All children need procedures explained simply and in their language. With this in mind, their journey from the waiting room through to the surgery is soft and caring.
We want to help you and your child look after those precious teeth right up to adulthood. The importance of oral hygiene and prevention are addressed at all stages of their development.
Oral health and looking after their teeth is ultimately education driven and as a parent, if you are motivated and knowledgeable about how to brush and care for their teeth, your children will be too.
Tooth decay is fundamentally related to two things: brushing teeth and diet.
1- Tooth brushing
Children should be educated on the importance of brushing in the morning and evening for two minutes. Parents need to motivate their children and make it fun whilst setting and demonstrating clear guidelines. Children don’t have the manual dexterity to adequately do this on their own until the age of 6, so prior to this parents should be supervising teeth brushing. It is good to give children responsibility but unfortunately, if left to their own devices without parental support, they will often be leaving plaque, bacteria and food debris in the mouth.
2. Diet
It is important to limit sugar intake to meal times and not snacking on sugary foods.
It is just as important that parents don’t pass on their fears of the dentist. Years ago it might have hurt to have a filling but dentistry has come on leaps and bounds and nowadays there is no excuse for avoiding the dentist.
We feel very passionately about the need to instil these practices in children from a young age. Our lovely senior nurse 'Beata Knysak' who is studying as a dental therapist has been several times to schools to talk about dental hygiene after undertaking a dental Oral health education course. The children responded very positively to an outside expert rather than just their teacher or parent telling them and the class forum encourages interaction amongst the children.
Education starts at home and if parents supervise the ways their children brush their teeth from a young age, they will reap the benefits in later life.
Children's Dentistry
Babies and Toddlers
As soon as your baby’s teeth begin to emerge it is important to start paying attention to their oral hygiene and habits. This means brushing their teeth twice a day using fluoride toothpaste and paying attention to their diet and sugar intake. We all know that sugar is bad for our teeth, but did you know it is the frequency it is consumed rather than the overall amount that does the damage? For example, it would be worse for your child’s teeth to eat one sweet every hour throughout the day than to eat a whole pack of sweets in one go. The best time for a child to eat sweet foods is at the end of a meal. Don’t forget there is sugar in other things too like fruit juice and squash. It is really important to look after the health of milk teeth as they are essential not only for eating but for speech development, facial appearance and saving space for the adult teeth to grow into.
At this young age your child does not need regular check-ups but it can be beneficial to bring them along to the dentist with you and get them used to the experience. Try to ensure that you are calm and happy during your appointments so that young children do not pick up on anxiety associated with visiting the dentist.
Age 6
At around the age of 5 or 6 your child’s first permanent teeth will start to emerge. These adult molars do not replace any baby teeth but grow in behind them, many people therefore do not realise that they are permanent teeth and so do not look after them properly. This is the age that you should start bringing your child to the dentist for regular check-ups.
We can also offer services like fissure sealants on the back teeth which can help to protect them from decay. The sealants work by filling in the small ‘fissures’ or gaps on the biting surface of the teeth, this means that food cannot be trapped in these spaces and the teeth are easier to clean. Fissure sealants are simply brushed on to the surface of the tooth and so are quick and pain free. They may need to be topped up or re-done every year or two during the important next few years.
Age 7-9
Once the baby teeth begin to be lost and replaced by adult teeth, this is the time to start assessing your child for potential orthodontic (brace) treatment. At about this age we can start to see the position of the adult teeth and monitor the growth of the jaw for potential problems. Not everyone will need to have their teeth straightened with braces, but if your child does then we can refer at the appropriate age. In some cases, early orthodontics can help to avoid lengthy brace treatment later in life or even prevent the need for facial surgery.
Teenagers
When your children become more independent and are brushing their teeth without supervision, we can ensure that they have a good tooth brushing technique and are reaching all the areas of their mouth. Regular Dental hygiene appointments give us the opportunity to give your teenagers teeth a thorough clean and provide tips on good oral hygiene.
The teenage years are usually when orthodontic treatment takes place as most of the baby teeth will have been lost and replaced by adult teeth. We are able to advise you on the best time to see an orthodontist or we can offer Teen Invisalign
We are here for you and your family at every stage of life. To book your child an appointment, please call us on 020 7222 3002.
Children's Dentistry Fees
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Rotuine Exam £ 65
* If accompanied when parent has an exam at same time and child is under 16 years old"
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Filling - Deciduous Baby teeth from £125
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Fillings - Adult Teeth are same cost as adult treatment from£125
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Extractions - Deciduous Baby teeth from £75
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Extractions - Adult Teeth are same cost as adult treatment from £165
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Child Dental Hygiene
**include professional Flouride application if recommended using special trays. £75.00**
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Fissure Sealant- per tooth to protect adult molars from developing decay £45
*** May need to be topped up or redone every year or two until age of 16