Children’s Dentistry
It’s never too early to begin teaching good oral hygiene to your children.
Behaviours learnt when they’re young tend to stick with them throughout life.
With tooth decay among children on the rise, more than half of all 6 yr olds now have some decay in their baby and adult teeth. Your child should see the dentist regularly, ideally from when their first teeth start to appear. At Trinity Dental @ Heathridge, if you receive benefits like the Family Tax Benefit, you can take advantage of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule which can be automatically claimed for you at the practice.
Baby Teeth Matter
Yes, they eventually fall out to make way for adult teeth but that doesn’t mean they are not important. If decay causes them to be removed, it can cause crowding problems when their adult teeth come through.
Fissure Sealants
Teeth have pits and grooves which are difficult for both children and adults to clean. Sealants are used to fill these depressions to reduce tooth decay. They are a tooth-coloured flowable liquid which is applied to these pits and then set with a blue light.Application of the sealant is quick, painless, and are effective for many years reducing the need for fillings.
Mouth Guards
Mouth guards protect the teeth from injury. If your child plays contact sports or even non-contact but high-risk recreational activities we highly recommend that they have one made for them for proper mouth protection.
Custom-fitted mouth guards are individually designed to provide the ultimate protection. Firstly, your dentist will take an impression of your teeth which is then sent to the lab to be made. They are available in many different colours and you can even choose more than one! Due to the use of the special material and because of the extra time and work involved, this custom-made mouth guard is more expensive than the over the counter types, but it provides the most comfort and best fit and protection. An ill-fitted mouth guard could be more harmful than going without one!
Thankfully, many health funds cover up to the full fee for a mouthguard. The friendly team at Trinity Dental @ Heathridge can help you find out what the cost will be to you so that you or your child can give your teeth the best protection.
For more information or to book an appointment, call one of our friendly team now on (08) 9308 7145 We look forward to hearing from you.
Bulk Billed Dental Services
As a parent, making sure your child is as healthy as possible is understandably one of your highest priorities. The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) has been introduced by the federal government to make that task a little easier if you receive benefits such as Family Tax Benefit A payments. The CDBS helps you keep your kids’ teeth in great shape by providing you with up to $1013 that you can use over a two-calendar year period on a range of dental services including examinations, routine cleaning, fillings, and root canals.
Your child’s eligibility
Your child is deemed eligible for the CDBS by Medicare if: they’re within the applicable age range for at least some of that year they qualify for Medicare; and you receive either Family Tax Benefit Part A, Parenting payment or Double Orphan Pension payments for at least some of that year.
Your child can still access CDBS services throughout a particular calendar year regardless even if your circumstances change. Even so, it’s still worth confirming with Medicare that your child still qualifies for CDBS. We are able to do this at the practice, you can contact Medicare or it is available on the Medicare app on your smart phone.
Using your $1013 allocation
To ensure that you’re aware of the costs upfront, your dentist will explain all probable expenses and get your consent in writing before treatment begins. If there’s any additional work needed following the initial examination, the costs will again be outlined and your consent obtained. If you’re not sure how much of your allocation you have left to use, your dentist can look that up for you, and let you know if you’ll be up for any out-of-pocket expenses.
