CHILDREN’S Dentistry

Providing gentle dental care for precious and little smiles

Small Smiles Matter

Your child's teeth are just as vulnerable to decay and gum disease as yours. Our aim for your child's dental care is to establish the foundations, instructions, and habits for a lifetime of decay-free and healthy oral health.

Every parent hopes for a stress-free and tantrum-free first dental visit for their child. At The Northside Dentist, we encourage parents to bring their young children for check-up appointments starting at age 2. Not only will your child become accustomed to the sights and sounds of the practice, but they will also see you having a pleasant, easy experience, reinforcing the idea that there’s nothing to fear. Whether or not we actually manage to get your child into the chair for an examination, the experience will be positive, allowing us to build on it in subsequent visits. By ensuring gentle dental care, your child will come to view dental appointments as a regular part of life.

We provide all forms of child-friendly paediatric dentistry, including fillings, extractions, teeth cleaning, fluoride treatment, dietary guidance, and tooth brushing instruction. By limiting the frequency of sugar intake, maintaining good oral hygiene, and scheduling regular dentist visits, we can set your child on the right path to a lifetime of positive dental experiences.

Some Quick General Tips:

Establish a Routine: Make sure your child understands the importance of oral hygiene. Try to make it fun—play two minutes of their favourite song while brushing or create a tooth brushing chart where your child can earn stickers for brushing their teeth.

Supervision Until Age 6-7: Up until about age 6 or 7, your child may not have the dexterity to brush their own teeth properly. We recommend that a parent brushes their child’s teeth at least once out of the two times a day until this point.

Toothpaste Guidelines: Use fluoride-free toothpaste until age three. Then, switch to age-appropriate fluoride toothpaste and encourage spitting.

Adult Toothpaste: From age 6, a small pea-sized amount of adult fluoride toothpaste is recommended. Encourage your child to spit out the toothpaste without rinsing with water or mouthwash. This allows the fluoride to sit on the teeth and work its magic by remineralising them.

Manage Sugar Intake: Everyone has a little sugar now and then, but the frequency of sugar consumption is more important than the amount. Instead of grazing on sugary snacks, it’s better to consume all sugar at once or right after a meal. This gives your teeth the chance to recover after exposure to sugar. Additionally, try to avoid added sugars as much as possible.

Be Aware of Hidden Sugars: Check out the FoodSwitch app, which allows you to scan barcodes on food packaging to see the sugar content and find healthier alternatives. This is especially important for items like granola, tomato sauce, spreads, yoghurt, muesli bars, and fruit/sports drinks.

Regular Check-ups: Ensure your child has a check-up every six months.

As a provider of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, there’s no need to delay! Call our Thornbury dentist for more information.

Child Dental Benefit Schedule

What is it?

A medicare government scheme aimed at trying to help at risk Australian kids. It allows a $1000 grant every two years for an eligible child aged between 2 - 17 years old. It covers check ups, cleans, fluoride, fissure sealants, fillings and extractions.

Who is eligible?

You can get the benefits for your child if:

  • you're their parent or guardian, or

  • you're an approved care organisation, and

  • gets one of the following eligible payments for at least 1 day of the calendar year:

    • Family Tax Benefit Part A

    • Carer Payment

    • Disability Support Pension

    • Parenting Payment

    • Special Benefit

    • Youth Allowance

    • Financial assistance under the Veterans’ Children Education Scheme (VCES) if the child is 16 years or older, or

    • Financial assistance under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act Education and Training Scheme if the child is 16 or older

In some circumstances, teenagers who have a partner that get a payment from us may also be eligible to get the benefits.

It is important to note that your eligibility can change at the start or during the year and needs to be checked before every visit! Make sure you inform our friendly staff that you're using the CDBS scheme for your child prior to the apppointment.

Please get in contact with our Thornbury and Northcote dental clinic to find out if your child is eligible.