Good habits start early!
Tooth decay and gum disease are heavily influenced by diet and oral hygiene. Since prevention is better than cure, we want to help you set up the best preventive routines for your child as early as possible. We will discuss brushing and flossing techniques, diet and sugar, and habits such as thumb-sucking, pacifiers, and nightly bottle use.
For your child to start familiarising themselves with us and our clinic at Parade Dental Ocean Grove, it is best to bring them along by the age of one. Simply having a look inside their mouth will allow your child to learn from an early age the feeling of having their mouth assessed, so that they feel more comfortable with us as they get older.
The last thing you want is for your child’s first dental visit to be the emergency management of a toothache, because then they will forever associate dentists with negative feelings. Future avoidance will only bring about more dental disease, further spiralling this adverse cycle.
There is a common misconception that baby teeth are not important. In fact, they are very, very important! Baby teeth help your child eat, develop speech, socialise with others, and they hold the correct space for the upcoming adult teeth.
From the age of 0 to 18 months, your baby’s gums should be wiped with a soft, moist cloth twice a day. When teeth start coming through, they should be cleaned with a soft toothbrush with water.
From the age of 18 months to 6 years, a pea-sized amount of low fluoride children’s toothpaste should be used for brushing teeth twice daily. Once there are teeth which touch side-by-side, flossing is necessary to clean in between them.
From the age of 6 years and above, your child can use an adult toothpaste.
