Henriëtte Brown
Award-Winning Dental Hygiënist
Text to Book: 07798 733 874
Children
Little People have Big Teeth
Babies
With babies you will sometimes find some whitish colour on their tongues. This is normal but needs to be wiped away with some glycerine placed on a clean gauze
Babies with teeth
You (the parent or guardian) need to clean the teeth of your baby. Use a clean gauze wrapped around your finger and wipe clean the surfaces uo to the gum line.
DO NOT EVER put your baby to bed with a bottle.
Little Ones
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YOU have to brush your child's teeth
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Primary (baby) teeth have nerves too. Decay hurts
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Use a little brush (smalll head, soft bristles) and a spot of age-appropriate toothpaste. The amount is about HALF a pea-sized amount
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YOU have to floss your child's teeth. There are suitable animal-themed floss picks available for this purpose and will help children get used to the experience
Fissure Sealant
I am a strong advocate of fissure sealing. In many developed parts of the world it is a significant measure to prevent needless damage to permanent teeth in the mouths of children and young adults.
White or Clear
There are two major types of fissure sealant and then lots of smaller decisions regarding brands and materials.
The major choice is between clear (effectively invisible) and white (looks bright white like tipp-ex on the tooth).
I believe in placing white sealants because:
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It is clear when it has been placed correctly
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It is more obvious when it is failing as the margins show up dark, and the chipped edges are visible
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They contain filled resin so are also generally stronger
There are also fluoride containing / releasing versions of the fissure sealants available. I prefer fluoride releasing products, but I must stress: Operator skill and tooth preparation and child compliance are the most important aspects of successful sealants.
You can help by preparing your child for the procedure. The acid etch used to allow the sealant to bond is very sour tasting. Additionally if sand blasting is required this is a powdery and dusty experience. The child must be aware of the long term goal.
Compliance
Sometimes, with the best will, a child is not compliant a normal dental setting. There is an excellent specialist paediatric dental practice in London which I recommend called Toothbeary - link on left. Once important treatment is completed, compliance to a standard clinic normally improves.
NEVER GET ANGRY with your little one. I see enough adults who are dentally anxious to know that attitudes at a young stage can embed problems many years down the line.
When
Fissure seals should be placed when the permanent molar teeth are FULLY out in to the mouth. This is at around 6 years and then again at around 12 years of age.
Respect
As a hygienist I respect my dental colleagues and their knowledge, training and skills. It may be temping to think of the child's checkup as being a 'free add-on' the the adult checkup, but I think you should always offer to pay. This will sensibly remunerate the dentist and keep them actively looking for problems and giving guidance rather than just having a quick freebie 'look around'.
