We understand that our little patients need re-assurance and sometimes older children need encouragement to take on the responsibility for their own dental hygiene. Whatever their age, our team will provide you and your family the expertise and skills to ensure your children establish and maintain a lifelong commitment to good dental hygiene.
Top 5 tips to protect your children’s oral health:
- Lead by example. Make brushing part of your child’s daily routine. Until your child is capable, we recommend you supervise and encourage good brushing techniques. For infants, clean their gums with a clean, damp cloth.
- Visit our dental practice every six months for a check-up. Prevention is better than the cure. If an issue does arise, early detection can assist to avoid complicated or costly procedures.
- Adopt a healthy eating/drinking lifestyle. Sugary, fizzy and acidic drinks are a leading cause of cavities, especially in teen years. Limit sports and soft drinks and adopt water and milk into your children’s diet. Parents with babies should try to avoid a bottle at bedtime.
- Fissure sealants. These hard protective coatings are applied to the grooves (fissures) of the tooth. The aim is to stop food becoming trapped in between the fissures that can then lead to tooth decay and the need for fillings. They are a powerful way to protect your children’s teeth from decay.
- If your child plays sport, consider a sports mouth guard. Not all mouth guards are the same. They range in price and protection levels. If budget allows, a custom made mouth guard will offer your child the best protection as they are moulded and fitted to the exact size of your child’s teeth which also makes them more comfortable to wear. Over the counter varieties do not offer much in protection or comfort due to their “one-size fits all” philosophy.
Medicare Child Dental Benefit Schedule
Child Dental Benefit Schedule (CDBS) provides $1000 towards general dental services to eligible children between 2-17 tears.
Some treatments under this service include:
Oral Examination
Scale and Clean
Fillings
Extractions
Fissure Sealants
Cosmetic and Orthodontic treatment are not covered by this scheme and restrictions apply to certain general dental item codes.
Funds are accessible over a 2 year (calendar) period. The CDBS has a means test, which requires receipt of Family Tax Benefit Part A (FTB-A) or a relevant Australian Government payment. For full information on eligibility visit Department of Human Services.
To make an appointment or for further information contact us
