Children’s Oral Health
NHS Dentistry is collapsing.
Find a dentist in your area! Only one third of adults have seen a dentist since the start of COVID. This is largely due to a massive backlog at clinics across the country. Many NHS dental clinics are no longer seeing non-registered patients, even in an emergency. The problem is set to get even bigger!…
Bad Breath in Children
Bad breath will affect everyone at some point in their life – even in childhood. Bad breath is most common after eating certain foods such garlic and onion, it may appear after drinking of if you’re taking certain medications. Bad breath in children. If you’ve noticed that your child’s breath is not so pleasant, don’t…
Halloween Treats That Won’t Harm Kid’s Teeth!
Halloween is just around the corner! It’s that time of year again where the supermarket shelves fill up with sweet treats and kids go crazy from all of the sugary sweets. While giving kids treats in moderation is fine, at Halloween, things can get a bit out of hand! Why not also try and incorporate…
Do you have pain from your braces?
Braces are one of the best ways of effectively straightening teeth. However, pain from your braces can be hard to deal with. Are you struggling with painful braces? It’s very common now for young adults to experience having braces. They are available at no cost to under-18s through the NHS. The most common complaint of…
Your Children and the Dentist
We all want our children to have a great experience going to the dentist. What can we do to make sure we do this from an early age? We all want the best for our children As parents, we want nothing more than to see our children grow up to be healthy, happy and successful.…
Helping your child brush their teeth properly
Just how can you help your young child brush their teeth properly? It’s a problem most of us parents have. Does your child like brushing their teeth? It can be a task getting kids to take part in anything that is meant to keep them healthy. Eating vegetables and going to bed at the right…
Helping children with special needs at the dentist
Taking children with special needs to the dentist can be daunting. Children and the dentist For most children, their first visits to the dentist can be scary. The experience may be new to them. Children do not like the feeling of not knowing what is happening to them. Children may have heard adults saying that…
What To Do When Your Child Has A Dental Emergency
Do you know what to do when your child has a dental emergency? Dental emergencies aren’t fun for anyone, especially for kids. It may be because of a sporting accident. It could be an on-going problem or maybe a complete surprise. Children can experience dental emergencies just as frequently as adults. Be prepared You can…
What should you have in your Emergency Dental Kit?
What if you have a dental emergency? When you we have a dental problem, or pain, most of us will instinctively reach for the phone to call our dentist. In normal circumstances this is absolutely the right thing to do. During this current Covid-19 pandemic, dental practices are closed. This means that it is good…
The Unusual Suspects: Surprising Things That Harm Your Teeth.
Are we subconsciously harming our teeth? When we think of the things that can harm our teeth, we automatically think of foods that stain our teeth or sugary foods. We think of not brushing our teeth and missing dental appointments. While all of those will certainly cause damage to your teeth, have you ever considered…
Shocking report says that 1 in 10 children leave school without knowing how to brush their teeth!
A shocking report was published recently by Tic Watches. Amongst its findings it revealed that 1 in 10 primary school children in England are unable to brush their own teeth properly. You can read the full report here. Boys are better than girls! Another shocking fact in the report was that girls are less likely…
Your appointment with the dental hygienist
Why your hygiene appointments are as important as dental check ups guest blog by hayley irons We all know that we should attend for a dental check-up. Normally this is as regularly as every six months. This helps your dentist to keep a close eye on your oral health and spot any changes early before…
UK Teachers Taking Children’s Oral Health Into Their Own Hands
Teachers across the UK are now taking steps to try to improve children’s oral health. Children’s oral health is a hot topic. One week it’s improving, the next it’s getting worse and now, it’s come to light that teachers in primary schools up and down the UK are getting involved in Children’s oral health. Teaching…
Is It Really Necessary To Cut Pudding Out Of School Dinners?
It seems that all eyes are on sugar at the moment. First it was breakfast cereals, then energy drinks, then soft drinks. Now it’s time for school dinners to take the floor. The Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow wants excess sugar to be cut from school dinners,…
Is Cereal Really The Biggest Culprit of Tooth Decay in Kids?
What is your favourite cereal? Recently in the news, it would seem that all eyes are on children and what they eat – sweets, energy drinks, cereal… Child obesity is a really hot topic right now – it’s on the rise and without intervention, rates of child obesity are set to soar. The most important…
Children Are Being Forced To Wait Over 6 Months For Dental Operations
How long is too long to wait for a dental operation? The number of children in England waiting longer than six months for a dental operation under general anaesthesia has risen by 52% over the past three years, data provided by NHS trusts suggests. Children are being forced to suffer due to continuous cuts to NHS dentistry.…
Brighton Kids In The Midst Of Dental Crisis
MANY children starting primary school in Brighton and Hove have suffered tooth decay, new figures from Public Health England show. Hundreds of children in Brighton & Hove are suffering from tooth decay, with many often needing emergency hospital trips for surgery under general anaesthetic. In almost 50% of cases, these children aren’t even of primary…
Are You Putting Your Child’s Oral Health At Risk?
