The solutionsfor a beautiful and healthy smile for all ages! Our Philosophy Our goal is to ensure, using the most advanced techniques, that you and your family get to keep all your teeth throughout your life; pain free, with dignity, and with good function and appearance. In this practice the aim of the staff is to provide you with first-class dental care. As in many things, prevention is better than cure. If sound advice regarding preventive dentistry is followed, you will find that the amount of future dental treatment needed is greatly reduced. • Call 9314 5226 for an appointment or a   dental emergency • Open Monday to Saturday by appointment • Click here for Map • Contact us Services Technically advanced cosmetic and general dentistry CHILDREN AND THE DENTIST When Should My Child First See a Dentist?: Click here to watch a video Why should I bring my child to the dentist? Prevention is the best approach to dentistry and we therefore encourage you to bring your child in for regular check-ups. Such visits will reduce the cost that you may need to spend on your child’s teeth in the future. At our practice we use the latest dental sealant material which works to help protect your child’s back teeth from bacteria leading to tooth decay. These materials form a complete protective barrier by bonding to the surface of the tooth and filling in the tooth’s natural grooves and fissures. Sealants may last for many years in your child’s mouth and have been proven to prevent decay therefore from their very early years through to adolescence, when they are highly prone to decay, the sealants work very effectively at stopping your child from getting cavities and further problems with tooth decay. Placing sealants in your child’s mouth is a fast and pain free procedure. Essentially a solution is applied to the surface of the tooth that is to be sealed, helping the sealant to bond more effectively with the natural tooth enamel. Following this the sealant is applied and made to harden with the use of ultraviolet light. The whole procedure can be completed within a few minutes. What should I expect during my child’s first visit? A child’s first visit to the dentist is important for many reasons. If is in the dentist’s best interest to ensure that the child has a pleasant experience so that they will have a positive image of dentists which will make future treatments easier. During the first visit emergency problems will be treated first, starting by alleviating any pain your child is experiencing. If there are no emergency problems, the dentist will examine your child’s: • Mouth (lips, cheeks, tongue, floor of the mouth, tonsil area, hard and soft palate) • Teeth and gums • Growth and development of the head During the general check up the child will receive a thorough cleaning, topical fluoride treatment and if necessary the dentist may also take some x-rays of your child’s mouth. An evaluation of any tongue, lip, cheek or thumb habits that may influence the development of healthy teeth will also be examined. A thorough examination of your child to see how active his/her organized bacteria is at producing dental disease will also be conducted. The dentist will initiate the visit by gaining an overview of your child’s health history after which the dentist will present their findings and put forward their recommendations. An explanation of the time and money needed for your child’s treatment, if any, will be discussed and the dentist will be happy to answer any questions that may bother you or your child. Therefore your child’s first visit to the dentist is expected to be comfortable and relaxed so that your child may become acquainted with dentistry in a positive light, making future visits equally comfortable. What should I tell my child before the first visit? You may tell your child that the dentist is a friendly person who wants to help them look after their teeth. Let them know that during their first visit the dentist will count their teeth and clean them with a special brush and water that may make their mouth tickle. Ensure that you do not tell your child that the visit will not hurt but rather that the dentist will be very gentle, this is because if the idea of being hurt has not crossed your child’s mind, making this statement might make them worry. Why are children’s baby teeth important? Your child’s baby teeth are very important for eating a good diet, jaw growth, appearance, speech and most importantly, to keep the spacing for their adult teeth. It is important that your child’s baby teeth are looked after well despite the fact that these teeth will be replaced by adult teeth. Baby teeth lost early as a result of tooth decay is the leading cause for crowding of the adult teeth. Early diagnosis and corrective treatment of irregular growth can help improve not just the appearance but most importantly the function of the mouth and surrounding structures for the future. Will the dentist extract my child’s teeth? Previously the most common treatment when crowding occurred in a child’s mouth, usually at the age of 12-13, was to extract the teeth. However currently with the use of simple removable appliances, space can be created in your child’s mouth by slowly expanding the arch form and contour. Most often two tooth spaces can be created leading to more pleasing aesthetics in their adult life. As a result your child will have a fuller smile and a better facial profile as a result of jaw development without extracting any teeth. Click here to return to Services