Dental Care For Children Weybridge Walton on Thames

Orthodontic treatment refers to the field of dentistry concerned with straightening teeth and improving their aesthetic, function and position. Orthodontic treatment is carried out with braces and can make a significant difference in improving how easy teeth are to clean and floss, which will ultimately prolong the health and beauty of your child’s smile in later life.

There are a number of explanations as to why your child’s teeth may be poorly positioned or aligned, including:

• A poor bite: this is when teeth do not meet together properly when the jaws are closed and can occur through suboptimal development of the upper and lower jaw.
• Loss of a tooth: a heavy knock to a tooth can lead to tooth loss, causing neighbouring teeth to drift into the available gap.
• A tooth is blocked from erupting: a small or narrow jaw can impede a tooth’s ability to erupt correctly, or even become blocked by an existing tooth, known as impaction.
• Breathing through the mouth: this can force the tongue to project forward when your child swallows. When this persists, the front teeth can shift out of position.
• Thumb-sucking and dummy use: consistent thumb sucking and dummy use is a common cause of protruding teeth. In severe cases, the front teeth become so affected that they cannot close together and jaw growth is impeded.

Gone are the days when braces were notorious for being unsightly and causing lisps. The braces of today are more subtle, comfortable and less invasive than ever before.

In many cases, we are able to utilise tooth-coloured brackets and wires for a discreet appearance, bond the brackets to the inside surface of the teeth totally out of view, or in less severe cases, use a removable and transparent aligner such as Invisalign_TM.

Fissure sealants are an excellent way of preventing tooth decay in younger patients.

All teeth have small grooves (known as fissures), particularly the premolars and molars. As these fissures are like indents on each tooth, it’s very easy for plaque to form on the surfaces of each tooth, in as little as several hours. Inadequate brushing and sugar consumption makes this far more likely, and this is where fissure sealants come in.

Fissure sealants are made of safe resin or plastic material and cover the grooves of your child’s molars and premolars (those most used for chewing) stopping bacteria and food particles from lingering and going on to cause decay.

When you join your child for their routine appointment with us at Oatlands Dental Lounge, we will always answer questions you have about supporting your child’s oral and dental health efforts at home. We believe that offering tailored guidance to parents at every stage of their child’s tooth development is one of the vital cornerstones of good, long-term maintenance.

As well as providing advice on how you can help your child get the best out of using dental aids like brushes and floss, we’re always keen to teach parents about the role diet plays in the development of a child’s dental health. It may be that you’re unsure how to replace high sugar foods with choices your child will enjoy and need some inspiration, or you’re struggling to enthuse them to routinely drink water after and during meals to wash away food particles. Whatever challenges you’re facing, rest assured we’re here to help and never to judge.

Introducing your child to the hygienist at a younger age gives them an introduction to the importance of preventive care as they start to approach adulthood. We may also recommend routine hygienist appointments if your child is undergoing orthodontic treatment, as these can be key in making sure their teeth remain free from the risk of gingivitis and tooth decay during treatment.