Helping you and your kids enjoy better oral health
Wickham Terrace Dental’s newest dentist Dr Chau Tang is now well-established in our CBD practice, and impressing her patients both young and old.
Since she joined our team in 2017 as an Oral Health Therapist, we’ve been super impressed with Chau’s sunny attitude, her dentistry knowledge, and her calm and soothing way with patients.
We sat down with Chau to chat about what makes her tick, why she pursued a career in dentistry, and how she believes that educating kids about their oral health is one of the most important things a dentist can do.
Committed to learning and ongoing professional development
For Chau, the chance to talk to her patients each day is what she most looks forward to.
“I just love interacting with my patients,” Chau said. “And of course, every person is different. I love getting hands-on and discovering how I can help improve their oral health.”
Chau graduated with a Bachelor of Oral Health from the University of Queensland and was awarded First Class Honours for her research in Paediatric Dentistry in 2011.
She’s also graduated with Academic Excellence from her Bachelor of Oral Health in Dental Science and achieved a Graduate Diploma in Dentistry from Griffith University.
For her Honours project Chau conducted research on the diet and sugar consumption of more than 700 two year olds. What she found reinforced her desire to help improve kids’ oral health.
“Once the critical pH in a child’s mouth gets up to about 5.5, it’s an acidic environment that will start to demineralise their teeth and cause decay,” Dr Chau said.
“We found that with kids’ sugar consumption, what’s more important than the amount of sugar they consume is the frequency,” said Chau. “If they’re continually snacking on sugary drinks and sweets, their saliva never has the chance to lower that pH level.”
“That’s why allowing babies to feed from juice bottles overnight is very bad for their oral health,” she said.
Even with such impressive academic achievement, Chau’s not content to rest on her laurels. She’s passionate about continuing her professional development, and looking to undertake future training in both Myobraces and CEREC.
A passion for improving kids’ oral health
Chau is committed to making a trip to the dentist a positive experience for children. It’s a process that starts right from their first visit – which she recommends should be as soon as their first tooth has erupted.
“With really young children, their first visit is more about helping them to get used to the dental environment,” Chau said. “I encourage parents to bring their kids in for that first appointment at the same time as mum or dad are having their teeth checked.”
“It’s great for kids to experience the environment, see the chair and tools, and just realise there’s nothing to worry about when you visit the dentist,” she said.
Even though of course your kids’ baby teeth will naturally fall out, it’s still very important to take care of them and ensure they’re healthy.
So from about the age of four, Chau suggests bringing your children in for a comprehensive dental checkup every six months.
“You don’t want your child to lose their teeth too early, whether because of decay or other problems,” said Chau. “Early tooth loss can mean kids need orthodontics – which is an expense I’m sure mum and dad could do without!”
Book your appointment to meet Chau today
It’s easy to make an appointment with Chau for yourself or your child.
Adults can take advantage of our comprehensive New Patient Special for just $249. Your package includes:
- Comprehensive dental examination
- Complete oral health check
- Full diagnostic photos and x-rays
- 10 point oral cancer check
- Full professional clean and polish
- Fluoride treatment
Please get in touch with us to talk about an appointment to suit your child’s particular age and circumstances. You can even bring them in to see us before school – Chau offers appointments from 8am Monday and from 7:30am Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
We’ve found these early appointments are very popular with CBD workers too. So it’s easier than ever to take care of your oral health with us!
To book your appointment with Dr Chau, fill out the simple form here or call us now on 3831 3031.