Children & Kids Dental Clinic

 

De Pacific Paediatric Dental Care

At De Pacific Dental, we care about your little one’s oral health. The first baby tooth usually appears when the child is around 6 months old, and the child will usually have the full set of baby teeth by the time he or she is 2.5years old. While the 4 front teeth usually fall off when the child is around 6-7 years old, the back teeth (i.e. molars) are not replaced until they turn 10-13 years old.

Baby teeth, or primary teeth, are important for:

1. proper chewing and eating,
2. providing space for the permanent teeth and guiding them into the correct position,
3. normal development of jaw bones and muscles,
4. development of speech, and
5. contributing to an attractive appearance, which can affect the child’s self-esteem.
6. That is why it is important for the child of have a set of healthy teeth throughout their growing years.

Dental Services We Offer for Children/Kids

You can rely on our team of well-trained and caring dentists to provide gentle and comprehensive dental care for your child. Our dentists are professional, engaging and fun, and aim to make each dental visit a pleasant experience for our little patients.

All our clinics are also equipped with ceiling or wall-mounted TV to keep your child entertained throughout their dental visit.

We are a Baby Bonus Approved Clinic – this means that the Child Development Account (CDA) can be used for your child’s dental visits at all our clinics.

 

We provide a full range of paediatric dental care services such as:

Prevention

• Counselling- dietary habits ,oral habits, dental hygiene
• Fluoride therapy- professional and home-care
• Fissure sealants
• Preventive resin restorations

Restorative

• Simple non-mercury dental fillings
• Root canal treatment in young adult teeth
• Pulp (nerve) therapy for primary teeth
• Single visit metal crowns to reinforce badly broken down primary teeth

Extraction

• Primary teeth due to pain, over retention, orthodontic intervention
• Permanent teeth due to pain, orthodontic intervention

Early Orthodontics Intervention

• Simple removable appliance
• Space maintainers

Dental Emergencies

• Dental trauma of fractured teeth
• Dental pain and swelling

Sports dentistry  

• Provision of sports mouth guards

Referral for Tongue Tie Release by Laser

• Congenital Tongue Tie can cause speech and feeding issues in babies and children
• Please contact us if you need a referral

 

FAQs

Q- When should I bring my child to visit a dentist?

The American Academy of Paediatric Dentistry and American Academy of Paediatrics recommend that children be seen by a dentist by their 1st birthday, or when their first tooth erupts. This allows the dentist to diagnose any possible developmental issues with the gums and teeth early, and identify any risk factors, to minimize the risk of dental problems in the future.

Unfortunately, some children’s first dental visit occurs when they are in pain or discomfort. This causes them to relate dental visits to something unpleasant. As a result, this may cause them to develop a fear of the dentist which may take many years for them to overcome.

It is recommended to bring your child for their first dental visit even when they have no perceived dental issues, so that they can be acclimatized to the dental environment in a comfortable and pleasant setting. Regular short, successive visits help to build your child’s trust in the dentist, and this can prove invaluable if your child requires more complex dental treatment in the future.

 

Q- How can I help prepare my child for their first dental visit?

We fully understand that a child’s first dental visit can be filled with anxiety. Regardless of your child’s age, we will try our best to provide a gentle, playful, friendly, and stress-free environment for their dental visit. Our dentists will guide you and your child through every stage of the treatment.

It is important for parents to remain patient, calm, and be reassuring as children usually pick up their parent’s vibes. If they can sense that you are anxious, they will likely feel anxious too. You can also help prepare your child for their first dental visit by reading books or showing videos related to dental visits to get them familiarized with the dental clinic setting. This will help ease their apprehension from being in a new environment.

Parents and caregivers should also avoid using threats such as “If you keep eating sweets I will ask the dentist to pull out all your teeth” which can instil unnecessary fear of dentists in the child. In the clinic, we also try to avoid using words such as “pain”, “injection”, but instead replace with words such as “discomfort”, “magic wand or sleepy juice”, to avoid creating unnecessary fear in the child.

 

Q- What should I expect for my child’s first dental visit?

1. If your child is compliant, the first visit often lasts between 30-45 minutes and may include the following:
2. Review of your child’s medical history
3. Gentle and thorough examination of your child’s mouth, gums, teeth, jaw and bite
4. Discussion on growth and development of your child’s teeth and jaw
5. Assessment of your child’s dental decay risk
6. Discussion on effects of oral habits (pacifier or thumb sucking)
7. Advice on bottle/ breastfeeding habits
8. Diet counselling
9. Oral hygiene practices
10. Recommendation on fluoride use
11. Trauma prevention

If needed, a gentle cleaning and polishing for removal of any plaque, tartar build-up and stains will be done.

Children, like adults, should see the dentist every six monthly. Some dentists may recommend very young children to see them every three monthly to build their comfort and confidence level.

Q- What causes tooth decay in children?

Nursing or baby bottle tooth decay is a major problem amongst young children. A child risks severe tooth decay when he or she nurses continuously from bottled/ formula/ breast milk or juice before naps or at night.

Other common causes of decay in young children are:

1. Frequent exposure to sweetened liquids (e.g. milk, formula milk, breast milk, juice) or food (candies, chocolate, biscuits) over a long period of time.
2. Frequent food intake throughout the day.
3. Lack of good, regular brushing habits
4. Keeping food in the mouth (food pouching) during meal times

Early dental visits allow the dentist to educate parents and caregivers on how to prevent early childhood caries, and to carry out treatment early if need be to avoid pain or losing teeth.

 

Q- How can I help my child maintain healthy teeth?

As children are prone to tooth decay, monitoring and guiding your child’s tooth brushing is strongly encouraged.

The following steps will help your child have a set of healthy teeth:

1. Start cleaning an infant’s mouth from birth using a clean, wet cloth. Switch to a soft, small toothbrush as soon as the first tooth appears. It is advisable for parents to brush for their child if they are below 6 years old.
2. After the child can spit effectively, choose toothpaste that contains at least 1000ppm fluoride as it is proven to prevent tooth decay.
3. Avoid letting your child sleep with a milk bottle or be breastfed throughout the night.
4. Avoid frequent snacking
5. Bring your child for regular dental check ups