Oral hygiene is important in early years, to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. Regular Dental check-ups help your dentist to help you prevent and treat decay before it causes cavities and toothache.
Children should start to visit the dental practice as young as possible, so bring them along with you to your check-ups. They may be too young for an examination but the visits helps to familiarise them with the surroundings, the smells, noise and most important they meet the dentist.
The examinations will be informal to start, a quick look using a dental mirror. Counting the teeth and looking for signs of decay. As the child's confidence grows your dentist will carry out a more thorough examination.
The check up - The dentist will look at the following -
- Which teeth have erupted (come through the gum).
- Accessing the development of the jaw.
- Looking at the soft tissues (tongue, cheeks, lips and throat).
- Checking for cavities in the teeth.
- As the child gets older we will assess the how they bite together to check if orthodontics are required later on.
We give advice on preventive care
- Healthy diet
- Brushing techniques.
- Fluoride treatments if necessary.
- Fissure sealants if there's a high risk of cavities developing.