Baby teeth (primary teeth) are vital—they help your child chew, speak clearly, and maintain space for permanent teeth. Early decay or loss can lead to misalignment and more complex issues later. Teeth naturally close up missing gaps, and with some adult teeth not due to appear till 12 years old, not having spaces maintained by the baby teeth will cause crowding.

Furthermore, decayed or infected baby teeth may cause your child pain, or lead to complex dental treatments at a young age, which may worsen dental anxiety, and translate to dental trauma and avoidance later in life. Frequent dental visits are important to detect problems early, and is also an opportunity to educate an individual on preventative techniques. Research has consistently demonstrated that dental avoidance leads to greater dental problems, increased dental anxiety, increased likelihood of dental emergencies or hospital presentations, and increased overall medical costs.

Still unsure about your child's teeth? Discuss with one of our friendly dentists today!

Occasional teeth grinding or snoring in children is common and often harmless. However, frequent grinding or loud, regular snoring may indicate an underlying issue such as airway obstruction, jaw development concerns, or sleep-disordered breathing.

Some form of airway obstruction is the most common cause of your child grinding at night and should not be ignored. Having a lack of proper rest can affect your child's normal development, and can lead to other effects like poor attention span or behavioural issues during the day.

If you notice these signs, it’s best to mention them at your child’s next dental visit. Your dentist can check for signs of tooth wear, assess jaw growth, and refer you to your GP, an ENT or a specialist if further evaluation is needed. Early detection helps support healthy sleep and proper oral and general development.

Clean your baby's gums gently with a damp cloth after feedings—even before teeth erupt. Once the first tooth appears, switch to a soft infant toothbrush. Introduce a smear of fluoride toothpaste around age 1, and increase to a pea-sized amount by age 2–3—and always supervise to reduce swallowing. 

0-2 Years: For children under 2, a toothpaste containing 500 parts per million (ppm) fluoride is recommended.

2-6 Years: For children over 2 years, or who demonstrate they can avoid swallowing toothpaste, a 1000ppm fluoride toothpaste is recommended

Above 6 Years: For children and adults over 6 years, a toothpaste containing above 1400ppm fluoride is recommended to prevent tooth decay and to remineralise teeth.

If in any doubt, speak to one of our friendly dentists in Pimpama today!

Dental anxiety is common in children. You can help by speaking positively about dental visits, reading storybooks about the dentist, and avoiding words like “pain”, “hurt”, "ripping the tooth out" or "needle", and instead substitute with words like "ouchie", "sleepy juice", "helping the tooth fall out early" etc. Our team uses a calm, friendly approach to help children feel relaxed and confident.

It is not recommended to scare children with stories of tooth extractions or traumatic dental visits in a bid to encourage tooth brushing or to limit sugar intake. It is generally recommended to use positive language and positive affirmation when encouraging children to perform good oral hygiene or avoiding sugar.

We also use nitrous sedation or "happy gas" to help kids relax and cope better with dental treatment when appropriate.

Our team at Dental in Focus Pimpama is dedicated to making every visit a positive and comfortable experience for your child. We believe that preventing dental anxiety early helps build lifelong healthy habits. A positive attitude toward dental care encourages regular check-ups and maintenance, reduces the risk of major dental problems by discovering and treating problems early, and helps avoid reinforcing a cycle of anxiety with repeated dental emergency visits in the future.