Child Dental Treatment

Child Dental Treatments at Life Dental & Wellbeing, Exeter

At around six months old, children normally develop their first milk tooth. From that point, we would advise bringing your child into our family practice so that we can give them their first dental health check.

Obviously, there won’t be many teeth for us to examine, but introducing your child to the dentist at a young age not only makes sure that we can see that everything is as it should be, but your child will naturally feel more relaxed about visiting us as they get older.

We know that visiting the dentist can be a bit scary for little ones, so we always make sure to make them feel safe and happy as possible!

What’s more, we’re on hand to supply plenty of tooth care and dietary advice, if needed.

As a family dentist, we understand the importance of regular dental health checks for growing children, which is why we offer FREE check-ups for Life Plan members, as well as free fluoride treatments.

Standard children’s dental health checks cost £68.50. To book your appointment, simply call us on 01392 278843 or use our online contact form.

Looking After Your Child’s Teeth

Brush Regularly

Just like adult brushing, we recommend brushing your child’s baby teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste appropriate to your child's age.

We recommend using a pea-sized amount of toothpaste with the same fluoride levels as the above or less if they are very small.

We recommend brushing for two minutes and remember not to rinse! Rinsing teeth after brushing washes away some of the protective fluoride that have been applied during brushing, and therefore it doesn’t work as well.

When suitable, let your child hold the toothbrush as well, so they can get used to the feel and where to brush their teeth. You can also use a mirror to help them see exactly where they are brushing.

Generally speaking, children over eight should be able to brush their own teeth, but it’s wise to still keep an eye on them to make sure they are being thorough.

Flossing

We know that it can be hard enough to brush children’s teeth without the extra hassle of flossing! However, gentle flossing can be useful in preventing cavities between teeth, and setting a regular flossing regime will help them incorporate it into their teeth cleaning schedule as they get older.

Obviously, you only need to start on teeth that are touching - usually around the age between two and three years.

Diet

Like grown-ups, kids love a sugary treat. But children in the UK tend to be eating more sugar than they should. Public Health England (PHE) recently published figures that estimate that young children are eating on average the equivalent of about eight cubes of sugar a day! That’s about three times as much sugar as they should.

Increasing amounts of sugar in the diet weakens the outer shell (enamel) of children’s teeth and increases the risk of cavities. We’re not saying you have to cut sugar out completely, but try to limit sugary treats as much as possible, and consider swapping-out high sugar foods for similar, low-sugar items.

The NHS has a great guide to sugar swaps. If your child is having something sugary, try to save it for after mealtimes, as that is when excess saliva is produced, which can help protect teeth from the negative effects of sugar.

Don’t forget that it’s not just the fizzy drinks that contain high sugar levels, fruit juices and smoothies can also be very high in sugar and acid, so ensure that these drinks are taken into consideration too.

Make regular visits to your dentist

We advise booking an appointment with a dentist as soon as your baby grows their first milk tooth and no later than their first birthday. We can then check for cavities and plaque, as well as offer any advice needed on looking after their teeth.

After the initial dental health check, we can let you know how regularly your child should make further appointments.

Consider fluoride treatments

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that helps protect teeth from cavities. We offer a fluoride treatment which involves a quick and painless application of a thin layer of fluoride varnish to your child’s milk and adult teeth, which offers an extra level of protection for around six months.