Children’s dental health
Establishing good dental habits from an early age will help your children to have good oral health for life. At Forest Dental we recommend bringing children to visit the dentist from the age of six months – when their first teeth start to appear.
Children in the UK still have very high levels of tooth decay. While this is improving, there is still a lot of work to be done. At Forest Dental we believe in preventative dentistry, stopping problems before they start. We offer a range of preventative dental treatments for children, including fluoride varnish and fissure sealants, to help prevent decay from developing, avoiding the need for more invasive and uncomfortable treatments at a later stage.
Bringing your child to the dental practice from an early age will also help to prevent them developing a fear or phobia of the dentist. Many cases of dental phobia can be traced back to a bad childhood experience; at Forest Dental our clinicians are skilled in treating children, and can help them to establish good habits so that there is no need for traumatic treatments such as tooth extractions. Your child will soon start to view visits to the dental practice as routine, positive experiences, and the dentist as a friendly face they look forward to seeing every six months.
If you bring your young child along to an appointment with Dad or Mum, or with an older sibling, they can learn by observing and copying how to sit in the chair and open their mouth so the dentist can look at their teeth.
Here are our top tips for helping your child look after their teeth:
- Brush your child’s teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, for at least two minutes.
- As they grow older and want to brush their own teeth, guide their hand to ensure a good brushing technique, and supervise children up to the age of eight.
- Bring your child to the dentist from the age of six months, and make it a positive, fun experience.
- Avoid sugary treats and drinks. Make water the first drink of choice, and serve fruit juice diluted with water at mealtimes only.
- Your dentist or hygienist can help your child understand the importance of diet for healthy teeth, as well as showing them how to brush their teeth correctly in a fun, age-appropriate manner.
- Fluoride varnish will be offered from the age of three, and fissure sealants when permanent back teeth appear.
- Never dip dummies in anything sweet, such as honey, sugar or jam.