack of energy to complete such menial tasks as brushing their teeth. 30 seconds cleaning at best? We hear ya.
Bring them in to us and we will help them with confidence, technique, and show them how clean teeth can actually feel.
We can’t promise to change their attitude, but we help in any way we can.
Can children have Airflow®?
Yes they can! -because we use a superfine powder which is safe to use on children.
Its SO good, even children love the sensation and feeling of their mouth afterwards….AND what they don’t realise, is that we’re giving them great habits to get into to prevent decay, toothache and gum problems when they’re older. Its a win win!
Our little darlings…
Did we mention braces?
Its even harder to keep their teeth clean once they have braces on.
The lighter pink colour is plaque which has been missed recently, the darker purple colour is plaque which has been missed for a couple of days, and the blue colour is plaque which hasn’t been cleaned off for over a week.
This is why Orthodontists insist that patients who have braces can clean their teeth properly. Otherwise, they run the risk of having lots of decay once the braces come off.
We help them to clean better, be more educated and informed about their own health so that they can achieve better oral hygiene. We clean all the bacteria off, and show them some hints and tips on how to manage better at home.
The rest is, (unfortunately!) up to them.
