Parents always ask us when is the best time to bring their child for their first dental visit.
The answer is: When your child has their first tooth!
Growing up, many of us are fearful of dental visits from bad childhood experiences of seeing the school dentist. Parents tend to project this anxiety onto their children at their first dental visit and the children become aware that they might be in an uncomfortable situation.
The very first dental visit should be a pleasant experience where the child is allowed to explore the dental clinic safely. The dentist will introduce the non-scary tools that we need for a dental check-up and engage your child in a manner that is comfortable for them.
Understandably, to secure a dental appointment with your busy schedules as parents, you would prefer to solve the dental concern immediately. We would advise parents to make the first visit solely an introductory visit and follow the cues from their child. If your child is able to cooperate, we will be more than happy to solve the dental concern at the first visit.
However, if your child is apprehensive, it would be a good idea to let the child feel safe, befriend the dentist and explore the dental treatment room. A second dental visit after the first introduction visit would allow us to assess and work on your child’s dental concern as needed.
Start your child as young as possible for their half-yearly dental check-ups and they will be very accepting of future dental treatments when necessary.
What We Check During The Visit
•Tongue Tie
•Presence of plaque
•Dental Cavities
•Alignment of teeth
•Development of Jaws
What We Ask During The Visit
Depending on the dental condition of the child, we ask about habits such as nighttime bottle feeding, diet, choice of toothpaste for children, soothing habits (eg thumbsucking, mouth breathing etc) and frequency of teeth brushing.
What Treatments We Might Do
Teeth cleaning is a good first step when it comes to dental treatments for your child. For an apprehensive child, we could start with a fluoride gel application. Fluoride gel is applied after deciding on the child’s dental decay risk factor. It helps to prevent cavities.
If the child is able to tolerate more, we could do dental polishing. It is a rotating brush – very much like an electric tooth brush – that brushes the plaque away!
If the child has hardened plaque, we may need to do some dental scaling. Dental scaling is a metal tip that gently vibrates and removes hardened plaque.
If your child has a cavity, we will slowly and gently clean out the cavity before putting in a white-coloured tooth filling known as Glass Ionomer Cement (GIC) or when allowable, a composite restoration (typically used in permanent dentition). A good analogy to share with your child is that the dentist will put a little plasticine into the cavity so that they can chew their food properly again!
Other dental treatments that we do for children are dental extractions, root canal treatment for children, dental crowns for children, orthodontic treatment (Myobrace, Invisalign First, Conventional Braces), management of dental trauma (broken teeth), and more.
Education Is Important
We prioritize discussing your child’s dental needs with you before any treatment is done. We want parents to make an informed decision when it comes to their child’s dental concerns. Please feel free to ask us any questions before, during, and even after your dental appointment.
Do make an appointment with us if you’re looking for a children-friendly dental clinic in Johor Bahru.
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