Avoid Hospital Dental Appointments For Your Children

Good oral healthcare advice for younger patients.

A recent report has stated that on average, children are having to wait for over 250 days for a hospital appointment to have their rotten teeth extracted.

There are two points to this problem. Firstly, no parent should want to see their child in pain for anywhere near that length of time, and, secondly, in most cases, having to have teeth extracted in hospital, could often have been avoided with better oral care.

It really is not that difficult to avoid most tooth decay and whilst some areas of the teeth may be a little trickier to clean than others, a bit of persistence and practice, should help.

Teeth cleaning

A good teeth cleaning regimen is the basis for healthy children’s teeth. Don’t be surprised if your child is not a fan of doing this though, that is far from unusual. For younger children especially, you should supervise them to make sure that they clean their teeth correctly. Also, remember that once they have cleaned their teeth at night, you should not give them any further food or drink, apart from water. Doing so will mean that sugars and acids remain on their teeth all night whilst they sleep, increasing the likelihood of dental problems in the future.

Benefits of a dental hygienist

Some of our Foxhall Dental Practice patients probably think that the hygienist is for adults only. Nothing could be further from the truth though, and children especially can benefit from their guidance. In addition to any cleaning that may need to be done (remember, children can get gum disease too), they are able to offer child friendly advice to encourage them to realise the importance of looking after their teeth well. Good dental habits at this age are also likely to last well into their adult life and prevent a number of problems that can occur as they grow older.

NHS dentistry

Children in the UK are entitled to NHS dental care. This should be more than sufficient to ensure that their teeth remain healthy and in good condition. Our Ipswich NHS dentists will take good care of your child, and if you have not brought your child to our dental practice for a check up before, or for a long time, booking an appointment is a good place to start in helping them avoid the need to have teeth extracted in hospital.

If you have a child, from around one year old, and you would like to make an appointment to see one of the dentists at the Foxhall Dental Practice, please call our Ipswich surgery today on 01473 258396. We re here to help you and your family on the road of great oral health!