Paediatric or Children’s Dentistry
Paediatric or Children’s Dentistry
A healthy mouth is part of a healthy body and as a parent, you want to do everything you can to ensure your child is as healthy as possible. Regular check-ups are vital to ensuring your child’s oral health is maintained as they grow. You will be given comprehensive information and support throughout your child’s dental appointments and treatments.
Making the Dentist Fun
Children love our gentle, friendly dentists who aim to make all appointments as fun and relaxed as possible. Your child will be encouraged to develop good long term oral hygiene habits – no lectures, just easy to follow instructions and explanations.
Children and Dental Anxiety
It is extremely common for children to experience anxiety when visiting the dentist, regardless of the nature of the procedure. It is extremely important to ensure you only speak positively about going to the dentist around your child as this may avoid creating anxiety about it. If your child experiences extreme dental anxiety or required multiple fillings or extractions, we can provide general anaesthetic or sedation to enable us to complete all their dental work in one appointment. Your child’s dentist will discuss your options with you.
Child Dental Benefits Schedule
If you are eligible for the Australian Government Child Dental Benefits Schedule, you can claim up to $1026 of dental treatment every 2 calendar years. Services include:
- check-up
- X-rays
- cleaning
- fissure sealing
- fillings
- root canals
- extractions
If you are eligible for the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, you have likely received a letter informing you so. For more information regarding eligibility, see the Australian Government page. At Cairns Dental Anaesthetic Centre we are able to bulk bill any relevant services under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule to minimise your out-of-pocket expenses.
Do I still need to bring my child to the dentist even though they only have baby teeth?
Although baby teeth do naturally fall out eventually, it doesn’t mean that it’s not important to take care of them anyway. Developing good oral hygiene habits early on is key to a beautiful smile as an adult. If neglected, decay can affect the teeth and gums causing pain and negatively impact the development of the adult teeth. Regular check-ups from a young age can get your child used to going to the dentist and allow them
to associate the dentist with a positive experience avoiding anxiety issues later.
My child has knocked out their baby teeth, do I need to be concerned?
If your child sustains an injury resulting in the early loss of their baby teeth, it’s advisable to get in touch with us as soon as possible. DO NOT put the tooth back into the mouth as this could cause further damage. Our friendly dentist will give your child a check up to ensure no other damage has
been done and advise you of anything to watch for moving forward.
When will my child get his/her adult teeth?
From around 6 years of age, your child will start to lose their baby teeth and his or her adult teeth will emerge. Each child will develop these permanent adult teeth at different times but the chart below will give you a rough idea of what to expect.
Child MouthGuards
If your child is playing a contact sport or one that could potentially cause a mouth injury, you may want to consider a custom-fitted mouthguard to protect their mouth while they participate.