Tooth decay in kids....

[mummydreamer]

so they had a story on the news tonight about the rise in tooth decay in children. i can't remember what channel it was on, but the story said the rise was due to more children drinking fruit juices and fizzy drinks, (things really high in sugar) and also parents not cleaning their kids teeth properly.

now i was in the kitchen trying to watch this story, so i may have missed things, but the gist i got was that the blame in tooth decay is put a lot on the parents, when i have to say that i think it needs to be placed also on the high costs of dental? my kids are nearly 6 and 4 1/2, and have never been to the dentist simply because i cannot afford to take them. now i'm pretty anal when it comes to cleaning my kids teeth, and its a good thing too, because i certainly could not afford for either of my kids to have holes in their teeth right now. as well as the kids, i've had a sore tooth for the past week, but im just putting up with it, because i can't afford to get it checked out on myself either.

am i alone with this problem?? dental scares the heck out of me, because it is so friggin' expensive and medicare simply don't cover it! so i think instead of maybe putting the blame on the parents, maybe the government should step up a bit and help middle to low income families out that simply don't have the spare cash for something as important as dental?? and i know there are those bulk billed places, but the waiting lists are always so long.....

just my opinion though.....realise others might think differently....

[Astrid]

Yes, it can be expensive. I know I need to have a checkup myself, but have had to put it off.

There is a dental clinic where I live that see small children for just under $30 (free for healthcare card I think) and thankfully we can get in quite quickly if there is a major concern. I am in Vic, does NSW offer anything similar?

[Olive]

there is a system in place for dental treatment for teenagers but not kids
however i understand the expense but even putting a few dollars away a week will cover a check up even if its once a year per child, its better than nothing.
having worked in the industry i understand the costs, you can also ask your dentist if he will let you pay off basic treatment such as check ups and when the time comes, things like fissure seals which is preventative work
things like cheese are awesome for kids as it helps to neutralize acid from food etc..

ETA was also going to ask do you have a school dental van in your area??

[Cranky Kitten]

I know when I was a kid we used to have the school dental vans that came around twice a year, but they don't seem to have them anymore - such a pity as yes, dental care is crazily expensive unless you have good private health cover.

I'm another one that avoids going to the dentist purely because of the cost previously, even when it came to being in quite severe pain and needing an extraction (ouch).

[LizLemon]

I think in some places (in WA at least anyway) primary school kids are seen free of charge through the school dental system. Hopefully your little ones will be able to access that soon if it's available over east? But yes it's very expensive to see a dentist normally.

I do agree though that kids sucking on sugary drinks can't help. My little one has never known anything but milk and water and won't do for a few years yet. When I see kids his age (nearly two) drinking juice etc I just can't understand it...

[Cranky Kitten]

The one I hate is chupa-chups. It's essentially a ball of sugar resting in your mouth mixing with saliva to bathe your teeth. I blame them for most of the damage done to my teeth as I was addicted to the stupid things throughout my teenage years, especially in year 12.

DD loves them but I try to switch her onto other things that she chews up and swallows rather than sucks on for hours at a time (in addition to insisting on her brushing her teeth).

[mummydreamer]

ETA was also going to ask do you have a school dental van in your area??

hmmmm... don't think so....we live pretty rural....

Astrid, i wish there was a clinic like that around us! But im pretty sure there isn't....don't think NSW have anything like that though....but be happy to be proven wrong!

my parents are both from the UK, and my mum was telling me how over there dental care is free for women who are pregnant until bubs turns 2, and also free for children and teenagers....don't understand why Australia can't implement something like that considering how important healthy teeth are....?

[Astrid]

For those that are in VIC here is info on the Public Dental System:
Victoria's public dental system - Clients: Dentistry in Victoria - Victorian Government Health Information, Australia

[~breeze~]

when I was in NSW (Sydney) we had 2 hospitals in my area that had the free dental. I got in the day after I called once, the following week the second time & a couple of days later the last time.

They have it here in QLD aswell, I had to wait about 4 weeks for a tooth reconstruction after a tooth broke (not painful which is why I had to wait) & DS has his appt next Wed, he waited about 8 weeks I think, but he hasnt got any pain, his is just a check up as he hasnt been to the dentist before & I want him to have regular check ups.

