Children Dental Care — Nation's Dental

**Dental care for children**

Developing good oral health habits early, eating healthy food, and regular dental and dental hygiene visits will help keep mouths cavity-free.

A healthy mouth for a healthy future

Children with poor oral health often miss more school and receive lower grades than children who don’t. We recommend regular dental hygiene care to help keep children healthy and free from toothaches.

Kids experience the loss of baby teeth and the growth of adult teeth between the ages of 6-12 years, making their oral health needs unique to adults. Baby teeth play a very important role in the proper development of adult teeth, and must be maintained until the correct time for their adult teeth replacements. Cavities that lead to early baby tooth loss can severely affect the proper growth of adult teeth and lead to longterm oral health problems.

Dental care for low-income families

Not all children can get the care they need. Specifically, low-income families may avoid traditional dental care for their children because of high costs or difficulty making it to appointments. With Nation’s Dental In-School Oral Health Program, we help families with financial, transportation, and time of work hurdles, get the oral care their child deserves.

Thanks to our partners, the Calgary Catholic District School Board and FrancoSud, we can bring our mobile dental hygiene clinic into schools and help children's families affordably get the dental care they need, whether they have dental coverage or not.

We make sure children have a healthy smile through:

Dental examinations

Regular dental examinations help monitor teeth and gums, making sure any potential problems are caught early. These exams are important for protecting oral health. Oral health problems can become serious and painful if not treated properly. Most children and adults should get a dental exam every six months, and the interval is determined by individual oral health needs.
Dental hygiene treatments

Including scaling, prophylaxis, fluoride treatment, sealants, and silver diamine fluoride.
Fluoride treatment

Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) is a non-invasive topically applied treatment that stops tooth decay from getting worse. SDF can eliminate the need for a filling, avoiding expensive dental care and the use of anaesthetic. For teeth that can benefit from SDF, it reduces the cost of care, particularly for those who cannot afford dental treatment. It is great for children who are high risk for developing cavities, have behavioral management issues, and need to maintain their baby teeth.
Oral health education

Raising awareness of the importance of oral health, healthy habits, and homecare practices, such as brushing and flossing are key elements of preventive dental hygiene. Oral health is linked to many other illnesses; such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and aspirated pneumonia.
Referrals

If a patient needs more than preventive care, we can refer them to one of our trusted oral health professional partners who is best suited to get their dental needs taken care of.

Contact us for eligibility

Taking care of children’s oral health at home.

Brush your child’s teeth at least 2x a day for two minutes with fluoride toothpaste

Children should receive help with their brushing and flossing until they have the dexterity to do it on their own, under supervision. Fluoridated toothpaste is recommended, and caregivers should supervise toothbrushing to ensure children are spitting out their toothpaste and not swallowing. Ingesting toothpaste in large amounts can result in a condition called Fluorosis, resulting in permanent tooth discolouration, and in more severe cases, slight pitting of the enamel.
Encourage them to floss often

Flossing should be done daily, with the help of a caregiver until children develop their dexterity and can do it on their own. Flossing is critical in cleaning between teeth and below gums, reducing the chances of cavities between teeth and gum bleeding and inflammation.
Limit sugary treats or drinks to help prevent tooth decay and cavities

Healthy food choices align with the Canada Food Guide and include lots of fruits and vegetables, cheese and a variety of grains and protein in the diet. Eating a piece of cheese following a meal can reduce the acid in your mouth, which then reduces the attack on tooth enamel. Certain juices can contain large amounts of sugar that is not good for teeth, so better drink choices include water and milk.