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Free Dental Care for Teens

Free Dental Care for Teens

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Now that you are entering High School a few things you need to know about your teeth

 
HAVE YOU ENROLLED and what to expect of the next five years :
  The government contribute to most of your Dental needs but avoiding treatment and knowing what to expect of your mouth over the next five years will dramatically reduce unnecessary costs later.
 
Eruptions : no not the ‘spot ‘ sort but teeth eruption dates.                   

      The second last molar tooth should be erupting as you start high school if not may be there already and the premolar teeth should be erupted but its not uncommon for one or more to be missing. The Dentist or Therapist can take an xray to check.    
 The WISDOM  tooth is forming in the jaw and should start showing itself from about age Seventeen onwards.

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Extractions  

  Teeth are extracted in our teens only if there is an impacted wisdom tooth, the tooth is too heavily decayed to save or in some cases orthodontic treatment to make room for teeth. 

Injuries
  Contact sports and accidents are the most common cause of tooth fractures and tooth loss. A good fitting mouthguard will not only reduce tooth damage but has been proven to greatly reduce concussion. Everything we can do to reduce risks will help long term concussion injuries.
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Prevention

   Fissure sealants are resin sealers placed on the biting surfaces of the molar and sometimes premolar teeth where the fissures are very deep and can harbour bacteria which causes decay. We air abrade the fissure first to remove any comtaminated debris ( Any debris left can and will cause decay under the sealant and can cause a large hole over time) The tooth is then etched and sealed. This technique has been proven to dramatically reduce holes in teeth. Make sure the person placing the fissure sealants always air abrades the tooth first.

Fluoride treatment

  Fluoride placed topically on the teeth helps to remineralise teeth exposed to acids in foods and makes them more resistant to sugar attacks.

Fillings

  In the event that a hole forms from decay the Dental Health Board will cover the cost of a metal filling on the back teeth but white fillings are placed on the front teeth. Decay and fllings are not an expected treatment and can be completely avoided.

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Dietry advise

  By doing a detailed diet analysis, we can assess risks offering safe time to enjoy the treats we all like without causing damage to the teeth. By knowing our habits and routines, its very easy to manage our diet and awareness of the pitfalls teaching healthy and safe eating habits. Not only does this reduce decay but also reduces the risk of Diabetes and other systemic conditions later in life.
 
   It is recommended to see the Dental Hygienist for maintenance cleaning, in this visit you are shown how to clean and maintain  healthy teeth and more importantly gums without causing damage. We all have different muscle dexterity and soft tissue strengths that can greatly affect how we clean. By identifying problem sites and scaling properly, gum disease and tooth damage can be prevented.