Millions of British parents could be putting their children’s health at risk. By not knowing the facts about kids’ dental care, you could be putting your child’s oral health at risk. A whopping one quarter of adults don’t think it matters if their kids develop cavities in their baby teeth, because they’ll ‘fall out anyway’,…
Tooth Decay in Children Seeing a Steady Decline
For years, Tooth Decay in children has been on an incline. Tooth decay in children has been a hot topic over here on the Defacto Dentists blog for many months. For a long time, tooth decay has been the number one reason for planned hospital admissions among children. And the worst part? Tooth decay is…
CBeebies and Children’s Dental Health
CBBC programme is promoting good oral health in Children. Instilling a good oral health care routine in your children is vital. The younger they learn how to take good care of their teeth, the better. Habits that children learn from a very young age are habits they will keep for life. Kids TV shows are…
Painkillers In Place of Appointments?
Would you give you child pain killers instead of taking them to the dentist? A major survey has uncovered that parents are giving their child painkillers as an alternative to visiting the dentist when complaining of toothaches and pains. Only one in three of these patients had sought information from a dentist or dental professional…
Acidic Saliva in Babies Could Signify Potential Decay
Can a baby’s saliva really determine if decay is likely? Schools are banning all drinks except for milk and unflavoured water in an effort to quell sky high rates of tooth decay amongst young British children. But the ban is proving too late for many children, with many school head teachers noticing that far too many…
Is Your Teenager Avoiding Appointments?
Teenagers up to the age of 18 in the UK are entitled to free dental treatment on the NHS. Taking kids to the dentist when they are young is often easy. As a parent, you book their appointment and take them along to see the dentist. Sadly though, when they become a teenager and become…
Ensuring Healthy Development of Kid’s Teeth!
Promoting good oral health in children is vital. The younger they learn, the better! We really do take our teeth for granted. We need them to eat, they play a vital role in holding the structure of our face and they help us to look great in photos too. Ensuring good dental care from…
Healthy Snacks for Kids That Won’t Damage Their Teeth!
Kids will do anything to get their hands on sweet treats. We’ll admit it, sometimes handing our kids a chocolate bar is easier than dealing with a tantrum or two. Dishing out sweet treats is fine on occasion but we should try to limit how often we hand over sweets, biscuits, cakes or chocolate! Today…
Children Urged To Take Good Care of Their Teeth.
Children in the UK have access to free dental care on the NHS. Ensuring that children attend dental appointments from a young age is crucial to ensure that they develop good dental habits from a young age. If a child pays good attention to their teeth and gums when they are young, they can prevent…
The City With A Sweet Tooth
Sweet treats are hard to resist. Whether it’s cakes, chocolates, sweets or ice cream, we’re all guilty of occasionally over indulging on our favourite treats. In a recent survey, it was discovered that out of all of the major cities in the UK that Belfast have the sweetest tooth, with over 80% of all residents…
Tooth Loss In Children
Tooth loss in children is expected. When a child’s first tooth falls out, it can be a pretty scary moment for both you and them but it is an exciting experience! This week, for part of our National Tooth Fairy Day celebrations, we looked at how to introduce The Tooth Fairy to young children. If…
Introducing The Tooth Fairy To Your Child
Yesterday was National Tooth Fairy Day and this week on the Defacto Dentists blog, we’re looking at all things tooth loss. It’s an exciting moment for your child when their first tooth starts to come loose. There’s the anticipation and constant updates of how wobbly it is, the panic when it feels like it’s about…
First Visit to the Dentist!
Your child’s first visit to the dentist is a big milestone! It’s a new experience for both you and them and it can be quite nerve-wracking as it’s difficult to determine how they will react. Here are some of our top tips to ensure that your child’s first visit to the dentist runs as smoothly…
Common Dental Problems in Children
As a parent, it’s crucial that you encourage your kids into a brilliant dental hygiene routine. The earlier that you instil this into them, the more likely they are to maintain it throughout their childhood, teen years and into adulthood. Unfortunately, dental problems in children are the norm due to various factors. Here are a…
Caring for Kids’ Teeth
We wanted to share some top tips for keeping your kids’ teeth healthy! The more you teach a child to take care of their teeth from a young age, the less likely they are to encounter problems with their teeth as they reach their teens and progress through adulthood. Take your child to the dentist…
Dental Phobia in Children: What to do
Dental phobia in Children can happen easily. Alongside promoting 2 minutes of thorough brushing twice daily, taking a child to the dentist regularly from a very young age is necessary to instil brilliant dental hygiene habits in them but for some children, going to the dentist can seem like a scary thing. A child’s fear…
The State of Children’s Oral Health in the UK
Children’s oral health within the UK has improved drastically since the 1970’s. This is due to greater awareness of oral hygiene and the consequences of a lack of good oral hygiene. However, children in the UK are still facing common dental issues such as tooth decay, infections and abscesses. These require costly treatments, putting pressure…
The Toothbrushing Programme Improving Children’s Oral Health
A pilot scheme in nurseries is paving the way for improving children’s oral health. A toothbrushing programme in early years settings has made children less reluctant to clean their teeth. The programme was piloted in 68 nurseries and with 20 childminders from April. The Smiles4Children programme explores the best ways of getting children under five…