HELP YOUR CHILD GET FAMILIAR WITH THE DENTIST
Identify any problems early
We now see children from as soon as they are born – just as you would take them to your health visitor, you must try to get them to see the dentist. We now call it a ‘cradle to grave’ approach and it allows your child to have a very healthy start with their teeth. It also allows us to provide very useful diet and oral health advice and the best thing is that children up to the age of 18 are treated free on the NHS so there is no cost outlay to you.
As soon as the child is born, you must start to use the right type of toothbrush and teach the child about tooth brushing. Once you’ve established a good tooth-brushing routine at home, the next step is the first trip to the dentist.
These tips can make this a lot easier:
- Take your child to the dentist when they’re as young as possible and at least once by the time they’re two. This is so they become familiar with the environment and get to know the dentist. The dentist can help to prevent decay and identify any health problems at an early stage. Just opening up the child’s mouth for the dentist to take a look is useful practice for when they could benefit from future preventive care.
- When you visit the dentist, be positive about it and make the trip fun. This will stop your child worrying about future visits. NHS dental care for children is free.
- Take your child with you when you go for your own dental check-up appointments so they get used to it.
