Childrens Dentistry

Dental Filling

A trip to the dentist can be a frightening experience for many children, especially if it is a first time visit or they have been unfortunate enough to have had a bad experience.

At smiles on high we love kids! All our friendly staffs are parents themselves so know what it’s like to bring a reluctant child along to visit a place they don’t want to be!

Don’t panic! We want your child to feel comfortable at the dentist so are more than happy to have them come in for a ride in our chair so they can develop an understanding of what takes place in the surgery.

At Smiles on high Penrith we have a strong focus on prevention. Your child will receive education about oral hygiene, preventing future problems from occurring. This education happens over the course of their visit, which we’ve specially designed to suit children.

We are a pram friendly family dental practice with convenient parking.

We like seeing children as early as 2-3 years old or when all the baby teeth have erupted, so we can help prevent a lot of the problems we see in adults. Our team encourages children to develop a positive dental approach which will lead them to a brighter, healthier future.

Importance of Childrens Dentistry

• Early Detection and Prevention: Children’s dentistry focuses on the early detection and prevention of dental issues. Regular dental check-ups from an early age allow dentists to monitor oral development, identify potential problems, and intervene promptly to prevent them from escalating into more serious conditions.
• Establishing Healthy Oral Habits: Children’s dentistry plays a crucial role in educating both parents and children about the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene habits. Dentists provide guidance on proper brushing and flossing techniques, as well as recommendations for a balanced diet that promotes dental health. Establishing these habits early in life sets the foundation for lifelong oral health.
• Monitoring Growth and Development: Pediatric dentists are trained to monitor the growth and development of children’s teeth, jaws, and oral structures. They can identify issues such as malocclusions, crowding, or abnormal tooth eruption early on and implement appropriate interventions to guide proper dental development.
• Preventing Dental Anxiety: Children’s dentistry focuses on creating a positive and comfortable dental experience for young patients. Pediatric dentists use child-friendly techniques, age-appropriate language, and a gentle approach to help alleviate dental anxiety and fear. Building trust and rapport with children from a young age helps promote positive attitudes towards dental visits in the future.
• Preventing Early Childhood Caries: Early childhood caries (ECC), also known as baby bottle tooth decay, is a common dental problem in young children. Children’s dentistry emphasizes preventive measures such as fluoride treatments, dental sealants, and educating parents about proper bottle-feeding practices to reduce the risk of ECC and promote optimal oral health in infancy and early childhood.

Teeth which contain deep grooves that cannot be reached by the fine bristles of a toothbrush are susceptible to plaque (bacteria) building up in the groove and causing decay. To prevent this, is a protective tooth coloured resin coating, known as a fissure sealant, is placed in the groove of the tooth to stop decay from forming.

Fissure sealants are ‘plastic’ colourless protective liquids, which are painted onto the biting surfaces of the back teeth. They are then hardened by the application of a concentrated beam of ultraviolet light. They are permanent and remain in place for many years.

Fissure sealants have been used in Dentistry for many decades and provide a very effective means of helping to prevent tooth decay. They are usually placed in the adult molar teeth soon after they present themselves in the mouth. The first molar teeth come through at about six years of age and are fissure sealed soon thereafter. The second molar teeth present at twelve years of age and are subsequently fissure sealed. Other teeth can also be fissure sealed, especially in cases where tooth decay is likely to occur rapidly.

Often, one finds adult molar teeth in children which have suffered from a small amount of decay. It is now possible to use painless and drill-free techniques such as special pastes to seal the tooth. This prevents the tooth from developing a ‘full blown’ cavity and thus, needing more invasive treatment.

Dr Muthu is trained extensively in orthodontic work so at your child’s regular appointment he can discuss with you a variety of options to help with things such as crooked teeth, cross bite, grinding and snoring. Did you know that braces aren’t just about crooked teeth? Often a poorly positioned jaw are the cause of snoringleading to disrupted sleep patterns. Disrupted sleep can lead to poor performance at school and behaviour issues. Between the age of 7 and 9 is the perfect time to have an orthodontic assessment done as this is the ideal time to potentially prevent costly correction work as your child gets older.

With many of our patients being children you can be assured that we have extensive experience in children’s dentistry. We want your child to have a positive experience at the dentist and be happy to come back !