Preventive maintenance focuses on keeping your child’s teeth and gums healthy once good oral health habits have been established.

Depending on your child’s needs, maintenance may include regular dental reviews, professional cleaning, fluoride therapy and fissure sealants.

The frequency of maintenance appointments is individualised according to your child’s age, oral health and risk of dental disease.

There is no single appointment interval that is appropriate for every child.

Some children may have a relatively low risk of dental disease and require routine reviews, while children with previous cavities, orthodontic concerns, developmental conditions or other risk factors may benefit from more frequent monitoring.

During each review, we assess your child’s teeth, gums, oral hygiene, dental development and overall oral health and recommend an appropriate recall interval.

Professional dental cleaning, also known as prophylaxis, removes plaque and deposits that may not be completely removed through normal brushing.

A children’s dental cleaning can help:

• Maintain healthy gums
• Remove plaque and surface staining
• Support good oral hygiene
• Reinforce effective brushing techniques
• Identify areas where additional cleaning is needed

Professional cleaning complements, rather than replaces, daily brushing and good oral hygiene at home.

Fluoride is an important tool in preventing tooth decay and strengthening teeth against acid attack.

Professional fluoride therapy may be recommended for children who have an increased risk of dental caries or who would benefit from additional topical fluoride protection.

Whether fluoride therapy is appropriate depends on your child’s age, dental development, existing fluoride exposure and individual caries risk.

We will recommend an appropriate fluoride programme based on your child’s specific needs.

Fissure sealants are thin protective coatings placed into the natural grooves and pits of teeth, particularly the back teeth.

These grooves can sometimes be difficult to clean effectively with a toothbrush and may be more susceptible to tooth decay.

A fissure sealant can help protect these vulnerable areas by creating a smoother surface that is easier to keep clean.

Sealants are particularly useful for children and teenagers who have deep or susceptible fissures or an increased risk of dental caries.