Preventive Dental Care For Your Kids

Preventive dental care plays an important role in the overall oral health of your child. The beginning of tooth decay leads to a number of problems including oral health that affects overall health. Hence, preventive dental care for your kids is very important to consider right from the appearance of your kid’s first teeth.

kinds dental care

What is preventive dental care for kids?

For preventive oral care of your child you should guide your child to take care of his or her teeth as well as gum properly. The proper care includes brushing teeth twice in a day, flossing, eating nutritious diets, and regular visit to the Kids dentist in Melbourne to avoid major dental complications in the future. You should educate your child with proper brushing and flossing techniques. Moreover, you should also teach them good oral habits such as clean mouth after eating sweet, chocolates or any food or drinks.

What preventive dentistry means?

It is all about prevention and treatment of dental diseases. It means a healthy smile using proper dental care. For good dental health of your child, you should aware about some must-to-follow habits such as brushing methods, use of essential fluoride concentration, teeth erupting knowledge, proper nutrition and dietary habits, awareness about risk for developing cavities, sealants, education for good oral health, and need for regular dental visits.

What is the right age for children to take them to the dentist?

As suggested by ADA (the Australian Dental Association) and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, you should take the child to a dentist when the first tooth erupts around the age of six months or at their first birthday. If you don’t find any teeth erupted for the first one year, you should consult the dentist.

Why Need Preventive Dental Care for Kids?

Kids with poor dental health have to suffer from unbearable tooth pain that affects their diet habits, brushing habits and more. Such kids get irritated and show less interest in playing, studying, eating, and other areas of interest. Hence, it affects their routine activities badly and affects their progress. As a parent, developing healthy habits leads towards good physical and mental growth of your child.

What precautions should I take for the oral health of my baby?

  • For an infant, it is necessary to wipe the teeth and gum after each feeding with gauze pad or moist washcloth.
  • Sterilize the bottle properly before use it. Do not add sugary drinks or add sugar into the bottle. It may cause tooth decay. Keep a gap of an hour for each feeding and after cleaning the teeth of the baby.
  • Start brushing your baby’s teeth with the beginning of the first teeth appearance with a kid’s toothbrush and water only.
  • Avoid use of fluoride toothpaste for your child unless suggested by a dentist under age group of 3 years.
  • Give pea-sized paste on a child’s toothbrush and avoid cover the brush.
  • Warn your child to not swallow toothpaste as it can cause stains on the teeth.

How to prevent my child from “Baby Bottle Tooth Decay”?

An early baby carries or bottle tooth decay is caused by drinking sugary drinks such as sweet drinks, juices, formula drinks, etc. Bottle sucking with sugary drinks can cause tooth decay. To protect your baby from early baby caries

  • Never put your kid’s pacifier, straw, spoon or other things in your mouth as it causes transfer of bacteria from your mouth to baby’s mouth that become susceptible to tooth decay.
  • Make habits to drink using a cup or a straw.

How do dentists help to prevent dental diseases?

Tooth cleaning and polishing, fluoride treatments, sealants are important for preventive care of the teeth. Use of the right kind of toothpaste, toothbrush, and mouth water plays an important role in proper dental health.

Do sealants are useful treatment to protect my child from cavities?

Sealants are substances important for children having a high risk for decay. It is useful for tooth decay prevention. It is a protective coating need to apply to the teeth’s biting surface. It provides shielding against plaque and bacteria. Sealants are normally placed on the permanent back teeth of the child as those teeth are likely to cavities. The process takes only five minutes and requires cooperation of the child to sit in a still position. The sealant placement frequency will vary according to the cavity problem of the child, but normally, it should apply once per tooth each five years till the child reach at the age of 19 on permanent molars i.e. 1st and 2nd. Teeth having sealants become non-restored.

What is fluoride and does a child need fluoride supplements?

Fluoride is a mineral available in water and other form useful to prevent tooth decay as well as strengthen teeth. Your baby can get it from water. You can start giving it after six months only. It is essential to consult a dentist for requirement of additional supplement of fluoride for your baby.

