Children’s Dentistry

My child won’t let me brush their teeth, what do I do?

Explaining the benefit of brushing is important, understanding the need to get the ‘sticky bugs’ off their teeth from an early age can help.

You could also try an electric toothbrush which may make brushing more ‘fun’ for your little one. With the electric toothbrush, you simply hold the brush against each tooth surface and let it do the work which can be more comfortable for your child as there is no need to carry out a ‘brushing’ movement. Check out Oral-B’s Children’s range.

Another thing to try, that can encourage small children to cooperate; is to have a spare toothbrush to brush their favourite toy’s teeth too.

When should my child wear a mouthguard?

Custom fit mouthguards should be worn for all contact sports like boxing, rugby and hockey. And, we would even suggest one for semi-contact and for riding scooters & skateboards.

Damage to your children’s ‘baby teeth’ can be extremely painful, difficult to treat and can potentially cause problems with the eruption and colouration of the developing adult teeth underneath.

My child’s tooth got knocked, what do I do?

If the tooth falls out completely place it in a glass of milk and seek an appointment with a dentist right away. Do not clean the tooth, especially the root, leave that to your dentist to do.

If the tooth is knocked, even if it is not visibly chipped it is important for you to schedule a dental exam so that the vitality of the tooth can be assessed and monitored.

When should my child see an orthodontist?

Although teeth can be straightened at any age, the ideal time to have this corrective treatment is during the early teenage years, when the teeth and jaws are still developing – a good indication of time is when almost all of their ‘baby teeth’ have been lost and replaced by adult teeth.

However, if there is a severe discrepancy in the top and bottom jaws, or there is lots of crowding, or you think some teeth are missing you can book an orthodontic consultation early to keep the issues under review or to have intervention treatment.