Did you know that children can have free dental care up to the age of 5?

If you are a parent and regularly attend St. Pauls dental care of this practice we will provide-

• Free treatment for your child under the age of 6
• Free exams up to the age of 17
• Reduced treatment costs up to the age of 17
• Orthodontic assessments
• Oral health information

Denplan payment schemes are available for children up to the age of 17.

Children’s tooth care

• Start brushing your child’s teeth with a fluoride toothpaste as soon as the first tooth appears (usually around 6 months)
• You should brush last thing at night and on at least one other occasion
• Parents/ Carers should supervise the brushing of teeth until at least the age of seven years old to ensure the teeth are cleaned properly and to supervise the amount of toothpaste used.
• For children under three years old use a smear of toothpaste containing no less than 1000ppm fluoride.
• For children aged 3-6 years use no more than a pea-sized amount of toothpaste containing more than 1000ppm fluoride.
• For children aged 7 and young adults, use a fluoridated toothpaste containing 1350-1500 ppm fluoride
• Children should spit out after brushing and not rinse as this will wash away the fluoride and reduce how well it works.
• Children should never be allowed to lick or eat toothpaste from the tube.

Fluoride Varnish

Fluoride varnish is one of the best ways of delivering fluoride to teeth. It works by strengthening tooth enamel, making It more resistant to tooth decay. There is high quality evidence of the effectiveness of fluoride varnishes in preventing decay in adult and baby teeth. It is recommended that children aged three years and over and adolescents should receive applications of fluoride varnish twice yearly. It is very simple and quick to apply. Your dentist can apply fluoride varnish to your child’s teeth when they attend for their examinations.

Many people think that it is a high level of sugar in your diet that causes tooth decay, but it is not true. It is how often you have sugar in your diet that causes problems, not the amount. Every time you eat and drink sugar, acid is produced in your mouth and it can take up to an hour for this to be neutralised by your saliva. During this time your teeth are under attack from this acid. The more frequently you eat and drink sugar, the more frequently your teeth are under acid attack eventually resulting in decay. It is therefore important to limit the number of times you or your child consume sugary foods and drinks to cut down your risk of decay and if they must be eaten, restrict consumption to mealtimes only.