Paediatrics Archives - Dental Head Start

It’s common practice nowadays to encourage parents to bring their children in early to familiarise themselves with the dental appointment. But beyond chair rides, gloved animals and triplex tickles, what else can we do to help empower parents during these appointments?

This is Part 3 of our series with Dr Shereen Lim on Sleep Disordered Breathing and Airway Health in young children. If you haven’t already be sure to check out Part 1 (TIP #125 – Childhood Bruxism: A Case Study) and Part 2 (TIP #128 – Teeth, Tongues & Tonsils)

In this episode, we talk about the different stages of growth in children and the things we can help educate parents on to look out for including feeding, thumb sucking and dummy use.

TIP #131 – Hypo-what-mineralisation? with Dr Deb Wong

August 17, 2023August 17, 2023Leave a Comment

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We’ve all children come in for check-ups, with no signs of active decay, but their parents stop and ask, “What are those white flecks on their teeth?” or, “But why is their tooth all brown and speckled?”

Hypomineralisation. It can be a confusing situation – do you leave it, do you remove it, how much do you take away and how do you replace it?

In today’s episode we are joined by Dr Deb Wong, a specialist paediatric dentist based in Melbourne, to talk all about hypo mineralisation – what it is, how to explain it to parents and how we manage it in both the anterior and posterior region. This is a great practical episode with tips on exactly what you can do the next time you encounter another one of these situations.

TIP #128 – Teeth, Tongues & Tonsils with Dr Shereen Lim

July 13, 2023July 13, 2023Leave a Comment

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Hosted by Dr Erica Hwin
Teeth, tongues, thumbs and tonsils. There are so many things to look out for in a growing child and it can be hard to know what requires intervention and what’s a normal part of development.

This is Part 2 of our series with Dr Shereen Lim on Sleep Disordered Breathing and Airway Health in young children. If you haven’t already be sure to check out Part 1 (TIP #128 – Childhood Bruxism: A Case Study).

In today’s episode we go through the nitty gritty of what to look out for in a clinical examination of a young child and the tell-tale signs that there may be something else going on that’s affecting the way that they are breathing, sleeping, developing and thriving overall.

TIP #127 – LA For Children with Dr Deborah Wong

June 15, 2023June 15, 2023Leave a Comment

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Whether you love treating kids or not, as dentists, we play such a crucial role in shaping their attitude towards coming to the dentist and taking care of their oral health. Dentistry today is so different to what is was for the older generation, and our goal is to nurture safe and comfortable environments for children so that they are motivated to come in for regular check-ups, to look after their teeth and to let us treat them. And perhaps one of the most important steps, but also the step that can make or break the appointment, is how well you can numb them up.

In this episode, we are joined with Dr Deborah Wong, a paediatric dentist based in Melbourne, to talk all about the LA experience for children. From children’s perception of pain to communication tips and clinical considerations, this is a jam-packed episode filled with wonderful insight you can bring along to your next appointment with your little patients.

TIP #125 – Childhood Bruxism: A Case Study with Dr Shereen Lim

June 1, 2023June 1, 2023Leave a Comment

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As dentists, we are one of the very first people to be looking inside a child’s mouth and picking up on potential signs that may be reflective of the way that they are sleeping, breathing, eating, growing, and thriving overall. I know oftentimes I have young parents bringing in their children and asking me how their child developing and if there is anything they can do differently.

Fortunately, this is Dr Shereen Lim’s area of expertise and over a series of episodes we will be discussing everything to look for from childhood bruxism, to sleeping patterns, bad habits tongue ties, diet and feeding, and jaw development. In this first part, we’ll be diving into a case study of a little girl that I saw just the other day with severe bruxism, and how we would go about managing her situation.

TIP#20: Tackling Tricky Topics with Parents with Dr Tim Keys – What I Wish I Knew

September 16, 2020September 22, 2020Leave a Comment

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The Australian Dental Association recommends a childs first dental visit be when their first tooth becomes visible or when then reach 12months of age. Normally seeing the baby is easy enough, but the real challenge comes with new parents, armed with millions of well intended questions about how that can give their child the best dental head start.

In many cases as new graduates we are yet to have our own kids so these conversations can sometimes be a bit of unknown territory, having not been in a bathroom with a two year old at bed time simply telling a patent to brush their childs’ teeth, my be easier said then done.

Today we look at when we should start brushing children’s teeth, getting parents on board with Fluoride and handling the ever controversial topic of tongue ties, with Sunshine Coast Paediatric Dentist Dr Tim Key’s.

TIP#11: Restoring the Primary Dentition with Dr Tim Keys – What I Wish I Knew

July 15, 2020July 22, 2020Leave a Comment

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TIP#5: The Emergency Paediatric Patient with Dr Tim Keys – What I Wish I Knew

June 3, 2020June 2, 2020Leave a Comment

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Using Nitrous Oxide to Treat Anxious Patients

January 12, 2020January 10, 2020Leave a Comment

I heard this interesting statement the other day – “Ignoring a patient’s fear of dentistry will not make the fear […]

#16 – Dr David McIntosh on Airway, Snoring and Sleep Apnoea

September 2, 2019September 2, 2019Leave a Comment

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Imagine walking into your child’s room to find a stranger choking your child. Fear, panic and an immediate response would be instant, of course with a heroic end and a safe child. However, it is common to let our children snore, effectively choking, each night without investigation or treatment.

As dentists we are the gateway to the mouth. We see our patients regularly, we monitor their development and we should know the signs of sleep disordered breathing. And when we do, we can make a change in our patients lives.