Children's Dentistry

At Ratoath Dental Centre all our dentists enjoy treating children.

Check Ups for Primary School Children of current practice patients are now Free!

We try to make sure they have fun on their visits to the dentist.

Our practice philosophy is that prevention is better than cure and our routine care is focussed on dietary advice and oral hygiene instruction. We try to make friends with the child before we get involved with active treatments. For this reason we like to see children at about three years of age and introduce them to the dentist. This gets rid of any nervousness before it happens. Then, if treatment is needed at any stage it is not a problem for the child, or the dentist !

All children should be advised to brush their teeth and gums (not just the teeth) before school and again before they go to bed. Hygienist visits for the children can be arranged on request. Dietary advice and brushing instruction using plaque disclosing tablets can bring about important improvements in the children’s understanding of their oral health.

We recommend fissure sealants for children. These are a safe and painless way of protecting your children’s teeth from decay. A sealant is a protective plastic coating which is applied to the biting surfaces of the back teeth. The sealant forms a hard shield that keeps food and bacteria from getting into the grooves in the teeth and causing decay.

It is our philosophy that children’s teeth are important and should be restored if decayed. This preserves the tooth and the space it holds, ensuring the safe development of the adult tooth below. Children’s back teeth are not usually lost until about twelve years old. In general we use white fillings to restore baby teeth. In certain cases we may have to use stainless steel crowns or amalgam fillings to preserve a baby tooth for the longer term.

For children approaching the early teen years and beyond it is essential that they wear a custom made mouthguard or gum shield when playing football, rugby or any other contact sport. These greatly reduce the force of an impact to the teeth and help protect the adult teeth from permanent damage. Mouthguards should be comfortable to wear and should stay in place even after a tumble. We can make them in your team colours and include your name. ‘Do it yourself’ mouthguards are to be avoided as they are not usually close fitting enough to resist strong blows and tend to easily fall out.

The teenage years and the arrival of adult teeth may involve braces to correct crowding or close spaces between the teeth. Our resident orthodontist Georges can provide coloured or clear braces or even invisible matrices which are fitted over the teeth to bring about the changes required using the Invisalign System.