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Children's Dentistry
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 Regular Check ups
Save time and money by visiting your dentist regularly and avoid longer, more complicated and expensive visits later.
Diet Advice
Why does healthy eating matter?
Good oral hygiene will prevent most dental problems but you can also reduce the risk by reducing the frequency with which you eat or drink sugar containing, sticky or acidic foods.
How can I tell what's healthy?
Milk and water are safe drinks. So are tea and coffee if you do not add sugar to them. Fruit, vegetables, dairy products (such as cheese) and starchy products (such as bread, rice and pasta) are all safe between meals. Indeed eating five portions of fruit and vegetables every day helps prevent cancer and heart disease.
What should I be doing?
- Clean your teeth twice a day with a flouride toothpaste.
- Reduce the number of times that you consume foods containing sugar or acids including acidic drinks such as colas and other fizzy drinks. Try, as far as possible, to consume these only at mealtimes.
- Even sugar-free drinks are acidic so beware, look for those that have been accredited by the British Dental Association.
- Eat at least five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables a day (a portion is roughly a handful).
Nutritionists give the same advice as dental professionals about healthy eating. If you change how you eat so as to look after your teeth, the rest of your body will be healthier too.
Fluoride Treatment
Where is flouride found?
Fuoride is a naturally-occuring element found in a number of foods including fish, spinach and tea. Fluoride is most effective when it is regularly in direct contact with tooth surfaces. Most people get their fluoride from toothpaste. Toothpaste contains different levels of fluoride which are measured in parts per million (ppm) of fluoride. Fluoride in toothpaste varies from nil up to 2800-ppm fluoride so you should chech packaging for details. Your dental professional will recommend an appropriate toothpaste dependent on your level of risk of tooth decay.
Fluoride is naturally present in water but in most places the level is too low to protect teeth from decay. Water fluoridation involves adding fluoride to water up to the level that is known to be safe and best for our teeth (1 part of fluoride per million parts of water). currently, only about 10% of the UK is flouridated, In Birmingham, where the water has been fluoridated for almost forty years, children's teeth are three time healthier than those children living in Manchester, where the water is not fluoridated.
How does fluoride work?
Everyone has plaque bacteria forming in the mouth all the time. The bacteria live on food debris and produce acids as a waste product. These acids attack the teeth by dissolving the minerals in the tooth surface. The minerals present in saliva can repair the early stages of decay and fluoride helps this process.
Children and fluoride
Up to the age of seven, while the permanent teeth are forming, excess ingestion (swallowing) of fluoride can produce marks of the teeth (known as "fluorosis"). To ensure that this does not happen, you should supervise children up to the age of seven whilst cleaning their teeth to make sure they do not eat the toothpaste (only a small pea-sized amount should be put on the brush).
What are the benefits of fluoride?
Fluoride helps teeth stay healthy and strong
Fluoride can heal heal early decay
You will need less dental treatment
Healthy teeth look better than repaired teeth
Pit & Fissure Sealants
What are sealants?
Sealants are a safe and painless way of protecting your children's teeth from decay. A sealant is a protective plastic coating, which is applied to the biting surface of the back teeth. The sealant forms a hard shield that keeps food and bacteria from getting into the tiny grooves in the teeth and causing decay.
Which teeth should be sealed?
Sealants are only applied to the back teeth - the molars and premolars. These are the teeth that have pits and fissures on their biting surfaces. Some teeth naturally form with deep grooves which will need to be sealed, others with shallow ones which will not need sealing.
What is involved?
The process is usually quick and straightforward taking only a few minutes per tooth. The tooth is thoroughly cleaned, prepared with a special solution, and dried. The liquid sealant is then applied and allowed to set hard - usually by shining an ultraviolet light onto it.
Will my child feel it?
No, it is totally pain free, and the teeth do not feel any differnet afterwards.
How long do they last?
Sealants usually last for many years, but your dentist will want to check them regularly to make sure that the seal is still intact. They can wear over time, and sometimes the dentist needs to add or replace some sealant to be sure that no decay can start underneath them.
How do they work?
The sealant forms a smooth, protective barrier, by covering all the little grooves and dips in the surface of the tooth. Dental decay easily starts in these grooves.
When should this be done?
Sealants are often applied as soon as the permanent teeth start to come through. This is usually between 6 and 7 years of age. The rest are usually sealed as they appear which can be any time between 11 and 14 years of age.
How much does it cost?
Most dentists offer fissure sealing. It may be available on the NHS and is not expensive. But in many cases it is available only privately. The cost varies from dentist to dentist, but it is usually good value.
Do my children still have to clean their teeth?
Yes. It is still vital that they do this. The smooth, sealed surface is now much easier to keep clean and healthy with normal toothbrushing.
Whom do I ask about the treatment?
If you would like to know more about the treatment, ask your dentist or hygienist. They will tell you if fissure sealing will help your children's teeth, and if it is the right time to do it.
White fillings as standard in children
As a matter of course, all childrens fillings are white fillings.
Oral Hygiene advice
Our teeth are made to last a lifetime and daily care and attention can ensure that they do. The mouth is a very important part of the body and life without well functioning teeth can be difficult, embarassing and uncomfortable. Our teeth help us to chew our food, speak clearly and give our face its shape and form. A beautiful smile if often the first thing people notice; whilst missing or stained teeth or bad breathare a real turn-off. Most problems of oral health can be avoided by maintaining good oral health rules. These apply whatever your age, or situation. It's never too late to help you and your family ensure healthy teeth for life.
5 Simple Rules to Better Oral Health
Follow these rules, to ensure that you take the best care of your teeth and mouth:
- Brush yout teeth twice a day with fluride toothpaste
- Try to avoid sugar containing food and drink especially between meals
- Only drink water of milk between meals
- Stop smoking
- Visit your dentist at least once a year
Orthodontic assesment and Treatment
Who needs orthodontic treatment?
Not everyone's teeth are perfectly straight. In fact, many people have crooked or overcrowded teeth. If your dentist thinks your teeth need strightening, he or she may refer you to an orthodontist, a dentist who specialises in this type of treatment.
During treatment, fixed braces or a removable appliance may be worn to gradually move teeth to their correct position in the mouth.
At what age can orthodontic treatment start?
while it is most common during childhood and adolescence (from around age eight and up), an increasing number of adults today are also opting for orthodontic treatment.
How long does the treatment take?
It varies, but may take from 18 to 30 months to complete. For adults, treatment may take a little longer because the facial bones have stopped growing. But whatever your age, keeping your teeth and gums healthy during orthodontic treatment will help keep treatment time on track.
Sports - Mouthguards
Teeth are fairly resistant and can survive traumas and jolts; however they can be broken or knocked out. If you are involved in sports it's worth protecting them with a mouthguard which you should wear whenever you take part in sport. Having your mouth slightly open will protect both the upper and lower teeth and allow you to swallow and breath easily.
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