A Dentist for Your Child

Getting Your Child Registered

Registering a child with us is simple. Complete the call back form and mention NHS if that's what you're looking for, ring 01382 477350, or message us on WhatsApp at 07984 709110, and we'll arrange the first examination. Bring your child's CHI number if you have it handy, though it doesn't matter if you don't.

Siblings can usually be booked back to back, saving you a second journey across town. There's no need to live in the Ferry itself to register: families from Barnhill, Monifieth and Carnoustie join us, as do families from Dundee itself and from Arbroath up the coast. Your child will see one of our dentists who looks after children.

A private child examination is £38 if you'd rather go that way. ¹ For most families in Scotland, NHS care includes all the treatment a child needs for healthy teeth. Our NHS dentistry page sets out the position for the adults in the family as well.

When to Bring Them for the First Time

The moment the first tooth breaks through, which for most babies is around six months, and certainly before they turn one. You don't need to wait for a full set of teeth or for a child who can sit in the chair unaided.

The whole point of an early visit is that nothing has to be done. Your baby gets to know the room, the bright light and a friendly face, and you get advice while habits around bottles, bedtime and snacking are still forming. A child whose first trip to the dentist is prompted by toothache tends to remember the surgery as somewhere painful, and that memory can linger for years.

What Happens at the First Visit

With a baby or toddler, the first visit is largely a chat with you. Your child sits on your lap, or lies back across your knees facing the dentist, while we count the teeth with a little mirror and check the gums. That takes about a minute. Crying is normal and actually helps, because a crying baby opens their mouth wide.

After that we'll cover teething, dummies, thumb sucking, how much toothpaste goes on the brush, and what's safe to drink between meals. Bring along any questions you've been storing up. X-rays don't form part of a first visit; they're taken later only if there's a reason, such as suspected decay between the back teeth.

An older child who's new to the practice gets a fuller examination: how the adult teeth are erupting, whether the bite is developing as it should, and any early decay or wear.

Childsmile: Fluoride Varnish and Fissure Sealants

Through Scotland's Childsmile programme, every child receives free preventive care via their dental practice, nursery and school. In the practice, the two treatments that make the biggest difference are fissure sealants and fluoride varnish, and there's no drill and no injection involved in either.

For around half an hour after varnish, your child should have nothing but water to eat or drink, and it's best to leave brushing until the following morning. Sealants get checked at every visit and patched if any has worn away. Both are free on the NHS.

Toothbrushing and Sugar at Home

Nearly all childhood decay can be prevented, and the bulk of that prevention happens at home, in the bathroom and the kitchen, rather than in our surgery.

• Begin brushing the moment the first tooth shows, twice daily, and treat the bedtime brush as the one that's never missed
• Choose a toothpaste containing at least 1,000 ppm fluoride (the tube shows the strength). Under-threes need just a smear, and a pea-sized amount from age three
• Get them to spit the foam out afterwards instead of rinsing, so the fluoride stays on the teeth
• Carry on brushing for them, or finishing the job, until roughly age seven, since small children can't reach the back teeth properly
• Water or plain milk only between meals. Juice, squash and fizzy drinks belong with food
• Never settle a child to sleep with a bottle of anything other than water
• Introduce an open or free-flow cup at about six months, and drop bottles entirely by around one year

What causes cavities is how often sugar turns up, not how much. A pudding after tea does far less damage than a carton of juice sipped across an afternoon. Cereal bars, raisins and "no added sugar" smoothies are all sugary snacks, so check the labels.

Helping an Anxious Child

Some children are suspicious of anyone wearing a mask, and some absorb their parent's nerves. We can work with either. We explain each step before it happens, let children hold the mirror or operate the chair themselves, and stop the instant they ask. If the first visit amounts to nothing more than going up and down in the chair, that's still a win.

• Choose a time when your child is normally well rested, not right before a nap or straight after a long day at school
• Don't make a big thing of it beforehand. Something like "we're off to get your teeth counted" will do
• Keep words like hurt, needle or jag out of it, even when you're reassuring them. They plant the idea
• If you're anxious yourself, say so. A calm parent sitting in the corner does more good than you might expect
• Mention any additional support needs at the time of booking, so a longer slot or a quieter part of the day can be arranged

When treatment is needed and a child finds it really hard, it gets broken into short steps across several visits. If a child needs care that can't safely be provided in a high street practice, we refer them on to the NHS Tayside Public Dental Service. How we support adults is described on our nervous patients page.

Signs That Need an Appointment Now

Should you notice any of these, don't hold on for the next routine examination; book in straight away:

• Chalky white lines or brown marks close to the gum, which tend to be decay's earliest sign
• A tooth that's painful with cold drinks or sweet things, or that disturbs your child's sleep
• A pimple or lump on the gum, or a face that has swollen
• Gums that bleed easily during brushing
• An adult tooth appearing behind a baby tooth that hasn't yet come out
• Any knock or tumble involving the mouth, even when the tooth looks undamaged

For knocks, ring us that same day. Never try to put a knocked-out baby tooth back, as the adult tooth growing up above it could be harmed. A knocked-out adult tooth should be returned to its socket, or kept in milk, and your child brought to us straight away. Same-day emergency appointments are held back during our opening hours. The first steps are explained in our dental emergencies guide.

Teenagers: Mouthguards, Braces and Fizzy Drinks

In Scotland, NHS dental care stays free until a young person turns 26, so nothing changes for teenagers when they leave school. The last of the baby teeth go somewhere between 11 and 13, and at that point any crowding or problem with the bite shows itself. Where braces would help, we'll explain the reasons and refer your child for an NHS orthodontic assessment once they meet the criteria.

Any teenager playing rugby, hockey, football or boxing should have a mouthguard built from a scan of their own mouth. It fits snugly, stays put and doesn't get in the way of talking. A custom sports mouthguard costs £190, and it will need remaking as the jaw grows. ¹

Energy drinks and fizzy juice are the biggest cause of the erosion that shows up in teenagers' mouths, with sweet coffee drinks sipped throughout the day not far behind. Using a straw, following up with a glass of water and saving them for mealtimes all help. Our hygienist can go back over brushing technique with teenagers whose standards have started to slip.

Questions

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