Children’s Dentistry

As dental professionals we believe in preventative dental care and encourage all families to bring their children to the practice from an early age. These early visits can be as simple as riding on their parents lap during their parent’s appointment.

Regular check-ups from an early age will ensure children don’t suffer from untreated dental decay, which can have devastating effects on their growing dentition and also add to lifelong dental anxiety. Regular check-ups can also help to spot potential developmental issues with children.

There are several preventative treatments that our team can provide for children:

1. Exposing younger kids to a stress free, enjoyable dental setting from a young age which includes, music, cartoons on ceiling mounted TV’s with Netflix or Disney, Happy Gas (if needed).
2. Fluoride applications are a proven method to help guard your child’s growing teeth from developing decay. The fluoride is painted onto the surface of the teeth, helping to form decay resistant tooth minerals.
3. Tooth-coloured fissure sealants can be applied to the biting surfaces of children’s teeth to prevent decay.
4. Monitoring for habits which can contribute to crowded teeth or malocclusions and appropriately timing treatment to straighten their smile.
5. Treating a child from a young age also allows the dentist to spot early signs of underbites, cross bites or overbites developing. As with most dental problems, the sooner you can start to treat it, the quicker it can be resolved.

Prevention is always better than cure, so call the friendly team at Smile4U today to make an appointment for your child.

Fluoride varnish is applied to teeth by your dentist to help prevent decay. It is painted on to the surface of the teeth and contains high levels of fluoride, which strengthens the tooth’s enamel and helps to make it more resistant to decay.

Fluoride varnish can be used on both baby and adult teeth and is best applied every six months. At Smile4U we recommend children from the age of three years upwards should have fluoride varnish to help keep their teeth strong and healthy. Most parents find that it is convenient to have their children treated with fluoride varnish during the six-monthly dental check-ups.

Treatment with fluoride varnish can sometimes cause temporary discolouration of the teeth. This will not last for long, but you should not brush your child’s teeth for a few hours to give the varnish time to work.

Here is how your child’s check up will go at Smile4U:

1. Your child’s dentist will give your child glasses and a bib and explain to them what they are going to do.
2. Your child will be able to choose to watch their favourite TV show with noise cancelling head phones to keep them relaxed and entertained during their visit.
3. We will carefully examine the inside and outside of your child’s mouth to check for any abnormalities, illnesses or decay that may mean treatment should be postponed.
4. The dentist will then carefully ‘paint’ the varnish on to your child’s teeth, starting at the back and working forward.
5. Your child should then not eat or drink for at least 30 minutes after application.