Preventative dental care
At your child's dental appointments, we assist you in keeping their teeth and gums clean and healthy. This includes providing professional cleaning, education on oral hygiene and diet, and evaluating their dental condition to identify if they require any preventative or supplementary treatments. We discuss age-related topics and can answer any of your questions or concerns regarding their oral care and development.
We also continually assess their dental development as they grow to ensure the primary and secondary teeth develop correctly, so we can provide early intervention if any problems arise. We recommend that children have an initial dental check-up by their second birthday.
Oral health education
We will assist you in teaching your child how to take care of their smile. Early education on the importance of looking after their teeth can help children develop good oral hygiene habits for life.
Behaviours learnt while children are young (such as brushing, flossing, and the importance of diet and routine dental visits) can help ensure they have healthy teeth into adulthood and beyond. It can also mean less dental treatment and less cost over their lifetime.
How do I care for my child's teeth?
Caring for my baby's teeth and gums
Use a damp washcloth to clean your baby's gums daily by gently rubbing them. As soon as their first tooth erupts, you can begin brushing them daily. Use a soft, child-sized toothbrush with only water. This can be easier if your baby is lying on your lap or on a bed. Gently brush each tooth and massage the gum using a soft, circular motion. Do not use toothpaste.
Looking after my toddler's teeth and gums
Continue brushing their teeth twice daily with a soft, child-sized toothbrush. Use a pea-sized amount of child-strength fluoride toothpaste. After brushing, have your child spit out the excess toothpaste, but don't rinse their mouth with water. This keeps the teeth protected for longer.
We recommend brushing their teeth twice daily for around two minutes each time. Make sure they brush the top and front of each tooth, back, gum lines, and tongue.
At this age, we also recommend flossing your child's teeth daily. As soon as two teeth sit side-by-side in their mouth and touch, your child can begin to floss. Be careful to make sure they use the correct technique. A gentle up-and-down motion between each gap is enough. Getting them into a habit of flossing once a day can go a long way towards preventing cavities and complications later in life.
How do I care for my child's teeth six years and over?
Continue assisting your child with brushing and flossing their teeth until they are around 8 or 9. At this age, it is safe to use adult-strength fluoride toothpaste. After brushing, have your child spit out the excess toothpaste, but don't rinse their mouth with water. This keeps the teeth protected for longer. We also recommend flossing your child's teeth daily.