Paediatric Dentistry
It is crucial to introduce Oral Hygiene and Teeth Maintenance to your kids as early as possible. Once children learn to be concerned about their teeth’s health, even as early as 1 or 2 years old, they will remember these learnings until their adult life and develop good dental cleaning habits more likely for life.
Child First Visit
We recommend bringing your child for a dental examination at the age of around 2. They may not be needing any treatment at that age but they will learn to see how dentists do their dental procedures and get familiar with the dental clinic environment, thus, removing their fear of the dentists and dental procedures.
We recommend you bring your child to us for regular check-ups and cleaning every 6 months. We will use the show and tell method to teach your child how to brush and floss properly their teeth. An early consultation will also help us determine the state of your child’s oral health, monitor the growth progress and address any teeth problems as early as possible to avoid any complications.
Interceptive Orthodontics for Children
Many young children and adolescents have dental conditions that require the early attention of an orthodontist.
Some parents assume that their children should commence orthodontic treatment when all their deciduous or ‘milk’ teeth have been shed. On the contrary, an early dental examination may intercept a developing problem, or on some occasion even make later treatment in the permanent dentition unnecessary.
For most children who had treatment in the pre-adolescent years a second stage of treatment, after their succedaneous teeth have erupted, will be required. Problems that may be encountered include lack of space, eruption difficulties, imbalance of the jaws, or a combination. The presence of non-nutritive sucking habits may also lead to deviation of the teeth or jaws when they are carried out over a prolonged period of time.
Thus waiting for the dentition to have reached the permanent stage may in some children become a lost opportunity for interceptive or even preventive treatment.
“Children should see an orthodontist for an initial orthodontic assessment no later than the age of 7.”
Fissure Sealants
Fissure sealant is a tooth-coloured resin, which is well adhered to the enamel of the tooth. Fissure sealant seals off the fissure of a tooth to prevent plaque accumulation.
When to use it?
If there are deep fissures on a tooth, dental plaque can easily accumulate in these fissures where the toothbrush bristles cannot access to and clean these areas thoroughly. Therefore, these teeth are prone to tooth decay.
Key information
- Fissure sealant seals off the fissures of a tooth to prevent tooth decay by blocking the plaque bacteria in the fissures from getting access to the dietary sugars.
