Children’s Dentistry

Our preventative dentistry for children goes beyond simple treatments to fix problems. At a young age, teaching a routine of dental hygiene, identifying and fixing potential future issues and teaching children to care about their dental health is extremely important.

We believe that building a rapport with our younger patients is a vital step in encouraging them on a journey of life long oral health. Our dentists are dedicated to developing their clinical skills in order to provide the most up to date and progressive dental care to children in a comfortable and friendly environment.

At Portobello Dental Clinic, we also offer dental treatment under inhalation sedation (nitrous oxide) to anxious children who visit our clinic. This gentle sedation gives your child a relaxed and calm feeling, letting us do the work, and letting them stay laid back while we do it.

Have questions about our Children’s Dentistry services? Take a look at our specific Children’s FAQ page for more answers to questions frequently asked of our dental team.

As soon as the first sets of teeth are coming through, it’s worth checking with a dentist. Although milk teeth will fall out eventually, it’s important to keep an eye on the way they come through, as it can be a telltale sign about how their adult teeth will look. We’ll also be able to help older children learn how to take care of their adult teeth.

Build a good habit! While we can explain how and why your child should take care of their teeth, children will always copy what their parents are doing. If you make dental hygiene fun, taking care when brushing and flossing, you’ll set an example that will help your child keep their teeth in perfect shape.

If you ask an adult to list what their biggest fear is, usually a “fear of the dentist” will feature highly within that list. Children quite often express a similar fear of the dentist, this is often without having had any experience of dentists or dental treatment. Maybe it’s because of what they hear from us adults, and also the fact that dentists are usually associated with having a drill and sharp instruments!

This fear, and how we manage it, is what prompted us to introduce a treatment called Inhalation Sedation to the practice.

Inhalation sedation is used in dental treatment to alleviate dental anxiety in children. It involves breathing in a special ‘happy air’ (nitrous oxide and oxygen) through a small nose piece. This quickly leads to a pleasant, relaxed floating feeling, much like day dreaming. It also works to make dental treatment more comfortable. Nitrous oxide works immediately once it has been inhaled. The effects of nitrous oxide last for only one to two minutes after the mask has been removed.

After the treatment.

Once treatment is over and “happy air” is stopped, most children feel back to normal within 5-10 minutes. Your child may feel a little tired however- so you should supervise any activities following the visit. If they are feeling tired, have your child rest at home and avoid letting them do any physical activity for the rest of the day.

The dentist may also have used a local anaesthetic during the treatment. Your child’s cheeks, lips and tongue may remain numb for up to 4 hours afterwards. It is important to continue to remind your child not to chew the cheeks, lips or tongue during this time.

Ongoing care.

Inhalation sedation is usually used for a short time to help your child get used to dental treatment. When your child has completed their course of dental treatment, they will resume to regular check-ups without the inhalation sedation.

Click here to see an example of use of Inhalation sedation – A Case Study

 

 

Dr Daithi McGrory provides inhalation sedation treatment for children at Portobello Dental Clinic. Contact our team today to discuss how to make an appointment for a nitrous oxide consultation with Dr McGrory.