Term holidays are the one stretch of the year when a dental appointment does not mean pulling a child out of class or squeezing into a late afternoon slot when everyone is tired. It is worth using.
If it is a first visit, or the first in a while, here is what to expect and how to make it go smoothly.
When should children first see a dentist?
Australian guidance is to have a first check by around the child’s first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth appearing. That first visit is deliberately low key. It is mostly a look in the mouth, a conversation with the parent about feeding, brushing and dummy or thumb habits, and a chance for the child to see the surgery as an unremarkable place.
Children who meet the practice before anything needs doing tend to handle later appointments far better. The purpose of an early visit is as much familiarity as examination.
What happens at a children’s appointment
- A ride in the chair. Younger children often sit on a parent’s lap for the first visit. Older children go in the chair on their own, usually happily.
- Counting teeth. The dentist checks which teeth have erupted, how they are meeting, and whether the eruption sequence is on track.
- Checking for decay. Particularly between the back teeth and along the gum line, the two places brushing most often misses.
- A clean and fluoride application. Quick, and usually more novelty than ordeal.
- Brushing coaching. Aimed at the child, not just the parent. Children brush better when they have been shown by someone other than a parent.
- X-rays where indicated. Not routine for every child, and only where there is a specific question the dentist cannot answer by looking.
Fissure seals
Adult molars arrive around ages six and twelve with deep grooves on the biting surface that a toothbrush bristle cannot reach into. A fissure seal is a thin coating flowed into those grooves to keep food and bacteria out. It requires no drilling and no anaesthetic, and it is one of the more effective preventive measures available for children. Fissure seals at our practice range from $50 to $100 per tooth.
Preparing a nervous child
How the appointment is framed at home matters more than anything that happens in the surgery.
- Keep the language neutral. Avoid words the child has not raised themselves, including reassurances built around them. Telling a child it will not hurt introduces the idea that it might.
- Book a morning slot. Late afternoon appointments meet a tired child.
- Let the clinician lead the explanation. Children accept a description of what is about to happen better from the person about to do it.
- Do not promise there will be no treatment. If something does need doing, the promise is what gets remembered.
- Bring headphones or a favourite toy if that helps. Nobody minds.
For children who are genuinely distressed, or where a fair amount of treatment is needed, options exist beyond simply persevering. Our practice offers sleep dentistry where it is clinically appropriate, and that is a conversation to have with the dentist rather than a decision made in advance.
The Child Dental Benefits Schedule
The Child Dental Benefits Schedule is a Medicare scheme that covers basic dental services for eligible children aged between two and seventeen, where the family receives an eligible government payment such as Family Tax Benefit Part A. It covers examinations, x-rays, cleans, fissure seals, fillings, extractions and root canals, but not orthodontic or cosmetic work.
The benefit is capped per child over two consecutive calendar years, and the cap is indexed, so check the current amount and your eligibility through your Medicare online account or the Services Australia website. Unused balance does not carry forward indefinitely, which makes it worth checking before the end of a benefit period. We can confirm a child’s remaining balance when you book.
Habits that matter more than anything done in the chair
- Brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, using a smear for children under three and a pea-sized amount after that.
- Supervise brushing until around age eight. Manual dexterity, not willingness, is the limiting factor before then.
- Keep sugary drinks to mealtimes. Frequency of exposure does more damage than quantity. A juice box sipped across an afternoon is worse than the same juice drunk at lunch.
- Never send a bottle of milk or juice to bed. Saliva flow drops during sleep, and sugar sits against the teeth for hours.
- Start flossing where teeth touch. Usually the back molars first.
Booking and costs
For children not covered by the Medicare scheme, our new patient consultation and clean package starts from $219. We are a Bupa, NIB First Choice and Medibank provider with HICAPS available on the day. Current fees are on our price list, and there is more on dental care for children at our Canberra practice.
Holiday slots fill early, so it is worth booking at the start of the break rather than the end.
Common questions
Do baby teeth really need treating if they are going to fall out?
Yes. Untreated decay in baby teeth causes pain and infection, can affect the adult tooth developing beneath, and early loss of a baby tooth can allow neighbouring teeth to drift into the space the adult tooth needs.
At what age should we think about braces?
An assessment around ages seven to nine is useful because it identifies problems where early intervention genuinely helps. Most treatment still starts later, once more adult teeth are through.
My child grinds their teeth at night. Should I worry?
Grinding is common in children and often resolves on its own. Mention it at the appointment so wear can be monitored.
How often should children have a check-up?
Six-monthly is the usual starting point, adjusted according to the child’s decay risk.
Booking an appointment in Canberra City
Civic Gentle Dental Care is at Suite 8, Level 3/161 London Circuit, Canberra City, a short walk from the Canberra Centre. To arrange an appointment, call (02) 6247 0224 or send us a message through our contact page.
This article is general information only and is not a substitute for individual dental advice. Whether a treatment is suitable for you, and what it will involve, can only be determined after an examination by a dentist. Any prices mentioned are estimates drawn from our current price guide and are not a quote.