It’s completely normal to not want to come and see us. A lot of people don’t find it relaxing or enjoyable despite our very best efforts to put people at ease. For some people just getting through the door results in tears of fear and frustration. We see people like this all the time, so please don’t suffer in silence. Here are some top tips to help with your fear.

1. If it’s too much to come and see us in person, pick up the phone and chat to one of our team.
2. Try to call us at a time when you are due for a routing check up and not in pain. Dental phobia is heightened when you feel your back is up against the wall
3. Get into the routine of coming regularly. Exposure to your fear will help.
4. Bring a friend with you
5. Ask to see a Treatment Co-ordinator. This is someone non clinical but with a lot of experience in dealing with clinical questions. We have a separate non surgical room which is relaxing and homely, where you can have a cuppa and chat through your questions or fears about your treatment.
6. I can whole heartedly recommend the Dental Fear Website http://www.dentalfearcentral.org One of it’s main contributors is Dr. John Urquhart, a dentist at Tonbridge Dental Centre www.tonbridgedental.com It is Ad free, non commercial website, specifically set up to address dental phobia.

• 10 percent of all children below the age of 2 have at least one cavity.
• 25 percent of all children have had at least one cavity by their third birthday.
• 40 percent of all children have had at least one cavity by the time they reach pre school.

So what can you as parents do to help your child avoid being a statistic?

Your child’s teeth play an important role in how your child eats and how her jaw and face grow, and will eventually influence how she speaks. Most importantly, these little teeth pave the way for adult teeth, acting not just as space savers, but also maintaining optimal gum health in preparation for the teeth she’ll hopefully have for the rest of her life.What’s the best way to protect your little one’s teeth?

Here’s Tonbridge Dental Centre’s Top 10 Tips 

1. Take them to the Dentist

The first visit is usually just a confidence building trip, just to get into the routine and habit of coming to the dentist.Usually the dentist will ask for the child to sit in the chair, (on mummy’s lap is fine) and just count the teeth and look for any obvious problems.There may well follow a conversation about how best to brush and look after your little one’s teeth. At Tonbridge Dental Centre we operate a reward system and all children get a sticker or some sort of toy to show they’ve been a great patient.

2.Wean a child from a bottle to a cup by age one.
Bottles take longer to drink and have a more damaging effect on tooth enamel

3. Never allow a baby to fall asleep with a bottle containing anything but water.

4. Use spill-proof cups as a transitional step, not a long-term solution.

5. Only allow a child continual access to spill-proof cups throughout the day if they contain waterSave juice and milk for snack and mealtimes when increased saliva activity helps to clean teeth. Even watering down orange juice is damaging to teeth – the drink still contains sugar

6. Drink sugary beverages through a straw; the best spill-proof cups are those that have collapsible rubber straws.

7. Don’t be fooled into giving your child sugar free or diet fizzy drinks between meals. They still attack tooth enamel.

8. Don’t be tempted to dip dummies into honey or sugary things to pacify your child

9. Try to limit snacking between meals

10. MOST IMPORTANTLY – SUPERVISE THE CLEANING OF YOUR CHILD’S TEETH TWICE A DAY

 At Tonbridge Dental Centre we love the brush baby toothbrush http://www.brushbaby.co.uk/products-2/chewable-toothbrush/

Designed by dentists for children!!

Or Auntie Mary? That time her denture flew out when she laughed? She was so embarrassed…

Many people in the United Kingdom believe that as they get older, they will lose their teeth. This is based largely upon the experiences of their parents who lost teeth and were given dentures which was the only option at the time. The other option being to remain toothless.

3 Physically, with tooth loss, the patient begins to look older. The corners of the mouth close over as the chin moves up and forward due to tooth and bone loss. The lips and cheeks no longer have the support they once had. Emotionally the patient begins to ‘feel’ older.

4 The chewing efficiency of a denture is approximately 1/6th that of natural teeth. This leads to an increasingly poor diet and on average more reliance on medications to help digestion. Medics recommend an increased intake of fibrous and starchy foods both in the treatment and prevention of such diseases as:

Dumping syndrome
Gall stones
Crohns disease
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
and colonic cancer.

The WHO (World Health Organisation) suggests a requirement for minimal oral health as being a lower denture supported by two implants against a conventional upper denture. This is because an implant retained lower denture preserves chewing efficiency, decreases bone loss, and improves the health of the individual.

Of course it would be better to avoid the progression to complete dentures. This can be achieved by single tooth replacement using implants. For those patients who already have complete dentures, implants provide a convenient and affordable means of improving the function and appearance of their dentures.

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