Childhood is an important period in a person’s dental life. Most children today have no fear of attending a dental surgery. Young children observe their parents and older siblings accepting oral care as an integral part of life.
However, occasionally children do show signs of fear the first time their teeth are checked or after having a bad dental experience. Often a friend or relative frightening the child either intentionally or unintentionally causes this fear.
Dental appointments for children are very different to that of an adult.
On the first and subsequent visits we aim to provide children with full information about the visit, to help them overcome their anxieties. We firmly believe that this approach prepares the child to enter adulthood with a positive attitude towards dental health.
This is the key to our success. The first visit is always a consultation only, no treatment is performed.
It is essential that a parent/caregiver come with the child for this visit to provide us with important background information and to help the child feel more relaxed.
This visit allows time for the Paediatric Dentist and your child to become familiar with each other.
Successful dentistry for children involves building their trust in our team.
The initial consultation is booked for approximately 45 minutes, where a full history and clinical examination (teeth, gums, soft tissues, occlusion) is performed. Where necessary, radiographs (xrays) and photographs are taken. Once the Paediatric Dentist has performed the examination, the findings are discussed with you. A treatment plan with treatment options are discussed so an informed decision can be made.
Our waiting time for appointments is approximately 4-6 weeks.
We keep a list of patients wanting to come in earlier for either consultation, recall or treatment appointments. Should a cancellation occur and you are available at short notice you will be contacted. Please inform our receptionist if you want to be placed on the cancellation list.
As a courtesy we will confirm your appointment by email and/or phone several days prior (please ensure your most current and preferred mode of contact has been provided to reception).
To prepare your child for their first visit to this practice we suggest the following:
If parents are present in the surgery during consultation, we invite them to be ‘passive observers’. This allows the dental staff to capture the child’s complete attention.
It is preferred parents are not present in the surgery during treatment (depending of course upon their age and their emotional, and physical development).
Parents may watch us work through our glass doors or relax in the waiting room. This allows better trust to develop between the dental team and patient.
We consider the child to be an individual in his or her own right. We aim to show children that as they mature they can deal with minor stress by themselves.
Good dentistry demands the undivided attention of the dentist, assistant and the patient. An anxious parent often provides an unhelpful distraction.