Kid Friendly Dentist Perth

Here at Maven Dental Booragoon we believe healthy habits start young and that’s why our team is dedicated to providing the education and preventive services to help you and your child understand what is involved in maintaining a healthy mouth for life. We strive everyday to be the most kid friendly dentist Perth has to offer.

Children’s primary teeth or baby teeth are just as important as permanent teeth. They assist in the formation of sounds and development of speech, permit chewing and eating nutritious food and contribute to a child’s self esteem and creation of positive social interactions. Additionally, a child’s primary teeth help to maintain space for the new permanent teeth to erupt.

Dental Care For Babies & Young Children

Your child’s first teeth are as important as permanent teeth and require daily care. Also called primary or baby teeth, they allow your child to chew and speak properly. They reserve the correct space in the gums for the eruption of permanent teeth. The primary molars need to be kept until the child is 11 to 13 years old.

Daily care is needed so your child does nor lose primary teeth too early due to decay (caries). Caries in primary ceech is commonly caused by prolonged contact of sweet liquids, food acids or foods with che teeth.

A child who is caught to look after the primary ceech is more likely to look after the permanent teeth and enjoy an accraccive smile and good oral health.

Early Childhood Caries (ECC)

An infant or young child with tooth decay, dental fillings or missing teeth due to decay has early childhood caries (ECC). The main risk factors for ECC are:

• Settling the baby to sleep with a bottle of milk, sweet flavoured milk, cordial, soft drink or fruit juice. Bacteria feed on the sugar in these drinks and form a sticky coating of plaque. Plaque acids eat into tooth enamel and cause decay.
• Night-time bottle feeding or frequent at-will breastfeeding past the age of about 12 months.
• A high-sugar diet with frequent snacking or grazing.
• Certain oral health problems, such as dry mouth (lack of saliva) and mouth breathing.
• Lack of good brushing and flossing.
• Sleep-behaviour problems.

Regular dental check-ups are important for all children, especially if your child has risk factors for ECC. Without treatment, your child may develop toothache, infection and dental abscess, and lose teeth too early. Missing teeth in a young child can result in serious orthodontic problems of the permanent teeth, requiring extensive and costly treatment. The risks of ECC are reduced with:

• Thorough daily brushing and flossing.
• A balanced diet and good nutrition.
• Low-fluoride toothpaste.
• Regular visits to a kid friendly dentist.

Tips to Prevent ECC

• Clean your child’s teech before bedtime.
• Offer a bottle of plain water or a dummy if your child likes to suck on something while settling to sleep.
• Do nor dip a dummy in honey or other sweet syrups, jams or similar produces.
• Teach your child to drink from a cup by about 12 months of age.
• Phase out bottle-feeding by the age of about 12 months.
• Encourage your child to drink water. As fruit juice contains a lot of sugar, limit it to one-half cup per day, preferably diluted. Give it at meal times only. Do not let the baby sip juice all day, as this can cause severe decay.
• Your child’s first visit to a dentist should be at about one year of age.

Are you looking for a kid friendly dentist in Perth? Contact Maven Dental Booragoon today to make an appointment…

Child Dental Benefits Schedule (Medicare)

At the Maven Dental Booragoon we are part of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (Medicare) (Medicare) scheme and accept eligible children.