Kids Dentistry in Woden

Your Child’s First Visit to the Dentist

It’s fun, it’s free, and kids get a prize for a child’s first “Play Appointment!”

The first “regular” dental visit should be just after your child’s third birthday.  At Acacia Dental Group this play appointment is free! Their first dental visit is usually short and involves very little treatment. We may ask you to sit in the dental chair and hold your child during the examination. You may also be asked to wait in the reception area during part of the visit so that a relationship can be built between your child and your dentist.

We will gently examine your child’s teeth and gums. X-rays may be taken (to reveal decay and check on the progress of your child’s permanent teeth under the gums). We may clean your child’s teeth and apply topical fluoride to help protect the teeth against decay. We will make sure your child is receiving adequate fluoride at home. Most important of all, we will review with you how to clean and care for your child’s teeth.

What Should I Tell my Child about the First Dental Visit?

We are asked this question many times. We suggest you prepare your child the same way you would before their first haircut or trip to the shoe store. Your child’s reaction to his first visit to the dentist may surprise you.

During Your First Visit to the Kids Dentist, We Will:

Examine your mouth, teeth and gums.

Evaluate adverse habits like thumb sucking.

Check to see if you need fluoride.

Teach you about cleaning your teeth and gums.

Suggest a schedule for regular dental visits.

What About Preventative Care For Your Child?

Tooth decay and children no longer have to go hand in hand. At our dental office in Woden, we are most concerned with all aspects of preventive care. We use the latest in dental sealant technology to protect your child’s teeth. Dental sealants are space-age plastics that are bonded to the chewing surfaces of decay-prone back teeth. This is just one of the ways we will set the foundation for your child’s lifetime of good oral health.

Cavity Prevention

Most of the time cavities are due to a diet that is high in sugary foods and a lack of brushing. Limiting sugar intake and brushing regularly, of course, can help. The longer it takes your child to chew their food and the longer the residue stays on their teeth, the greater the chances of getting cavities.

Every time someone eats, an acid reaction occurs inside their mouth as the bacteria digests the sugars. This reaction lasts approximately 20 minutes. During this time the acid environment can destroy the tooth structure, eventually leading to cavities.

The consistency of a person’s saliva also makes a difference; thinner saliva breaks up and washes away food more quickly. When a person eats diets high in carbohydrates and sugars they tend to have thicker saliva, which in turn allows more of the acid-producing bacteria that can cause cavities.

Tips for Preventing Cavities in Children 

Limit frequency of meals and snacks.

Encourage brushing, flossing and rinsing.

Watch what your child drinks.

Avoid giving your child sticky foods.

Make treats part of meals.

Choose nutritious snacks.

About the Baby Teeth

The first baby teeth that come into the mouth are the two bottom front teeth. You will notice this when your baby is about 6-8 months old. Next to follow will be the 4 upper front teeth and the remainder of your baby’s teeth will appear periodically. They will usually appear in pairs along the sides of the jaw until the child is about 2 1/2 years old.

At around 2 1/2 years old your child should have all 20 teeth. Between the ages of 5 and 6 the first permanent teeth will begin to erupt. Some of the permanent teeth replace baby teeth and some don’t. Don’t worry if some teeth are a few months early or late as all children are different.

Baby teeth are important as they not only hold space for permanent teeth but they are important to chewing, biting, speech and appearance. For this reason, it is important to maintain a healthy diet and daily hygiene.

Medicare Child Dental Benefit Schedule (CDBS)

As a parent, making sure your child is as healthy as possible is understandably one of your highest priorities.

The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) has been introduced by the federal government to make that task a little easier if you receive benefits such as Family Tax Benefit A payments. The CDBS helps you keep your kids’ teeth in great shape by providing you with up to $1000 that you can use over a two-calendar year period on a range of dental services including examinations, routine cleaning, fillings, and root canals.

What the CDBS doesn’t cover, however, are orthodontic (the straightening of crooked teeth), cosmetic dental procedures (the restoration or replacement of damaged or missing teeth), or any work that might need to be done in a hospital. If you aren’t sure what’s covered, just ask your dentist.

Your Child’s Eligibility

Your child is deemed eligible for the CDBS by Medicare, who administers the program, if:

• They’re within the applicable age range for at least some of that year
• They qualify for Medicare;
• You receive either Family Tax Benefit Part A, Parenting payment or Double Orphan Pension payments for at least some of that year.

Your child can still access CDBS services throughout a particular calendar year regardless even if your circumstances change. Even so, it’s still worth confirming with Medicare that your child still qualifies for CDBS before booking an appointment.

Using Your $1000 Allocation

To ensure that you’re aware of the costs upfront, your dentist will explain all probable expenses and get your consent in writing before treatment begins. If there’s any additional work needed following the initial examination, the costs will again be outlined and your consent obtained. This means you can then decide how quickly or slowly you use your $1000 allocation; you can use it all at once if you need to, or spread the spending out over the two calendar years.

If you’re not sure how much of your allocation you have left to use, your dentist can look that up for you, and let you know if you’ll be up for any out-of-pocket expenses.

Acacia Dental’s Free Consultation

If you’d like to book your child in to see our resident kids dentist, Dr. Sirisha. Call us today and book in for a free consultation at our Woden dental practice. As a mother of two children, Dr. Sirisha loves children, and loves giving them the best, brightest smiles. She’s very experienced with young patients. Dr. Sirisha will review your child’s individual circumstances and evaluate your child’s teeth and mouth.

To book a free kids dentist consultation, call us today on (02) 6281 2222.

Simply add your details and a member of our staff will call you back. Or go to our online booking system by clicking on the online appointment button.