Educate your children using fun methods, games, colorful brushing charts, puzzle and other activities that enhance their interest about basics of dental health care.

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Dental Fillings

Why live with painful and unsightly cavities when you can have them filled by our dentists in a painless procedure!
In order to repair a cavity, the decayed portion of your tooth will be removed by your dentist. The portion of the tooth occupied by the decayed material will then be filled. Fillings are utilised to repair teeth that are broken, cracked, or that have cavities.

What Are The Steps For Filling Teeth?
Initially, a local anaesthetic will be injected into the area that surrounds the tooth. Novocaine is normally used. Then, a drill, laser, or air abrasion will be utilised to remove the area that is decayed. The type of instrument that is used will depend on the preference and training of your dentist, along with the extent and location of the tooth decay.

Your dentist will then test and probe the area of decay to ensure that all decayed material has been removed. After the removal of the decay, the space to be occupied by the filling will be cleaned so that all debris and bacteria are removed. If the area of the decay is close to the root, a liner constructed of a composite resin, glass ionomer or other type of material may be used in order to provide protection to the nerve. After the insertion of the filling, it will be finished and polished.

Additional steps are needed for fillings that are tooth-coloured. Subsequent to the removal of decay and cleaning of the area, the material that is tooth-coloured will be applied in layers. A specially designed light that hardens or cures each layer is used. After the completion of the multi-layering procedure, the composite material will be shaped by your dentist, excess material will be trimmed, and it will be polished.


Filling Materials Used
There are several types of filling materials that are currently available. Teeth may be filled with porcelain, gold, silver amalgam, or tooth-coloured composite resins. Silver amalgam is comprised of mercury with tin, silver, copper, and zinc mixed with it. The extent and location of the cavity, expense of filling material, insurance coverage of the patient, and the recommendation of the dentist will determine the kind of filling material that will best suit your needs

Gold Fillings
Pros

  • Extremely durable – will usually last for the life of the patient. Will not corrode.
  • Strength – Can withstand almost any chewing forces
  • Aesthetics – Some people prefer the look of gold to sliver amalgam

Cons

  • Expense – more costly than other types of material. Can be 10 X more costly than amalgam
  • Multiple Office Visits – requires a minimum of two visits
  • Aesthetics – some patients don’t like its appearance

Silver Amalgam Fillings
Pros

  • Durability – Normally lasts longer than composites. Normally lasts ten to fifteen years or more.
  • Strength – able to withstand all chewing forces
  • Expense – costs less than gold or composite fillings

Cons

  • Generally poor aesthetics – natural colour of teeth is not matched
  • Requires more space – A portion of the tooth that is healthy must be removed, at times, to provide a large enough area for the amalgam filling.
  • Discolouration – a hue that is greyish may be imparted to the adjacent tooth structure
  • Fractures and Cracks – All teeth expand and contract with temperature changes, which can cause cracking. However, amalgam materials may expand and contract to a greater extent than other materials, leading to an increased incidence of fractures and cracks.
  • Allergies – approximately 1% of patients have allergies to the mercury that is in silver amalgam

Composite Fillings – Tooth Coloured
Pros

  • Aesthetics – composites can be closely matched to the colour of the patient’s teeth. They are particularly useful for teeth that are visible
  • Bonding – composite fillings will bond chemically with a tooth and provide structural support to the tooth
  • Versatile – can also be utilised in the repair of broken, worn, or chipped teeth
  • Space requirement – at times less tooth material is needed to be removed in comparison to silver amalgam fillings when preparing a space for this filling.

