Helping children smile more…
The Child Dental Benefits Schedule provides individual benefits for a range of basic dental services including check-ups, x-rays, cleaning, fissure sealing, fillings, root canal treatment and extractions.
You may use the capped benefit of $1000 to pay for your child’s basic dental services over a two-year period. If the funds are not fully used within the first year, you can use it in the second year, provided your child is still eligible. After the second year, any remaining balance will not be carried forward.
Teaching your child good oral health habits
We know that sometimes looking after your children's teeth takes a massive effort!! However tooth decay in children is on the rise in Australia, with more than half of all 6-year-olds having some decay in their baby or adult teeth (ADA, 2018). So it’s more important than ever to teach your child good oral health habits that will stay with them for life.
Top tips for parents:
It is important to begin brushing children's teeth with a soft children's toothbrush as soon as teeth come through to remove the bacteria that may lead to tooth decay and gum disease.
From age one, a pea sized amount of children's fluoride toothpaste is placed on the toothbrush.
Children should be taught to spit out the excess toothpaste and NOT rinse. This leaves a small amount of fluoride on the teeth which gives more protection against decay.
Tooth brushing should be a combined effort between parent and child until the child is at least 8 years old as children do not develop effective tooth brushing skills until this age.
It is important to care for baby teeth. The back baby teeth may not fall out until the child is 11-12 years old.
Baby teeth help to keep the space for adult teeth to come through in the correct position. Decay in baby teeth can also cause pain and difficulty eating and sleeping.
Has it been six months since your child’s last dental health check?
Call us today to find out if your child is eligible for $1000 of government funding for basic dental services through the CDBS program.
It is much better to prevent decay from happening so it is important to:
Start establishing tooth cleaning time when children are young with brushing teeth at least once a day
Encourage your child to eat healthy sugar free food
Have regular check-ups at the dentist. The CDBS is a government funded scheme which provides $1000 of dental benefits across two years to eligible children to assist with the cost of dental care.
When is the best time for a child’s first dental visit?
As early as possible! Your child’s first visit to the dentist will shape their view of dental treatment for the rest of their life. We strive to make their first dental experience enjoyable and fun.