Where can I find a Paediatric Dentist in La Lucia?
La Lucia is a serene suburb found between the Durban North and Umhlanga areas. A paediatric dentist in La Lucia can be found at the La Lucia mall. This exclusive mall is conveniently located in central La Lucia and houses a branch of the well-known Family Dental Care Group. There is paid and free parking on site with round the clock security. The child friendly dentist at the La Lucia branch of Family Dental Care is available from
- 8:30 – 17:30 on Weekdays
- 8:00 – 13:00 on Saturdays
What is a Paediatric Dentist?
A paediatric dentist specializes in the oral health of children from the time that their first tooth comes through right up until their teenage years. This is the period when the baby and adult teeth first come out so oral health during this time is very different from adults. These are also the years when a child should start being introduced to a family dentist. The Family Dental Care Group’s paediatric dentist in La Lucia is the ideal start. Besides being trained to deal specifically with kid’s teeth, our paediatric dentists also bring along years of expertise in dealing with the emotional part of a child’s visit to the dentist. It is the perfect way to get kids used to the idea of going to a dentist and building up a relationship with a family dentist. Dental visits have long been a scary task for kids which is why the Family Dental Care Group branch in La Lucia have included televisions and equipment in their rooms to make the visit a little easier to process. Putting off a visit to the dentist will not do your child any favours. It is better to do the recommended 6 monthly check-up visits from the time the first teeth breaks through. A small session of cleaning and fluoride treatments is better than multiple sessions of fillings later on.
What treatments does our Paediatric Dentist in La Lucia Offer?
- Dental cleaning- the most basic treatment offered by our paediatric dentist in La Lucia is a dental cleaning. Standard at all check-ups, a professional dental clean will remove plaque build-up that is not removed by daily home brushing alone. Plaque build-up is the cause of cavities, gingivitis and periodontal disease. Taking your child to our paediatric dentist in La Lucia twice a year allows for the dental cleaning procedure to remove this build up before it becomes a problematic affair.
- Fluoride treatments- this is one of the most basic preventative options offered by our paediatric dentist in La Lucia. A fluoride treatment is applied to the teeth from a child’s first dentist appointment and serves the purpose of protecting their teeth from forming cavities.
- Dental sealants- dental sealants are an added layer of protection for the back teeth. These teeth have tiny grooves and because they are mainly used for chewing, it makes it easier for food particles to become stuck in these grooves. Once this happens, it is very difficult to remove them with brushing alone. A dental sealant is a plastic coating that is painted onto these teeth to make them smooth enough that it is easily cleanable with a home brushing. Being a preventative method to tooth decay, it is advised to see our paediatric dentist in La Lucia as soon as the child’s adult molars are out.
- Tooth extractions- one of the scariest scenarios in a dentist’s office for children and adults alike, is getting a tooth removed. Even if you have previously been through the process and know that it is painless and fast, it remains dreaded. A paediatric dentist is trained to handle the situation with care and the gentleness needed for young ones. Our child friendly dentist will use a local anaesthetic to numb the area so that the tooth can be extracted painlessly. If the child is extremely nervous and will be a problem lying still, then sedation will be necessary.
- Fillings- the filling used by our paediatric dentist in La Lucia is white composite. Fillings are used to fill up a space where a portion of the tooth has been removed due to decay. There are no harmful effects with composite fillings and they fit easier into smaller holes in the tooth which means only the decayed area and not much of the tooth will have to be chipped away. White composite is also the preferred choice by our paediatric dentist in La Lucia because they make the tooth look natural, whether it is molars out back or the front teeth.
- Space maintainers- when kids lose their baby teeth earlier than expected, other teeth will soon start moving in and taking up a bit of that space. However when the permanent teeth meant for that space does come in, it will mean overcrowding, leading to future orthodontic visits. This is where a space maintainer comes it. The metal device will be attached to the teeth to fill out the space of the fallen tooth until the permanent one comes through.
Sedation Options for Nervous Children
There are 2 sedation options offered by our paediatric dentist in La Lucia.
The first is for kids to be consciously sedated at the rooms of our paediatric dentist in La Lucia. Conscious sedation is where a patient will be given a set of medicines designed to block pain and put the patient into a state of unawareness. Your child will be awake but will be so relaxed that they will not be fully aware of any dental procedures being performed on them. The paediatric dentist then has an easier time to do their job which goes faster now that the child is not nervous and moving about.
The second option is for kids to undergo general anaesthesia. This will be done by our paediatric dentist in La Lucia in a theatre at a local hospital. Here your child will not be awake at all. General anaesthesia is done when there are a lot of procedures to be done such as multiple tooth extractions and the dentist would prefer for the patient to be fully under sedation.
