Family and children's dentistry

We see children from their first tooth, and we see their parents and grandparents too. A family-owned practice in Malvern East, with dentists and oral health therapists who treat children regularly and take an unhurried, educational approach.

We were named Best Family Dental Clinic 2020, South-East Melbourne, by the Oral Health & Dentistry Awards — see awards and accreditation, which also explains why we think accreditation matters more.

How we work with children

A child who understands what is happening is a child who is not frightened by it. We involve children in their own appointment, explain things at their level, and let the visit go at the pace the child can manage. A first visit that is only a look and a chat is a success, not a failure.

We do not use words like hurt, needle or drill — and we would gently ask that you do not either, even reassuringly. Children read tone, and "it won't hurt" plants the idea that it might. See preparing for a first visit.

If your child has had a difficult experience elsewhere, tell us when you book so we can allow extra time.

What helps, and what does not

When to start

By around twelve months of age, or when the first tooth appears. Earlier than most parents expect, and mostly about familiarity — the child learns that this is an ordinary place where nothing bad happens. It also lets us check development early and talk through brushing, bottles, dummies and diet while habits are forming.

Roughly what happens when

Every child runs to their own timetable, and a few months either way is not a concern.

Brushing, by age

• Before teeth: wipe the gums with a clean damp cloth. It is about the habit as much as the cleaning.
• First tooth to 18 months: a small soft brush and water. No toothpaste needed yet.
• 18 months to 6 years: a pea-sized smear of low-fluoride children's toothpaste, twice a day. Encourage spitting out rather than rinsing.
• 6 years and over: standard fluoride toothpaste, a pea-sized amount, twice a day. Spit, do not rinse — rinsing washes away the fluoride that does the work.
• Supervise until around eight. Children do not have the manual control to clean thoroughly before then, however capable they seem. Letting them go first and then "checking the back ones" keeps the independence and the result.
• Start flossing once any two teeth touch, which is often around two or three years old at the back.

If toothpaste is repeatedly swallowed rather than spat out, mention it — there are ways around it.

Habits parents ask about

Dummies and thumbs. Both are normal and both are usually harmless in the early years. What matters is how long they continue: sucking that persists past about four can start to affect how the front teeth and the palate develop. Dummies are easier to stop than thumbs. Nagging rarely works; a plan does, and we are happy to make one with you.

Bottles at bedtime. Milk pooling around the teeth overnight is one of the most common causes of decay in very young children. Water only in a bottle taken to bed.

Snacking frequency. How often matters more than how much. Each time something sugary or starchy is eaten, the mouth becomes acidic for a period; six small snacks do far more damage than the same food eaten at two sittings.

Juice, cordial and sports drinks. All acidic, all sugary, all far harder on teeth than parents expect. Water and plain milk are the everyday drinks; the rest belong with a meal, not sipped through the afternoon.

Grinding. Very common in children and usually outgrown. It rarely needs treatment, and a splint is not normally appropriate for a growing mouth. Mention it and we will have a look at the wear.

What children's care involves

• Examinations matched to the child's age and what they will accept
• Cleaning and fluoride — topical fluoride strengthens enamel and is standard at a check-up
• Fissure sealants — a protective coating over the grooves of the back teeth, where most childhood decay starts. Usually considered around six and again around twelve. No drilling, no anaesthetic. See fissure sealants
• Fillings where needed — we are amalgam-free, and for suitable small cavities we use air abrasion rather than a drill, which often means no needle
• Monitoring development and referring for orthodontic assessment at the right time, usually around 8 to 10
• Mouthguards for sport, remade as the child grows. See mouthguards
• Dental trauma — a knocked or broken tooth. See what to do first on our emergency page

Two things worth knowing before you need them

A knocked-out adult tooth is an emergency. Hold it by the crown, not the root, rinse it in milk or saline if dirty, put it back in the socket if you can and have the child bite on a clean cloth. If you cannot, keep it in milk — not water — and get to us immediately. Minutes matter.

A knocked-out baby tooth must not be put back. Reimplanting a baby tooth can damage the adult tooth developing above it. Keep the child comfortable, control any bleeding with pressure, and ring us.

Baby teeth matter. They hold space for the adult teeth, they are needed for eating and speech, and an infected one can affect the adult tooth forming underneath. "They are going to fall out anyway" is the single most costly misconception in children's dentistry — a baby molar lost at five leaves a gap that neighbouring teeth drift into, and the orthodontics to undo that costs far more than the filling would have.

Teenagers

The risk profile changes rather than disappears: energy drinks and sports drinks, snacking around study, braces making cleaning harder, and a growing independence that means nobody is checking the back teeth any more.

We talk to teenagers directly rather than over their heads, which generally works better than the same advice delivered by a parent. Sports mouthguards, wisdom tooth monitoring and whitening questions all tend to come up in these years.

Our facilities

An externally accredited practice with on-site digital X-rays and OPG, intra-oral cameras so children can see their own teeth on screen, drill-free air abrasion, and paperless records.

Fees

Children's and adolescent check-up and clean fees, with the ADA item numbers, are on the check-up and hygiene page. Any further treatment is quoted before it begins.

HICAPS on-the-spot health fund claiming — bring your card and pay only the gap.

Child Dental Benefits Schedule

Eligible children aged 0 to 17 can receive up to $1,158 in basic dental services over two calendar years under Medicare's Child Dental Benefits Schedule. Eligibility is set by Medicare and depends on the family receiving a relevant payment; not every family qualifies. Check eligibility and details at Services Australia.

If your child is eligible, ask us how the claim is handled when you book. Depending on your remaining entitlement and the treatment provided, there may be a small out-of-pocket amount, which is determined by Medicare rather than by us.

For the whole family

We can often arrange family appointments together. Adults, teenagers and older family members all see the same team. If anyone in the family is anxious about treatment, say so when booking — see dental anxiety.

We are a general dental practice and hold no specialist registration; where a child needs a paediatric dentist or an orthodontist, we refer.

Questions we are asked

My child has a cavity in a baby tooth — does it really need filling? Usually yes, for the reasons above. How it is treated depends on how close that tooth is to falling out naturally, and we will tell you when the honest answer is to monitor it instead.

Do you use amalgam? No. The practice is amalgam-free.

Can I stay in the room? Yes, for any child who wants you there. For some older children, a parent in the corner rather than at the chair-side actually helps.

My child will not open their mouth. That is a normal first visit. We will not force it, and we would rather book a second short visit than win an argument.

When should we see an orthodontist? An assessment around eight to ten is usual, which is about spotting problems worth intercepting early — not about starting braces then.

Victorian Dental Group — 291 Wattletree Road, Malvern East VIC 3145 · (03) 9088 5808 · Monday to Friday, 8:00am–5:00pm · book online

This page is general information and does not replace advice from a registered dental practitioner about your own circumstances. Please see our Disclaimer.