Start oral hygiene practices early in life – you should be gently cleaning your baby’s teeth (and gums) from the time they first sprout up. Initially you can use a damp flannel when there are only a few teeth and your baby is only drinking milk. Once more teeth start to come in next to each other and your baby is eating solids you will need to start using a brush

Brush their teeth every day – please do this for them until they are around 10 years old. Little children do not have the fine motor skills required to sufficiently brush their front and back teeth until they are a little bit older

Limit sticky sugary foods – things like sultanas and dried fruits can get stuck in the grooves of little teeth and can be hard to brush out. These food scraps are a source of nutrients for the bacteria which cause tooth decay.

Start flossing by the time baby molars come in – using floss on a stick you can gently clean between the back teeth of your toddler. Once your child is used to this you can progress to flossing all the teeth over time.

Seal up deep fissures – the grooves on the top of our teeth are called fissures, and these are the most common areas for tooth decay to occur. When you seal the fissures, you prevent decay and protect your child’s teeth. Fissure seals can be done on baby and adult molars.

Take your child for regular dental checkups from an early age – the dentist will not do a lot when your kid is little, but they will become used to having their teeth checked and be less likely to fear the dentist as they get older. Also, if there are any issues, the dentist will catch them early!

It can be truly awful to suffer with a dry mouth, you are uncomfortable during the day, and have disrupted sleep at night. There are a few simple reasons why dry mouth can occur – but it’s always good to check with your dentist or GP if you suffer from a dry mouth just to ensure nothing more serious is missed.

1. Hydration – it is important to keep up adequate levels of water intake, especially in a hot climate like ours. A dry mouth can be the result of dehydration.
2. Medication – the side effects of some medications can cause a dry mouth. Often if you need to take multiple medications together this can be much worse.
3. Glandular dysfunction – there are some conditions such as Sjorgens syndrome, which effect our glandular tissue, and cause our saliva production to drop
4. Injury or trauma – if there is injury or trauma to our glandular or neurological tissue, such as radiotherapy for cancer, then our saliva production can be impaired

The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) is a government funded program from Medicare that allows eligible children from ages 0 – 17 a subsidy of up to $1026 over two consecutive calendar years, to spend on dental treatment for that child.

Each January, Medicare checks if your child is eligible for dental benefits. They continue to check throughout the year. If your child is eligible, they should send you a letter. If you are unsure, you can also check your Medicare online account through myGov, or call Medicare to check your child’s eligibility.
Most general treatments are covered, but there are restrictions for some dental services. We will let you know if there are any restrictions before starting your service.
Please bring your medicare card along with you to the appointment, as well as the letter you received from Medicare regarding the subsidy (if you have it). When you come in, we will ask you to sign a consent form for claiming the subsidy on your behalf.
We will discuss all treatment required and fees involved, and if you are happy to proceed we will bulk bill you for services up to $1026 as covered by your CDBS voucher.