What you can expect at your first appointment:

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It is important to establish good dental health practices from an early age and it is recommended that children have their first dental appointment before they reach their first birthday. If your child is in the habit of making routine trips to the dentist, they will have little to fear and any potential problems can be identified early or even prevented.

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As children are at their best early in the day, we would recommend a morning appointment. Once you and your child arrive they will be welcomed into the surgery. Very young children have their teeth examined in a knee to knee situation with the child seated on their parents knees whilst older children are encouraged to sit in the dental chair. Parents are encouraged to observe their child as he/she engages with the dentist whereby a “tell- show-do” technique is employed ie we tell our patients what we are going to do in language that can understand eg. we “count” their teeth. We show our little patients what we are going to do eg. introduce a dental mirror. Then we proceed to actually do the procedure ie. examine the teeth.

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It is important that your child’s first visit is a positive experience and parents are encouraged to speak positively to their child in advance of their forthcoming visit. The rate of progress will depend very much on your child and how receptive they are.

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Lastly we present all our little patients with a little reward to reinforce their good experience whilst we discuss your child’s treatment needs.

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Due to space limitations and social distancing we respectfully request that one parent only attend the appointment and without the child’s other sibling(s).