CHILDREN’S DENTISTRY

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One of our many goals is to encourage families, especially children to embrace a regular oral hygiene routine to ensure they maintain optimal dental health throughout life.

Introducing your child to our practice from an early age will help build a trusting relationship and dispel associated anxiety problems some people experience with dental health visits and procedures. These regular visits will make your child feel comfortable while attending our centre.

Preventive dentistry can create the foundation for a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums for the whole family. With a reasonable level of care, children today should expect to keep their natural teeth for life and avoid complex and costly procedures in the future.

Family support is vital, and it is recommended your child’s first appointment is made when they receive their first couple of teeth, around age one. This visit usually involves a brief check by one of our dentists to establish the health of their gums, check their teeth are coming through straight and advise on the best cleaning techniques. You may like to schedule your child’s appointments in conjunction with your own, as seeing you have your teeth examined often makes them more relaxed.

With regular visits, our team at Yanchep Central Dental can detect various dental problems in their very early stages and implement the necessary treatment to prevent them from developing.

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Tooth Sealants

Tooth sealants or fissure sealants are often applied to the biting surface of back teeth where cavities are most common. They are a protective barrier that fills the grooves of back teeth, making them easier to clean.

Fissure Sealants is a tooth-coloured resin material used to fill in the grooves and crakcs of the biting surfaces of children’s teeth to prevent tooth decay starting in these hard to reach places.

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Orthodontic Screening

Early detection of problems with emerging teeth or jaw misalignment can also mean any orthodontic treatment required can be completed in a shorter timeframe. This allows for a wider choice of treatment options to be considered, such as finer removable braces or clear aligners.

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Diet and Decay

The most important aspect to remember is that children who constantly snack or graze on foods or drinks high in sugar will at significantly higher risk of tooth decay. Rather than the actual amount of sugar it is the frequency at which it is consumed that needs to be monitored. This is because bacteria (plaque) in the mouth produce acid when sugar is consumed and the mouth needs plenty of time in between sugary snacks to allow plaque acids to neutralise. Water consumed alongside sugary or starchy snacks may reduce acid levels in the mouth more quickly and slow down the tendency towards decay.

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Child Dental Benefits Schedule

Children are now given better chances of keeping their youthful smiles. Professional dental healthcare just become more accessible with the new Child Dental Benefits Schedule. Formally replacing the Medical Teen Dental Scheme last January of 2014, Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) is designed to provide approximately 3.4 million children with financial support for basic dental healthcare.

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Eligibility

Children Benefits Dental Schedule provides eligible children with $1013 benefit entitlement cap that covers for professional dental healthcare. Eligibility is assessed and determined at the beginning of every calendar year by the Department of Human Services. Basically, a child is considered for CDBS eligibility if

The child is between the ages of 2 and 17 years
The child belongs to a family that receives Family Tax Benefits
Note that a child is considered and continues to be eligible even if he or she is just turning 2 or are already turning 18 within the given calendar period.

Part A or any of the following:

Youth Allowance
ABSTUDY
Disability Support Pension
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
$1013 Benefits Cap

While Child Dental Benefits Schedule does not necessarily cover orthodontic and cosmetic dentistry procedures, it does cover essential dental healthcare which includes:

Regular Dental Checkups
Dental X-Rays
Professional Dental Cleaning
Fissure Sealants
Tooth Fillings
Root Canal Treatments
Partial Dentures

It is important to remember that while the $1013  CDBS cap is designed to financially support the professional dental needs of the eligible patient, it is non-transferable and cannot be used by other family members.