Children’s dentistry

We recommend you introduce your child to the dental practice as soon as their first tooth appears (usually when they are around six months old). Even though there will be hardly any teeth for us to examine at this stage, early visits will help your child feel relaxed about attending dental appointments. You can also pick up plenty of helpful advice about tooth care for babies and infants, including how to brush your child’s teeth and dietary advice.

Between the ages of four to twelve, where appropriate, we apply a fluoride varnish to your child’s teeth every six months. This increases their protection by strengthening the structure of the enamel and making teeth more resistant to decay.

As well as regular visits to the dentist, you will also need to look after your child’s teeth at home. Check out the following oral health care tips for little ones:

• Start dental care early by gently brushing new teeth (and gums) with a soft baby toothbrush. As more teeth come through, you can start using a smear of toothpaste, and at age three, you can progress to a pea-sized amount of paste.
• Brush your child’s teeth for one minute, twice a day, and especially before bedtime. Encourage them to brush for long enough by introducing a child-friendly timer. By the age of nine they should be brushing for two minutes at a time.
• Supervise tooth brushing until children are old enough to brush properly by themselves (at around age nine). At this point, it’s probably still a good idea to occasionally check they are using an effective technique. You can use disclosing tablets to help them spot areas they’re missing and make it more fun.
• Keep an eye on how much sugar you child is consuming, in both food and drink, and avoid prolonged periods of bottle feeding, particularly at night.
• Avoid sugary snacks (e.g. raisins) and drinks (e.g. squash or apple juice in feeder cups) in between meals.

A combination of regular visits to the dentist from a young age, developing a good dental care routine at home and encouraging a healthy diet will help keep your child’s teeth in great condition for life.