Children's Dentist

Getting Your Child Registered

We're taking on new child NHS patients at our practice. Use the call back form and choose the NHS option, or ring 01555 662441, and we'll set up the first dental examination. A CHI number is useful if you have one handy, though it isn't essential.

We can usually see brothers and sisters in consecutive slots, so the whole family gets done in a single trip. And because Scotland has no catchment areas for NHS dentistry, families from Kirkfieldbank, New Lanark, Carluke, Carstairs, Lesmahagow, Forth, Biggar or Douglas can register just as easily as those living in the town. Children are seen by our dentists, Dr Akça, Dr Flessas and Dr Gray.

Private care is there if you want it, with a private child examination at £38. ¹ Most parents choose the NHS, which pays for everything a child needs for healthy teeth. Mums, dads and other adults in the family can join too: we're taking new adult NHS patients as well, and our NHS dentistry page explains how.

When to Book the First Visit

Book once that first tooth pokes through, usually at about six months, and aim to have been in before the first birthday. Waiting for a full mouth of teeth, or until your child can manage the chair alone, only delays things.

Early visits work precisely because there's nothing to fix. Your baby meets a new face and gets used to the light and the sounds, and you get advice while routines around bedtime, bottles and snacks are still taking shape. A child whose first trip happens because of a sore tooth often files the dentist away as the place that hurt, and that impression can be hard to shift.

What Happens at the First Appointment

With a baby or toddler, most of the appointment is a chat with you. Your little one stays on your knee, or lies back across your lap so their head is towards the dentist, and we use a small mirror to count teeth and check the gums. It's over in about a minute. Tears are fine. Crying actually helps, because it means the mouth opens wide.

After that we cover teething, dummies and thumb sucking, how much toothpaste to put on the brush, and which drinks are safe between meals. Come armed with whatever questions you've been storing up. We don't take X-rays at a first visit; they're only needed later if there's a reason, such as a possible cavity hiding between two back teeth.

An older child joining us for the first time has a more thorough look: how the adult teeth are arriving, whether the bite is growing as it should, and any early signs of decay or wear.

Childsmile Varnish and Fissure Sealants

Childsmile is Scotland's national programme for children's teeth, and it reaches families through dental practices, nurseries and schools. In the practice, the two most useful preventive treatments are fluoride varnish and fissure sealants. Neither one needs a drill or an injection, and both are free on the NHS.

Once varnish is on, it's water only for roughly 30 minutes, and leave brushing until the following morning. We look at sealants every visit and patch them up if a bit has worn off.

Looking After Teeth at Home

Children's tooth decay can nearly always be prevented, and nearly all of that prevention takes place at home rather than at the practice.

• Brush twice a day from the very first tooth. If one session has to slip, never let it be the one before bed
• Choose a toothpaste with 1,000 ppm of fluoride or more; the figure is on the tube. Under-threes need only a smear, and from three a pea-sized amount is right
• Teach them to spit the froth out and not rinse, so the fluoride keeps working
• Do the brushing for them, or at least finish it off, until they're around seven. Small hands can't get to the back teeth properly
• Between meals, stick to water or plain milk. Keep juice, squash and fizzy drinks for mealtimes
• If a bottle goes to bed with your child, make sure it holds nothing but water
• Move from a bottle to an open or free-flow cup from about six months, and aim to be finished with bottles by around their first birthday

Cavities come from how often sugar hits the teeth, not just how much. A pudding after dinner is far kinder than a carton of juice sipped all afternoon. Dried fruit, cereal bars and smoothies labelled "no added sugar" all count as sugary, so check the packet.

Helping a Nervous Child

Some children are uneasy around anyone wearing a mask, and others soak up a parent's own worries. Either way, that's fine. We tell children what's coming before it happens, let them hold the mirror or work the button that raises the chair, and stop the moment they want us to. A first appointment that's nothing more than a ride up and down in the chair is still a good result.

• Choose a time when your child is usually at their best, not just before a nap or the minute school finishes
• Keep the run-up casual. Something like "the dentist wants to count your teeth" is enough
• Steer clear of words such as hurt, needle or jag, even when you mean to reassure. They put the idea in their head
• If you're nervous yourself, let us know. A relaxed parent sitting nearby makes a bigger difference than most people expect
• Tell us about any additional support needs when you book, so we can offer a longer appointment or a quieter part of the day

When a child needs treatment and finds it really hard, we break it into small steps across several visits. If the care a child needs can't safely be given in a high street practice, we'll refer them to the NHS Lanarkshire Public Dental Service. Our nervous patients page explains how we support adults as well.

Signs to Get Checked Sooner

Don't wait for the next dental examination if you notice any of these. Book an appointment instead:

• Dull white lines or brown marks along the gum line, often the earliest sign of decay
• A tooth that twinges with cold or sweet things, or wakes your child in the night
• A bump or swelling on the gum, or a swollen face
• Gums that bleed readily when brushed
• An adult tooth pushing up behind a baby tooth that's still in place
• Any bump or fall that catches the mouth, even when the tooth seems fine

After a knock, phone us that day. Never push a knocked-out baby tooth back in, as it can damage the adult tooth forming above it. A knocked-out adult tooth should go straight back into its socket, or into milk if that isn't possible, and your child should be brought to us right away. We hold same-day emergency slots while we're open. Our dental emergencies guide covers the first steps.

Teenagers, Sport and Braces

Teenagers carry on as NHS patients with us into adulthood, and their NHS dentistry stays free until their 26th birthday. Somewhere between 11 and 13 the last baby teeth come out, and any crowding or bite problem becomes clear. If braces would help, we'll explain why and go through the options with you, from fixed braces to aligners.

Young people who play rugby, hockey, football or boxing need a mouthguard made from a scan of their own teeth. It fits snugly, doesn't slip and still lets them talk. A made-to-measure sports mouthguard costs £190, and it'll need replacing as the mouth grows. ¹

Fizzy drinks and energy drinks cause most of the enamel erosion we see in teenagers, along with sweet coffees sipped through the day. Drinking through a straw, following up with water and saving these drinks for mealtimes all make a difference. If a teenager's brushing has started to slip, our hygienist, Fiona Dyer, can help them get back on track.

Questions

This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.