Children’s teeth require special preventive dental care

Preventive dental care from the first little tooth onwards – so that caries has no chance

We recommend preventive dental care check-ups at the paediatric dental practice from the time a child’s first tooth appears. Visiting the dentist for just one little tooth may seem a bit over the top, but even this tooth is at risk of early childhood caries. One of the primary tasks of modern paediatric dentistry is to identify this as quickly as possible or prevent it from happening in the first place. That is why we recommend and also why the health insurers now pay for early preventive dental care from 6 months of age. It is often at around this age that the first milk tooth breaks through.

We determine a child’s individual risk of caries at their first check-up. We provide parents with recommendations on how best to protect their child’s oral health. In addition to the best possible dental care, other topics we provide advice on include using fluorides, healthy eating for teeth, use of babies’ bottles as well as dealing with pacifiers and thumb-sucking.

A relaxed start to lifelong dental health

There is another advantage to getting into a routine of visiting the dentist from an early age: children build up confidence during normal, plain dental check-ups. They get to know the paediatric dentists, the practice and the processes in a quiet and relaxed setting. Should they require treatment later on, everything will be familiar to them and they will be so much more at ease.

NEW: early preventive dental care from 6 months old

Since 1 July 2019, young children covered by statutory health insurance have been eligible for three new early detection dental check-ups (FrüherkennungsUntersuchungen/FU 1). These are provided in parallel to paediatric medical check-ups:

• from 6 to 9 months
• from 10 to 20 months
• from 21 to 33 months  

The early detection dental check-ups are aimed, in particular, at preventing early childhood caries or slowing its progression at the earliest possible stage. In addition to a thorough examination of the child’s mouth, parents are given advice and instructions on daily tooth brushing. Children covered by statutory health insurance are also entitled to enamel hardening with fluoride varnish at the dental practice every three months.

Prophylaxis – tooth brushing school for little teeth

There is no trick behind lifelong healthy teeth and gums. All you need to do is

• brush your teeth twice a day
• eat healthily
• and go for regular paediatric dental check-ups 

Brushing your teeth properly is fun!

It is important to motivate children for oral hygiene from the outset. That is why we encourage and strengthen their own responsibility by creating an individual dental care programme. Our specially trained assistants patiently introduce children to dental care in an age-appropriate way. After their first attempts to use their children’s toothbrushes independently, our young patients are so proud of their little teeth looking clean, shiny and smooth as glass!

Children aged 6 years and up can see for themselves how well they have brushed their teeth: once every 6 months we apply dye to the teeth in order to make any plaque visible. By doing this, the children can see exactly where the nasty bacteria like to sit. We also assess whether the gums are healthy and tight around the teeth. We explain in language that is appropriate to the age of the child how caries occurs and why it is a problem when bacteria make themselves at home in our mouths. Then we demonstrate and once again practice correct tooth brushing techniques. The last thing we do is apply enamel-hardening fluoride varnish, which makes it difficult for bacteria and plaque to accumulate and penetrate.

Even more protection from caries & co.

All children can also participate in our extensive programme of professional dental care.
This is primarily recommended for:

• children at high risk of caries
• children who already have caries
• children with defective enamel formation (e.g. MIH)
• children with fixed braces
• children at high risk of endocarditis
• children with disabilities
• very anxious children in need of desensitisation

Professional teeth cleaning every 3–4 months is advisable for these children. During these appointments, we perform intensive and repeated examinations of the individual weak points. The children can again practise using their toothbrushes and dental floss to get to the smallest and hardest-to-reach areas. We also analyse their eating and drinking habits. Small changes in behaviour can sometimes help to protect the teeth from disease. We can also assist with fluoride provision during these appointments.

Fissure sealants – seal off hiding places for caries

The back teeth often have deep pits and furrows (fissures). This makes them vulnerable to caries because bacteria like to settle into the V-shaped indentations. Even with regular brushing, they are practically impossible to remove just with the toothbrush alone. The metabolism of the bacteria produces harmful acids in these furrows, which attack the enamel and cause caries. To prevent this from happening, we protect the vulnerable back teeth by applying a special sealant.

This is how fissure sealant works

First of all, your teeth are carefully cleaned using a cleaning gel. We then dry the tooth completely to ensure that the fissure sealant becomes absolutely impermeable and remains in place for a long time. Then we apply an extremely thin protective coating of medically safe liquid plastic. This hardens completely within a few seconds under the light of a special UV lamp. The sealed furrows are now shallower and rounder. It is much harder for bacteria to stick in the new U-shaped indentation and the toothbrush can easily brush them away. The tooth remains intact under the sealant and is protected from caries for many years thanks to this minor procedure.

When and how often is fissure sealant recommended?

Fissure sealant as a protective measure against caries is recommended for:

• milk back teeth with deep fissures or children with active caries
• large permanent back teeth (molars)
• small permanent back teeth (pre-molars)

Fissure sealing is possible once a tooth has fully broken through and the enamel has matured. We use a rubber dam to ensure the tooth is absolutely dry during the procedure. This only works with the child’s cooperation and so the first fissure sealant is usually applied around 15–18 months after the tooth has broken through.

Fissure sealant lasts on average around 4 years. This depends on the child’s dental hygiene and diet, however, and so the protective varnish should be checked every 6 months.