Dental Care for Children

We love working with children, to help them nurture great life-long dental habits.

When to bring your child in for their first appointment

We recommend bringing your child in for an appointment as soon as their teeth begin to appear. Familiarising your child with the dental practice environment from a young age allows them to feel comfortable with their surroundings, and to develop positive associations with visiting the dentist.

What to expect during children’s dental appointments

We will examine your child’s teeth, to check they are developing well and that there are no structural anomalies. We also look at signs of tooth decay, tooth wear, habits that may affect their dentition such as thumb sucking and their oral hygiene. We may ask questions related to their diet and brushing habits, to see if there are any improvements that we can advise you on to reduce the need for fillings or tooth extractions.

Positive reinforcement and encouragement play an important role in inspiring children to take control of their dental health as they grow older. We also support parents, offering advice on how to bolster your child’s dental habits from home.

We’re here for you if you need words of wisdom on how to implement less sugary foods into your child’s diet, or how to make sure your child brushes for the recommended 2 minutes, twice a day. Having young children ourselves, we understand how much of a challenge this can be sometimes and we are never here to judge, only to help you.

My child is nervous of seeing the dentist, what should I do?

The best thing to do is relax! Children will pick up on their parents’ anxieties but equally will relax more when their parents are relaxed.

During your child’s first appointment, it is normal for them to be a little shy to open their mouth. We will advise you to continue bringing them along to regular appointments and once they are familiar with us, they will be confident and happy sitting in the chair. This may take 2-3 visits. We do have a few tips for anyone bringing in a child that is slightly nervous of coming in;

• Dentist role play at home – get a toy dentist set or a plastic mirror to act out a check up.
• Read/watch a programme about visiting the dentist – we enjoy talking to children about when Peppa Pig visits the dentist to see Dr Elephant!
• Bring in a book or teddy with them – if we really struggle to check their teeth at least we can show them how it is done on the teddy.
• Avoid talking negatively about dentists – for example “it is not going to hurt” can be a negative phrase – try “the dentist wants to see how bright and shiny your teeth are, let’s show him/her how well you have been brushing your teeth”.
• If they have a sibling who is happy and confident having their teeth checked, let them go first to show how easy it is.

How to brush