Childrens Dentistry

Children's Dentistry & Myofunctional Orthodontics

Your child’s first visit to the dentist should never be a scary experience. Children are not born with a natural fear of the dentist, but they can fear the unknown.
Our office makes a special effort to use child friendly, non-frightening, simple words to describe each treatment. We want you and your child to feel at ease from the moment your family arrives at our office.
The earlier children get used to the dentist, the better. When they are little, it is a good idea to bring them along to your own appointments so they become relaxed and accustomed to the smells, noises and environment of a dental practice.

Prevent Tooth Decay With Regular Checkups - While Watching TV!

Children are at high risk for tooth decay for a simple reason — many children and adolescents do not practice regular, good oral hygiene habits. Proper brushing and flossing routines combined with regular dental visits help keep tooth decay away. Your child should visit the dentist every six months for regular dental cleanings and checkups. We recommend fluoride treatments twice a year along with cleanings to keep teeth their strongest.

It is important that your child’s newly erupted teeth (erupting at 6-12 months of age) receive proper dental care and benefit from proper oral hygiene habits right from the beginning.
Although placing a child on the dental chair sounds difficult, our real goal is not only to check their teeth but also to encourage them to be familiar with the dentist chair.

Many people with dental phobia were traumatised as a child, and it scars them for their whole life. At our practice, we work hard to make sure the children are happy and comfortable on the chair, and when there is no fear, they are more likely to have routine dental visits throughout their life. If your child needs dental treatments, our TV monitor can really distract them by playing a movie they like or simply ABC for kids if they’re used to watching it.

Medicare Child Dental Benefits Scheme
Under the scheme each eligible child aged 2-17 years are covered for $1,000 per child over a two calendar year period. Please contact us to see if your child is eligible.

Myofunctional Orthodontics for the Developing Child

Myofunctional Orthodontics is the treatment provided to a growing child to correct the following habits/problems seen when a patient is around 7-8 years old:

Misaligned Teeth (Crowding or Excessive spacing)
Tongue thrusting
Teeth-grinding
Cross bite/Deep bite/Overjet
Snoring/Sleep Apnoea

Frequently Asked Questions

I was told best to wait until a child is older before correcting these problems. Why have treatment early as opposed to later?

Myofunctional orthodontics is to making use of the patient’s growth to correct simple orthodontic problems so they do not become worse over time. A lot of these problem, if corrected early, may even eliminate the need for the child to have orthodontic treatment later in life, or at least reduce the complexity of orthodontic treatment (Eg, avoiding surgery)

What is the difference between myofunctional orthodontics and traditional orthodontics?

Prevention is always better than cure. Traditional Orthodontics correct malocclusions when the teeth are already crooked. Myofunctional Orthodontics treats the child earlier so we create the right environment/spaces for the erupting teeth to erupt in the best most natural position.