DD's school has the dental van but I called them as she was having pain from a hole in her tooth & they fit her in that week. She had 2 small fillings done.

Can you google & check if theres something similar in or around your area? Even if its 8 weeks waiting time you're still going to be doing nothing about it in those 8 weeks anyway because you cant afford it, might aswell take an appt with a long wait period IYKWIM?

I hope you can find something, I have a long history with a private dentist due to my very bad teeth & I have spents $1000's literally on my teeth & they're still crap!

Good luck!

[Calluna]

ooh yes! I partially agree with you. I dont think it's healthy in any way for kids to be drinking soft drink and sugary juices (ie anything bought from the supermarket - not sure about homemade juice but it has to be better right?). DS has only had booby milk and water too, oh except once when he was a bit blocked up and had some really dilute prune juice.

The part I agree with is the dentist being soo darn exxy! I've had a tooth ache for a good 6 months now. It's getting worse and now a wisdom tooth is coming through putting pressure on the rest of my teeth on that side of my mouth and hurts like heck! But we just cannot afford for me to go to the dentist.

DS rarely eats anything 'unhealthy' and I brush his teeth religeously but they are still beggining to go yellow So would like to get them proffesionally cleaned sometime soon but again, too exxy...

[Olive]

remember prevention (cheaper) is better than cure

[~Kim~]

Westmead has a kids clinic - not sure how far west you are.

[Calluna]

remember prevention (cheaper) is better than cure

[Trillian]

Mummydreamer, where exactly are you? You can PM me if you like. In my town (West Wyalong) there is a school dental clinic that covers children up to the age of 18 with free dental treatment. They don't even have to be at school yet. There could be a service like that near you - this one operates out of the local school and travels to the next town as well.

I understand what you are saying though, but I think it's a bit of a media beatup to always blame it on what our kids eat. I have 4 kids, they all eat the same things and have a pretty good diet, yet two of them just have crappy teeth. Last year alone we spent $2500 on their teeth - both preventative and treatment for fillings etc and if we didn't have PHI that covered most of that cost we'd not be able to afford it either (I stopped using the free clinic once we got PHI - I didn't think it was right to keep using it). Even last week I took DS1 for a checkup and a mouthguard fitting and the dentist did some fissure seals on 4 of his teeth as a prevention and it cost over $600 just for that and that didn't include the cost of the mouthguard! So it is terribly expensive and I agree that often dental care is just unaffordable for many people. All you can do it make sure you brush their teeth the best you can and try to eat things that will also help.

[Olive]

trillian $600 for 4 fissure seals whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?

[Trillian]

It was 4 fissure seals on his molars at $140 each and then a $50 check up and a $40 flouride treatment. I was actually left with a gap of $78, but the last two times I've been there we've not had to pay the gap. I guess he feels sorry for us LOL. It seems like I'm in there every week. Two weeks ago I had DS2 in there for a filling and a fissure seal, then L was on Friday and E is next friday for 2 more fillings. Last year E had 11 fillings and seals in a single session and it cost nearly $1300 - lucky the gap was only about $125.

[Olive]

i cant believe they were $140 a seal i know they would have gone up but when i was wroking only 4 years ago they were only $40 each

ETA i just made appointments for my girls and i asked how much Fissure seals are now at there $46 each,

[Trillian]

WOW! That is a huge difference. On the hi-caps receipt it had them down as fillings, so I'm guessing the item numbers are key here Nothing like a bit of profiteering hey? Maybe that's why they didn't worry about me paying the gap LOL.

ETA - Jols, just out of curiosity I phoned our dentist's surgery and said my child needed fissure seals and how much would it cost, and I was told $60 if there was no fillings needed otherwise it would be more. Now I know he didn't need fillings because after the checkup, the Dentist said to me that his teeth were fine, but he had deep groves in his 6yo molars so he would seal them to prevent decay etc. So I was definitely scammed LOL. But I'm thinking that I was charged more because he knows we have PHI.

Sorry to take this off track Mummydreamer!