What Age Should Children First Visit The Dentist?
Being situated in the heart of a family oriented community such as Springfield this is a question we often get asked at Brookwater Dental.
Bringing your child in to see the dentist from an early age is extremely important. It helps with setting good habits, preventing major issues and getting comfortable with visiting the dentist from a young age. We recommend bringing your child in after their first baby tooth erupts.
At Brookwater Dental, all our dentists are happy to see children of all ages. We are however, thrilled to welcome Dr Soha, to our team who will be working Saturdays and has specialist training in pediatric dentistry (Children’s dentistry).
Earlier this year the government through Medicare announced a new plan called the Child Dental Benefits Scheme. This provides free dental treatment (upto a limit of $1000) for eligible children aged 2-17 from January 1st 2014. Please look through the following link to see whether your children may be eligible.
http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/provider/medicare/initiatives/teen-dental.jsp
At Brookwater Dental we have a specific regime of how we would ideally like to treat all children to ensure an optimum outcome for their oral health.
From ages 1-5 we like to see children for a check up and Parent Education. Here we are checking all baby teeth are erupting at the correct time, there are no missing teeth and the teeth are being cared for properly. Baby teeth are much weaker than adult teeth and if not looked after properly can decay and wear away very quickly. By having a regular check up we can ensure your child’s teeth are being looked after properly and also get them comfortable with visiting the dentist from an early age.
From ages 6-12 we like to see children for a check up, Oral Hygiene Instructions and a basic clean. It is at this age that we can really drum in good cleaning habits that can last a lifetime. This is also a very important age to check that the adult teeth are coming out at the correct time and correct space. Early identification of missing or misaligned teeth can save on complex and costly treatments in the future.
Ages 13-17 is a very important time as by this time all adult teeth should have erupted. Teenagers at this age often get lazy and fall into bad dietary habits which can have major consequences for there teeth if not monitored closely.
If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to call one of our friendly staff at Brookwater Dental.