Healthy children's teeth are the healthy adult teeth of the future

A deep rooted fear of the dentist often comes from negative experiences as a child. A positive interaction goes a long way when encouraging children to return to the dentist and allows appointments to be more focused on prevention rather than cure.

The first dental appointment is typically recommended before the age of one or when the primary teeth begin to emerge. Regular checks up are encouraged at least once a year, ideally every six months or, as expected, more frequently if there are issues such as cavities. Specific annual check-ups are intended by the law as dental exams between the ages of:

• 30 and 36 months
• 42 and 46 months

For all children age 18 and under in Luxembourg, dental treatment is eligible for 100% reimbursement through the parents' health insurance.

Dentists will establish a trusting and cooperative relationship with a child and put them at ease using a professional but fun and friendly manner. Ideally, it sparks the child's interest and enthusiasm about the world of dentistry to avoid a future phobia.

In Luxembourg, you can register your child with any dentist of your choice, be it a pediatric dentist or a family dentist. Pediatric dentists are deemed more qualified to deal with all round child oral health and aim to prevent children from suffering more serious problems as adults. They can treat different oral diseases from early childhood and their specific training and qualifications focus on the growth, development and treatment of children’s teeth.

They are responsible for exploring a childs’ oral health and detecting possible abnormalities in the deciduous teeth (primary, milk or baby teeth). They are expert in cases when children have complex medical needs, extreme anxiety, have had dental trauma (such as from sport or recreational activities) or have dental developmental problems.

Dentistry for children and adolescents typically encompasses;

• Prophylaxis and caries management
• Trauma Management
• Periodontal management
• Occlusion Management
• Patient care
• Managing control reminders

Click below for our list of (some!) practices and practitioners tried and tested by fellow parents for their kind and reassuring approach with children.

You can search Doctena for a comprehensive list of dentists and pediatric dentists across Luxembourg. Search parameters such as preferred language and location (including online support) will hopefully make your search as pain free as possible!

School medical exams

Monitoring of the dental health of pupils in preschool and primary education is carried out by the School Dental Medicine Department of the School Medicine Division. It is carried out in all municipalities in Luxembourg that do not have their own dental medicine department. The first oral examination is in the first year of preschool with an oral examination scheduled each year thereafter for primary school students.
 
The main objectives of oral examinations are:

• Early detection of dental caries
• Dental malpositions
• Monitoring the harmonious development of the teeth and jaws

Additionally, dental hygiene education compliments oral examinations. These are aimed at all students in preschool and primary education where students can learn how to brush their teeth properly, eat healthily and visit the dentist regularly.

See our article here for further information on dental health screenings and our article here about the role of dental hygiene.