Cons

  • Reduced durability – Composite fillings do not last as long as amalgams or gold. In addition, they often don’t hold up as well under the pressure of use, particularly if they are used to fill large cavities.
  • Takes Longer – due to the process needed to fill a tooth with composite materials, it takes longer in the dentists chair to place them.
  • More than one visit – if composites are being used for onlays or inlays, it may require more than one office visit
  • Chipping – composite materials are more likely to chip than amalgams
  • Cost – composite filling may cost twice as much as amalgam fillings

Additional Filling Materials
In addition to composite resins that are tooth coloured, there are two other types of tooth-coloured fillings. Glass ionomer and ceramics.

Glass Ionomer
This material is constructed of a specific type of glass and acrylic. It is commonly utilised on fillings that are beneath the gum line and for young children. This material releases fluoride, which may protect a tooth from additional decay. Nevertheless, glass ionomer is not as strong as composite resin and more prone to fracture and wear. It normally lasts for five years or less and the expense is similar to composites.

Ceramics
Usually constructed of porcelain. Ceramics are stain resistant, compared to composites, but are more abrasive. Ceramics are very durable, and usually last for 15 years or more, but, they are costly, and the expense can be similar to gold.

Porcelain Crown & Veneers

Rejuvenate Your Smile with Porcelain Crown and Veneers from Monash Dental Group
Remember; beautiful and aesthetically appealing cosmetic dentistry is not a matter of chance; it demands an experienced clinician who is sensitive to your unique needs and an expert dental ceramist who leverages the art and science of dentistry to deliver optimal results. At Monash Dental Group, we boast an expert team of experienced cosmetic dentists, who have extensive experience in fitting patients with porcelain veneers and crowns. Our first-class porcelain veneers and crowns are highly effective for your unique functional and cosmetic needs.

At Monash Dental Group, our products are expertly crafted to compliment your age, gender, expectations, and facial features. We leverage the expertise of the best dental ceramists to guarantee that the veneers and crowns are of premium quality, resilient, and possess excellent craftsmanship. We work diligently to provide you with a top-quality product that beautifully compliments your face, while simultaneously restoring the function and aesthetics of your natural teeth.

Porcelain Veneers
Typically, porcelain veneers are a form of thin laminates of chinaware that are securely bonded to the surface of the tooth. For diverse dental problems, it is one of the most aesthetically appealing means of enhancing your smile. Veneers are one of the most popular treatments for restoration of chips, spaces, fractures, unshapely and discoloured teeth, or misaligned and rotated teeth. They deliver an unmatched cosmetic makeover that allows alteration of shape, position, size, and the colour of your teeth. Monash Dental Group boasts experienced cosmetic dentists who deliver exceptional results with porcelain veneers. We feature:

  • Dramatic yet aesthetically beautiful and natural cosmetic dental enhancement
  • Durable, high quality, and permanent
  • Enhanced self esteem

The procedure typically requires two appointments. At first, the tooth is prepared for minimal reduction to make enough space for the porcelain veneer. A mould of the tooth is taken for fabrication, which takes approximately 2 weeks. In the next visit, the permanent veneer is bonded in place.

Crowns
Crowns are a rigid and strong cap that restores the tooth to its natural function and anatomic contours, as well as protects the underlying tooth. In certain conditions, where veneers are not possible, crowns are a suitable option. Some of the scenarios in which crowns may be used include tooth fractures, large restorations, functionally compromised teeth, history of root canal therapy, and acute damage due to decay. There are a wide range of choices available in crowns and bridges.

Dental crown procedures take just two appointments, depending on the condition of your teeth and gums. First, the tooth is prepared for reduction and an impression is taken for fabrication. A temporary, plastic crown in fitted while the mould is being fabricated. In the next visit, the temporary crown is removed and the final crown is secured permanently into position. The fabrication procedure may take time depending on the type of crown.

Monash Dental Group is an expert in crowns and veneers, delivering matchless quality and desired results. The key benefits are:

  • Extensive protection and support to the compromised or damaged teeth
  • Natural and aesthetically enhanced appearance
  • Restoration of full functions and a confident smile

Contact the professionals at Monash Dental Group for more details on porcelain veneers and crowns. We guarantee excellent quality and fantastic results in a cost-effective manner.