Children’s Dentistry in Sherwood

With proper care from an early age, your child can achieve optimal oral health for life!

Children should have their first visit to the dentist at approximately two years of age. Seeing children from a young age helps to prevent anxiety or a phobia towards the dentist. Detection of weak enamel at an early age is vital to maintain the integrity of the teeth.

Paediatric fillings are tooth-coloured; however, larger cavities may require root canal therapy and the placement of a stainless-steel crown.

Parents play an important role in maintaining good oral health by:

Providing a healthy, nutritious, low-sugar diet.
Ensuring they brush with fluoride toothpaste twice a day
Regular flossing
Regular dental check-ups
Prevention is better than cure, but decay can happen.

Child Dental Benefit Schedule

Patient Eligibility

From January 2014, Medicare has implemented a new dental schedule to replace the old Teen Dental Vouchers. Eligible families, teenagers and approved care organizations will receive a letter to confirm eligibility for this scheme.

If a parent or carer is unsure whether their child is eligible, please contact our dental practice at (07) 3278 6111, and we can make the appropriate enquiries for you. A child's eligibility is assessed at the beginning of each year and lasts the whole calendar year.
A Child is Eligible if:
They are aged 2 – 17 years for at least one day of the calendar year and are entitled to Medicare.

And the family receives Family Tax Benefit Part A or one of the following:
- Youth Allowance
- ABSTUDY
- Disability Support
- Parenting Payment
- Special Benefit
- Carer Payment
- Double Orphan Pension
- Veteran’s Children Education Scheme, if the child is 16 or over
- Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act Education and Training Scheme, if the child is 16 or over
Services That Receive Benefits Include:
- Examinations
- X-rays
- Cleaning
- Fluoride treatments
- Fissure sealants
- Fillings
- Root canal treatments
- Extractions
- Partial dentures
Claiming restrictions apply.

Root Canal Therapy & Stainless-Steel Crowns

Root Canal Therapy

The pulp of a tooth cannot be seen with the naked eye. It is found at the centre of each tooth and is comprised of nerves and blood vessels that provide nutrients and oxygen to the tooth. There are several ways in which the pulp can be damaged. Tooth decay or traumatic injury commonly leads to painful pulp exposure and inflammation or infection.

Children's pulp therapy is also called root canal therapy, pulpotomy, pulpectomy and nerve treatment. The goal of pulp therapy is to treat infection and save the affected tooth. Children's dentists perform pulp therapy on deciduous (baby) and permanent teeth. If possible, it is ideal to retain baby teeth until they are naturally lost. These teeth are needed for speech, chewing and helping to reduce the need for future costly orthodontic intervention.

Signs of pulp injury and infection are:

Severe pain
Night-time pain
The tooth may be sensitive to hot and cold
Swelling or redness around the affected tooth
Looseness of the affected tooth

The children's dentist will assess the state of the tooth and the age of the child prior to recommending root canal therapy.

Stainless Steel Crowns

Stainless steel crowns are metal caps used by dentists to repair a decayed baby molar (back tooth) and to prevent it from decaying further. They are made to fit the shape and size of a child's molar and are used to cap teeth with big cavities. Stainless steel crowns are children's dental specialist's preferred method of restoring large cavities as they last far longer than regular fillings.