Dylan's first visit to the Dentist

Thanks claire.

The concern about flouride is what we don't know and that is that it is actually a chemical waste product and high levels of it can lead to cancers etc.

Oh I am so glad it went well and that all is okay with the tooth & gums.

Re the flouride, there is already flouride in our water, some areas have more than others, so I guess that is why it is recommended to speak to the pead first.

My mother unknowingly gave my brother & I flouride tablets as toddlers and we stayed in an area where the water had a high flouride content and we both have horribly stained, yellow teeth as a result.

We took Dylan to have his broken tooth checked out this morning.

I must say that I was quite positive about it as Dylan is usually very comfortable in a new environment. We arrived and were happy with the fabulous toys in the reception. Our paed should pay a visit to this dental practice sometime.

Dylan did throw a tantrum of sorts, but only because I interrupted his play session in the cool plastic wendy house.

The Dentist was warm and friendly and Dylan calmed down straight away.

He firstly asked if there was an issue. I told him about the broken tooth so he told me to sit down with Dylan in my lap. He explained that unless there is something serious he never does anything on the first visit especially with a young child so he just asked me to lift his lip and he said that it could be left alone rather.

His advice for a broken tooth was:

Give ice cream to check for sensitivity.
If no sensitivity leave it.
Make sure the tooth isn't loose
Over the next few months look out for a bubble above the tooth or for discolouration.


Other Dental advise for Toddlers:

Loose the dummy asap

Only water to drink if possible. NO COKE OR SOFT DRINKS OR JUICE.

Sweets and chocolate are fine, but apply the 5 o clock rule. Nothing after 5.

Flouride drops are controversial. Dentists understand the importance of flouride for teeth, but there is concern about the safety when it comes to using it so we must ask our paed for his advice. The dentist did say that if the dose is say 3 drops give only 1.

Most importantly take your young kids to the dentist from a young age when there is no issue to get them used to the environment.