My own children have been coming in to see me since they were about 12 months old. A child’s mouth is exceptionally dynamic with many changes occurring throughout the initial years of a young person’s life.

Diet and habits such as thumb sucking can affect a child’s mouth for years to come, so it is important to monitor these habits.

I have surrounded myself with a great team who has a special interest in taking care of our young people. I have 2 dental hygienists who have been professionally trained at Sydney and Alberta (Canada) University to care for the oral health of children and adults.

If a child regularly visits a dental practice, not only does this put the child into a preventative dental mindset, should work be required in the future, the child has a relationship with the dental team making it a positive experience for them.

My philosophy with children is simple; the earlier the better.

People ask me if they should take their child straight to a pediatrician, my answer to this is not initially. A good quality general dentist is all your child needs; a pediatrician is a specialist. We will refer to a pediatrician if there is something that needs to be addressed by them.  My answer here is if you are feeling sick do you go to your GP medical practitioner or do you go to a specialist immunologist?

I encourage parents to give their babies tooth brushes to chew on, the earlier you start the better.  Obviously care and supervision are essential, but it is all about getting the child used to what it is and what it feels like.  You can every now and then gently brush the gums.

Here at the MLC Centre Dental Surgery, Sydney CBD, we try and only charge the fund rebate or fund only for all of a children patients under the age of 14.