Children should attend their dental practice regularly, as early as possible with their parents to familiarise themselves with the practice in general, surroundings, staff, sounds and smells to prepare them for future visits, reducing any concerns or anxiety.
Getting children to attend and cooperate at the dentist can be challenging enough (which is no fun for us parents/carers at the best of times!), but when they haven’t attended for potentially well over a year or two by now due to the pandemic, this is proving even more challenging.
Looking after your child’s oral health, especially if they can’t see a dentist, is imperative by maintaining brushing and engaging in their oral health.
Adults are advised to assist with the cleaning of a child’s teeth until the age of 7, to ensure effective brushing. Using a smear of fluoride toothpaste for children up to the age of 3 years, the increasing to a pea size amount from 3 upwards. Also encourage gentle brushing of the gums and behind the teeth, then spit out after brushing rather than rinsing. We all recognise maintaining any routine can be difficult when children are involved; however making brushing part of the daily routine on a morning and before bed is so important.
Toothache is painful and upsetting, especially for children. The main cause is usually due to tooth decay, which is often a result of consuming too much sugar, too often. Tooth decay in the form of cavities (also called caries) is the most common disease of childhood, but is mostly preventable. Spending more time at home, could be resulting in children eating (or persistently requesting!!!) more snacks, so have to be aware of their sugar intake and making good choices.
Kingswood Parks Clinics have always followed Government guidance which allowed dental practices to operate during the pandemic, providing necessary measures were followed based on SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) and risk assessments. While restrictions are behind us, as a medical establishment, you can still feel assured, we work with patients’ safety and care at front of mind. We have witnessed most NHS dental practices were inaccessible for a long period and are continuing to battle through extensive back logs, so anticipate delays will be ongoing for some time. We have been effectively functioning for a significant period of time now, while emergencies and the vulnerable were prioritised, we are confident we can see your child with very little delay.
With children’s appointments priced at only £15 for a 3-12 year old, you can feel assured that their oral health can be maintained and any concerns addressed, before any significant issues develop and they experience any unnecessary discomfort. We allocate ample time for children’s appointments to provide a thorough oral health check-up, while reassuring them and developing a friendly rapport.
What did one of our little patients say about us:
Halle attended for a check-up and elective extraction, due to her adult tooth not pushing out her baby tooth, to try and prevent crowding.
‘My tooth had been hurting and bleeding as it was wobbly, because my big tooth hadn’t pushed my little tooth out. Kara was really nice and wobbled it out, it hurt a bit but Chloe held my hand and talked to me about treats I could have when I left. It was really quick and Kara was really kind. I am coming back in a few months to talk to Kara again, but don’t have to have another tooth out!! Everyone was really nice at the practice and the tooth fairy took my tooth away that night, so wasn’t that bad!’
If your child is worried about seeing the dentist, you can visit us to have a look around, and can take the appointment at a pace to suit your child; they can just sit in the surgery and talk to the clinician if needed. Please contact us, with any concerns or anxieties to make the visits as easy as possible for you and your little ones, on 01482 440084.