We love seeing kids at Avalon Beach Family Dental!

The younger the better, so we can get a thorough picture of oral hygiene routines and dietary habits.

This allows us to tweak any bad habits earlier rather than later and put some protection in place to minimize the chance of decay.

Did you know that nearly 60% of Australian children over 8 years of age have had a filling or become aware they have tooth decay??

This will not happen at Avalon Beach Family Dental!!

So, when your child comes in for a check-up, the emphasis is on FUN and being involved. No-one likes being lectured to, but if your child can see plaque on their teeth or the presence of decay with their own eyes, they are much more likely to be motivated.

What is involved on a kids exam?

- If it is your child’s first exam, we will take the time to make them feel comfortable, showing them all the fun things we have to play with eg the ‘water pistol’ and the ‘vacuum cleaner’.

- We will take them for a ride in the dental chair before laying them down.

- We will ask you as the parent questions about brushing and diet, but we like to hear these answers straight from the horse’s mouth before getting the lowdown from you!!

- We utilize a TRI-TONE DISCLOSING GEL on the teeth which not only shows the old plaque and newly formed plaque, but also the amount of plaque that is efficient in metabolizing sugar. This is the plaque that causes decay and stains light blue. How much LIGHT BLUE plaque will show up on your teeth?? Let’s find out…!

- We use an advanced diagnostic aid to detect decay at very early stage, which apart from being a great advantage is also GREAT FUN for the patient as well as it is all there in front of you on the screen to see.

…We can use the INTRA-ORAL CAMERA HEAD, to show you aspects of your childs teeth that may not have been able to see before at a greater magnification. …We can use a LIGHT FLUORESCENCE camera to show the presence of decay in the grooves of the teeth at a very early stage. A Violet LED light stimulates metabolic products found in bacteria present in occlusal decay which causes them to glow red on the screen, whereas healthy enamel gives off a green light. This is a great way of showing you the importance of placing fissure sealants where they are needed. How much red is glowing in your grooves?? Let’s find out…!

…Finally, we can use an INTERPROXIMAL camera to diagnose decay between the teeth without the need for exposure to radiation. With this head, infrared technology makes healthy enamel appear translucent, whereas decayed enamel will appear opaque. How much opaque tooth structure have you got between your teeth? Let’s find out…!

- Of course, if there is a question of the extent of decay present, or we are concerned about missing teeth or where a tooth ache is coming from, we can still take XRAYS. Here at Avalon Beach Family Dental, we utilize the latest technology in DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHY, which is a lot quicker than traditional xrays and require substantially less radiation (up to 80-90% reduction!) which is a great advantage.

- The teeth are given a good clean and we talk about brushing techniques and frequency as well as the importance of flossing in a way that relates to your child’s individual needs..

- We formulate a treatment plan based on our findings and take the time to explain everything. We encourage questions and feedback. After all, it is your child’s teeth we are talking about.

- If you require any more information about anything we have talked about, we are happy to provide information sheets.

Also...

If your child is 7 years or younger we will accept the health fund rebates for the check- up and clean, so no out of pocket fees for you.

If your child qualifies for the Child Dental Benefit Schedule provided by Medicare, we are happy to provide bulk billed treatment under this scheme at this time as well. If you are unsure if your child qualifies for this scheme, speak to our friendly staff and we can easily check for you- just have your medicare card handy.