Dr Sue Springbett The Paediatric Dentist
Specialist Children's Dentist
We’re excited to announce that our dental care services now extend to parents too! At Delicate Dentistry, we believe in comprehensive family care. Whether you’re bringing in your little ones or seeking dental services for yourself, our dedicated team is here to provide personalized and quality care for the entire family. Schedule an appointment today and experience our commitment to your family’s oral health.
Answers to Frequent
Questions
tel: 8377 1513
If you have a question that is not in the list below please call us and speak to one of our experienced team members.
We are here to help.
It is recommended that children have their first dental visit 6 months after the appearance of their first tooth. At this visit the dentist will examine your child’s teeth as well as give you
important information on how to care for their teeth and avoid dental decay. We have a strong focus on prevention. It’s good to start early and avoid problems in the future.
Children are not ‘little adults’ and they have their own special needs. A specialist children's is trained to understand and deal with these needs. Also a children’s dentist provides a more friendly and less clinical environment making you and your child relaxed. We allow more time and through our expertise in dealing with only children we create a friendly caring environment focussed solely on giving your child the best care resulting in healthy teeth for life.
Either toothbrush is suitable. It is a matter of personal preference. Some younger children can find the power toothbrush fun while others may be a bit scared of it. The main thing is that the teeth are cleaned twice a day with parental help and supervision. We always recommend that your child has a toothbrush with soft bristles and a small head – remember- they have small mouths!
Fluoride is important as it makes the enamel stronger and more resistant to acid attack by plaque bacteria, therefore it helps decrease tooth decay. We recommend that all children use a fluoride containing tooth paste. Toothpaste use is recommended from 2 years of age. There are low fluoride tooth pastes for this age group. By 6 years of age children can use the regular strength toothpaste.
Caring for a child with Special needs is a big job. Dental care, especially prevention of tooth decay, is especially important. Our practice has larger surgeries to cater for wheelchairs etc and our staff are trained to give you the care and support you need to get the best outcome for your child.
Baby teeth first appear at around 6 months of age and by about 2 ½ your child will have 20 teeth (10 on the top and 10 in the bottom). These baby teeth play an important role in oral development, speech and eating. The lower front teeth usually fall out at about 6 years of age. At this time the first adult molar also appears at the back of the mouth. By 8 years of age the eight front teeth have gone and been replaced with adult incisors. The rest of the baby teeth then fall out between 10-12 years of age, progressively being replaced with adult teeth with the appearance of a second permanent molar at the back of the mouth at 12 years of age. The only ones left to come after that are the Wisdom Teeth. These appear between 15-16 years of age.
Don’t worry! The baby teeth are just being a bit stubborn and the new adult teeth just want to come through! The best option is to get your child to wiggle the loose baby teeth out. By this time, the roots on the baby teeth have dissolved and it is only the gum holding the tooth in place. If your child still can’t get the baby tooth to come out, come along and see us and we’ll give it a hand
Baby teeth are a vital part of the growth and development of your child. They keep space for the adult teeth as the jaws grow, they are important in speech development and of course for eating. A healthy set of baby teeth means that your child will get all the nutrients they need through eating a healthy diet.
Fissure sealants are a preventive measure to stop tooth decay on the top (chewing) surface of the teeth. The sealant is an opaque resin that fills in all the grooves on the top of the teeth and stops the plaque getting into these hard to clean areas and causing decay
If any of these things occur you need to bring your child to see us. Chipped teeth can be smooth over. If the tooth is broken it will need to be restored. Knocked teeth need to be monitored and sometimes splinted if they are loose.
If a baby tooth is knocked out DO NOT try and put it back. The best thing is to give us a call and to give your child pain relief and TLC. When this happens we recommend a visit to make sure all is well.
This requires urgent attention. If you are able to put the tooth back in do this straight away. The sooner the tooth is back in its socket the better chances of its survival are. If you can’t place the tooth in milk and get to a dentist ASAP. We do offer A/H care for patients of the practice. However, in the event that you can’t reach us it is best to take your child to The AW&CH Emergency Department. There will be a dentist on call to help you.
Useful Links
You might also find answers and helpful information in the links below
