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Evidence Mounts: Parents Not Supervising Children’s Toothbrushing Long Enough

Announcement posted by Joondalup City Dental 08 Jul 2016

Emergency dentist in Joondalup reveals how parents can give their children a better chance for a lifetime of good dental health.
Joondalup, WA, 08 July 2016 - Other countries across the world have the same dental trends and problems that we do here in Australia. Since sugar usage has increased so dramatically, many countries perceive tooth decay as a national epidemic. In England, they are currently having a lot of problems with children and tooth extractions.

According to Dr Nigel Carter OBE, who is the Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, inadequate parental supervision of children brushing their teeth have put four million British children at risk for extractions and serious problems as adults. In the twelve months from March 2015 through February 2016, approximately 33,000 children in England had at least one tooth extracted in a hospital.

Dr Carter acknowledges the effects of sugar as causal agents for a general decline in dental health but feels that parents need to stay on their children longer about brushing their teeth. A recent poll by England’s National Health Service (NHS) indicated that one out of three parents stopped supervising their children’s brushing before the age of seven. 

Dr Carter’s belief is that all parents should supervise their children’s brushing until they reach the age of seven. Even then, he feels they should continue to monitor occasionally for the next two years to make sure children are brushing for at least two minutes and brushing the right way.

The first teeth begin to show up in the first six months and it takes until a child is two years old to grow approximately 20 “baby teeth.” Dr Carter believes that a child should be brushing as soon as the first tooth appears.

Obviously, the child won’t be brushing on his or her own right at six months but the parent should be brushing the child’s teeth that early.

What an Emergency Dentist in Joondalup Thinks

Dr Roy Sarmidi is a general and emergency dentist at Joondalup City Dental. Joondalup City Dental has a lot of lifelong patients who started as emergency patients. Dr Sarmidi’s focus is to transition new patients to regular care so they don’t need an emergency dentist anymore. Many of his regular patients start as children, too. According to Dr Sarmidi:

“I like what Dr Carter is doing and saying but there is more to it than just brushing correctly. I like the idea of parents being involved in their child’s oral hygiene until they are old enough to have developed good habits on their own. However, brushing is just part of the story. It is important but only one part of a three part program that is mandatory for those who want to maintain great dental health.”

Dr Sarmidi concluded: “Regular brushing is a must but it doesn’t do any good unless you eliminate or greatly reduce sugar from their diets and make sure they receive top notch care from a dentist on a regular basis.”

Joondalup City Dental offers a wide range of dental services. There is always an emergency dentist in their Joondalup office but they also offer services such as dentures, dental implants and Invisalign invisible braces. Their office is professional but friendly; patients are treated like family. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call (08) 9404 9500 or visit their website: http://www.joondalupcitydental.com.au/.