Taking care of your little smiles is important as it helps secure a healthy dental future for them.

At Crown Dental Group, we recommend bringing your child to the dentist at around the age of one, or within six months of the first tooth erupting.

The earlier your child begins having dental appointments, the better the chances of them maintaining a healthy smile.

Unfortunately, within Australia, an estimated one in three preschoolers have never even visited the dentist! This is shocking, because at Crown Dental Group, we believe every child should be visiting the dentist for checkups.

Due to statistics like this, children’s tooth decay, loss and other oral issues are on the rise in Australia. Children are suffering from tooth decay that are as young as six.

Read on to find out how to prepare your child for a dental appointment and why a healthy mouth is important.

Preparing your child for the dentist

There are many great methods which can aid in helping prepare your child for a dental visit.

Useful tips to prepare your child:

• Role play – At-home role playing being at the dentist can be a fun activity for your child. Take turns acting out the role of the dentist and patient to allow your child to become aware of the sorts of things they can expect upon their visit.
• Children’s dentistry books – There are many great dental picture books for children. These books can visually show children what to expect in the dental office and show what may happen.
• Online resources – By searching online, you will be able to find great activities and games about the dentist that children can play.
• Watch your use of words – While explaining the dental process to your child, make sure you are careful with your choice of words. Do not use fearful words, instead try to promote the importance of visiting the dentist.
• Keep your fears to yourself – If you fear the dentist yourself, don’t allow the fears to be seen and passed onto your child. Make sure you stay strong while speaking about or visiting the dentist with your child.

The dentist will discuss the following topics

During your child’s dental appointments, your dentist will discuss many topics with you, to help you take care of your child’s dental health. Topics discussed may include:

• Brushing and flossing children’s teeth
• Teething (teeth coming through gums)
• Feeding advice
• Risks of tooth decay
• Bad habits (pacifier sucking, thumb sucking etc.)
• Potential bite issues (may require an orthodontic visit later on)

Importance of healthy baby teeth

There are many reasons for why healthy baby teeth are important, including the following:

Helps children chew food properly – Baby teeth are your child’s way to chew food and gain proper nutrition.

Speech development – The shape, position and condition of teeth directly impacts speech development as teeth help control the flow of air throughout the mouth and tongue placement to pronounce sounds. By ensuring your child maintains healthy teeth, it will aid them in learning to speak properly.

Healthy permanent teeth – Children who suffer early loss of baby teeth, or decay are at greater risk of developing crowding issues when permanent teeth begin coming through. Baby teeth are meant to save space for adult teeth, and so need to remain in place until it’s time to naturally lose them.

Young healthy smiles – By maintaining your child’s dental health, you are giving them a beautiful and healthy smile to be proud of.

At Crown Dental Group in Narre Warren South and Ferntree Gully our team takes care of smiles of all ages, because no matter your age, your smile is important to us. Our experienced dentists can help children become familiar with the dental environment and can help alleviate both nerves and fears.

If you would like to find out more information on children’s oral health or to book your child in for a dental appointment, please kindly click here to get in touch with us.