Back To School – Check-Up Appointments For Your Child Before Term Starts

As we move into the home straight before the autumn term begins, parents have a lengthy to-do list that includes buying stationery, packed lunch items, and school uniforms. It’s also important to make sure children go back to school with healthy teeth.

Booking your child in for a routine check-up will put your mind at ease as a parent and ensure they get off to a great start this new academic year. Tooth decay is the most common reason why 5-9 year-olds are admitted to hospital in the UK and in many cases this is for multiple tooth extractions. This equates to 26,000 primary school-aged children.

During the school holidays, it can be hard to monitor what your child is eating. The sudden lack of routine and regular sleepovers and dinner times with friends mean that parents can’t always monitor what their child is eating throughout the six-week summer break.

Orthodontic mouthguards for contact sports

In secondary schools across the UK, the autumn term means the return of several contact sports as part of PE lessons, including hockey for girls and rugby for boys. Here at Smile Up, our orthodontists can create custom-fitting orthodontic mouthguards to protect your child’s teeth from injuries. These type of mouthguards are significantly more effective than over-the-counter ‘boil-and-bite’ versions as they are created so that there is no space between the guard and the teeth, resulting in any contact being absorbed by the guard. The custom fit also protects the jaw joints by cushioning them should any force occur to the lower jaw.

The level of comfort offered by orthodontist-made mouthguards is considerably better than boil-and-bite versions. As they’re made specially for your child’s tooth structure, there will be no issues with gag reflexes and your child will be able to communicate with their team mates on the pitch, fully immersing themselves in the sport without having to constantly remove the guard due to discomfort.

Bringing your child in for bi-annual check-ups will render them less likely to need more complex intervention during their adult lives, saving them thousands of pounds. There is an increasing amount of research linking poor oral and dental health to wider health issues such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease and an unsightly smile can also play a huge role in general wellbeing and confidence.

We are open 6 days a week and Sundays by appointment only. We also speak a diversity of languages including Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Polish and Bulgarian and our website is translatable into the latter with the addition of Greek.

Contact our friendly team today to book your appointment with us here in Lewisham if you’re looking for a Canary Wharf dentist.