Dental Care for Children

Good dental care is an essential part of healthy living for everyone, but our kids' dental care depends so much on parents and guardians, as well as their Dentist. The foundation of good dental care is prevention.

Starting right from the beginning, when baby’s first teeth appear, this is when we would like to first see your child. Early visits to the Dentist also get kids used to having their teeth checked, avoiding the stress of introducing clinical care when they are older, when they might be a lot more resistant to the idea.

Preparing your childs first visit

When preparing your child for a visit, especially the first time, keep things simple.

• Try not to include too many details or big words that may cause unnecessary anxiety.
• Keep a positive attitude, and use positive phrases to make the visit seem fun, not scary.
• Tell your child that the Dentist is going to check their smile and count their teeth.
• Play pretend with your child, and let them be the dentist AND the patient - all you'll need is a toothbrush, a stuffed toy or doll, and even a mirror – make it fun!
• It’s very normal for a young child to cry or wiggle about, and not want to be examined by a stranger, so don’t worry.
• After the visit is over, praise your child for their good behaviour and bravery.

Identifying problems early

Kid’s dental care requires special skills and experience, and at Darling Dental our trained, highly experienced team will be able to assist with all of your kids’ dentistry needs. If your child has had the following symptoms or habits, we invite you to discuss the possible causes and treatments available with your Dentist:

• Crooked teeth, or teeth not meeting in the front
• Teeth grinding, worn down teeth or headaches
• Snoring, breathing problems or recurring ear infections
• Thumb sucking or using a pacifier or dummy

Proper brushing is essential to maintaining great oral health, and we should teach our kids good technique, and make brushing a family affair. Young children, who do not yet have good coordination, need your help with brushing.

Brushing should be done first thing in the morning and at bedtime, and only requires a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Teach them to brush along the gum line and all surfaces using a small circular motion, and build the teeth-brushing time up to the recommended two minutes.

Whilst brushing and a good diet are most important for your child’s dental health, we do recommend flossing for children who continue to get decay after preventative measures have not worked, but if there are spaces in between your child’s teeth, there is no need to floss until they get their adult teeth.

The growth, development and health of our children are known to be directly linked to their dental health, so it is essential to be alert right from the time baby’s first tooth appears, and it is important to take your children to the Dentist for regular check-ups. Regular visits can prevent tooth decay or catch problems in their early stages so early intervention can take place.

School Dental Screening Program

One question that we regularly get asked by parents is “What age should we start taking our children to a Dentist? We recommend that pre-school age is a great time to introduce children to the process of going to the Dentist, in a fun and non-invasive way.  It may be as simple as a “ride in the chair” to start with, allowing them to feel comfortable and to enjoy the experience without fear or trepidation.

We commenced this process within Schools in Tamworth in 2014, with our free School Dental Screening Program.

Screening Year One students will ensure that we have covered that early intervention age group. Each child receives an informative, fun and quick group information session at school, followed by an individual dental screening. Parents receive a report on your child’s dental health with any recommendations if necessary.  The children also receive a fun pack to take home including our very own ‘Darling Dental Tooth Passport’!!!!

Medicare currently has the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS), however, we do NOT use this at the screenings, they are completely free. We want our visit to our local School’s to be available to all children in Year One. This way, all children undertake treatment at our private rooms, or those of their normal dentists, if identified as needing treatment.

The screenings will be simple and very helpful in identifying any potential issues with individual children and give parents a point of reference for any follow-up dental requirements with Darling Dental or their current family dentist.