Preventative Dentistry for Children

Dental care and early stage detection of oral health problems.

At Arthur House dental care, we like to put our patients first and continually consider ways in which we can improve our services. Sometimes this is done through ongoing training and refresher courses for all of our staff. Sometimes it also involves investing in the latest technology such as CEREC so that we can keep up to date with the latest developments in the field of dentistry.

Whilst these are very important factors in the care of our patient’s oral health care, we have, over the years, come to the conclusion that the most powerful weapon in the fight against dental problems is in fact education. Whilst, with modern cosmetic dental procedures, we can repair and improve the appearance of our patient’s teeth, there is no substitute for preventing the problems from occurring in the first place.

From the Cradle

Habits, both good and bad, are often formed early on in life and dental habits are no exception. Because of this, we put a lot of emphasis at our Sutton Coldfield practice, on family dentistry, involving the whole range of ages of the family unit but especially, so far as education goes, on children. Our children’s dentistry team are dedicated to encouraging good dental habits from an early age, something that we hope they will continue throughout their lives.

Whilst parents inevitably have a role to play in encouraging their children in good habits such as restricting the amount of sugary food and drinks that they consume, very often we find that adults are giving their children advice, for example, on the best way to brush their teeth using methods that are very out of date and in some cases, can even cause potential damage. This isn’t of course, a negative judgement on the parents as they are probably only teaching their children what they were taught themselves.

We tend to find that, at a young age, children are willing to listen and learn and this, hopefully, will stand them in good stead for many years to come and keep their teeth in great shape.

Early Orthodontics

Of course, whilst we can help to prevent cavities and the necessity for fillings or extractions, there will inevitably often be the need for dental care, and in children this very often revolves around the use of orthodontics.

At a fairly early age, children’s teeth often become overcrowded and this causes them to move and become crooked and uneven. Where possible, we try to avoid removing teeth and instead use a special children’s orthodontic brace, often called ‘Interceptive Orthodontics’.  This method helps to create the space to allow the teeth to come through and prevents them becoming misaligned.

Regular Appointments

One of the most important things that a parent or guardian can do, apart from encouraging children to eat healthily and clean their teeth, is to ensure that their children visit our dental practice on a regular basis. By doing so, they can be sure that if there are any problems to be found, we will do so and be able to treat the problem quickly and effectively and without the need for invasive treatment. So if you are looking for a highly experienced and sensitive children’s dentist in Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, we invite you to give us a call to arrange a visit.