Dr Amanda, along with The Australian and New Zealand Society of Paediatric Dentistry and numerous other agencies associated with child oral health, recommend a child should ideally visit the dentist within six months after the emergence of their first tooth, or at least by age 12 months (one year). The earlier the dental visit, the better the chance of preventing dental issues.

Your paediatric dentist is the best person to provide a comprehensive dental assessment and advise on the best frequency of dental visits for your individual child. This will depend on numerous different factors including risk of tooth decay, presence of dental anomalies and ability to provide preventive treatment. As children’s teeth and mouths can change very rapidly while they are growing, we usually recommend a dental check-up at least every six months.

A paediatric dentist is a specialist dentist who has undergone an extra three full years of intensive training, in addition to the usual five years of undergraduate dentistry training, to provide specialised dental care to children and patients with special needs.

Paediatric dentists are capable of providing the highest quality of comprehensive dental care to children including prevention and treatment of tooth decay, gum disease, management of dental injuries, dental pain, dental abnormalities (like missing, impacted, defective or crooked teeth), lip and tongue ties, and cosmetic and orthodontic treatments in young children.

Specialist paediatric dentists can maintain their general dentist registration, meaning they are still able to provide the same complete range of dental treatments as a general dentist, for patients of any age.

We aim to provide affordable, high-quality specialist dental care for all children. When you are choosing dental care at Bendigo Children’s Dentistry you are choosing a great dental experience for your child, with the only registered specialist paediatric dentist in the region. We have carefully designed our innovative practice and obtained the latest technology in equipment to allow provision of superior quality and long-lasting dental care, which is reflected in our practice fees. Dr Amanda has worked across a vast range of public and private dental services in Victoria and aims to equip families with the knowledge of all the options available for their child to access dental care. This includes exploring eligibility for government-funded dental care and payment options for private dental care.

Please see our payment options page for more information.

Our dental receptionists will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to bring your child for their first dental visit at our practice. This will include guiding you through paperwork such as completing a medical history and billing information. We utilise the latest technology in practice management software which aims to make your dental journey as simple and seamless as possible, with appointment reminders and simplified digital registrations. We have numerous toys, audiovisual distractions, sensory and fidget tools to assist your child to feel comfortable, but of course they are welcome to bring a comfort object if you feel this would help them.

It is very normal for children to feel anxious coming to the dentist. Please reassure your child that the dentist is highly trained and experienced with anxious children and will do everything possible to make them feel comfortable. Try to avoid negative language such as “you need to be brave” or “it won’t hurt” as this tends to enhance negative thinking about the visit. Rather than answering all your child’s questions yourself at home (which can enhance their anxiety), please encourage your child to reserve their questions for the dentist at their first visit. Please talk to our reception team prior to the visit if you believe your child will be excessively anxious and give suggestions on how we might best help your child. You will also have the opportunity to advise of any significant anxieties or things for us to avoid when you complete your child’s electronic medical history prior to the first visit.

Further guidance on “dos and don’ts” when bringing your child to the dentist can be found on our resources page when bringing your child to the dentist.

Paediatric dentists are very highly trained in management of children who are anxious at the dentist or have other special needs. Dr Amanda will take time during the first visit to get to know your child and family and find out what would work best for each individual child.

There are a multitude of options available for anxious children ranging from non-invasive and preventive treatments, needle-free dentistry, happy gas and sleep dentistry. See our services pages for more information.

Dr Amanda, in accordance with Australian fluoride guidelines, recommend brushing teeth with a small, soft, toothbrush and a smear of children’s low fluoride toothpaste from the age of 18 months. At the age of six years, children should start using a pea-sized amount of adult strength fluoride toothpaste. Children generally require supervision and assistance with toothbrushing until around 8 years of age (or until they can confidently tie their own shoelaces). However, children who have risk factors for tooth decay, or who have already experienced tooth decay, may need to start an adult strength fluoride toothpaste at an earlier age. Dr Amanda can assess your child’s individual risk for tooth decay and advise you of the best toothpaste to use.