Specialist children's dental service

The children’s dental team includes:

• A consultant in paediatric dentistry
• Dentists
• Dental therapists
• Dental nurses
• Receptionists

We only see children who are referred to us. People who can refer to us include:

• Dentist
• GP (family doctor)
• Paediatrician (children’s doctor)
• School nurse
• Health visitor
• Social worker

We care for children with:

• Learning disabilities
• Physical disabilities
• Communication difficulties
• Long term mental health conditions
• Long term complex health conditions
• Cleft lip or palate
• Unusual tooth development
• Serious tooth injuries
• Children with 'child protection plans' or 'looked after children' with an identified issue that needs treatment
• Very bad anxiety about dental treatment
• Behavioural challenges

Some children have one course of treatment and then go back to their regular dentist, others stay with us for regular check-ups.

Before you arrive:

• Bring a parent with you to your first visit. If you live with a foster carer or at a residential school, remember to bring information to say who can give consent.
• Fill out the medical history form and the NHS form, these will be is sent by text. Please let us know if you need help filling them out.

When you arrive:

• You’ll need to wait in the waiting room.
• The dental nurse will then call you in to the treatment room.

The dentist will ask you questions about: 

• Any problems you have with your teeth.
• Your general health.
• How you brush your teeth.
• What you eat and drink.
• Your family and home life.
• Your school.

Next, the dentist will check your teeth:

• They will look in your mouth with a small mirror. 
• They will blow air on your teeth and use a stripey stick to see how well you brush. 
• They might take x-ray pictures. 

After the check:

• The dentist will explain what they saw. 
• They will talk about ways to fix any problems and keep your teeth healthy. 
• You can then choose what you want to do next. 
• The dentist will tell you about the visits you need. 
• The receptionist will book your next appointments.

Advice for your child in picture format.

Before you come to your appointment:

• Eat a small meal about two hours before your visit. Don’t arrive very hungry and try not to eat a big meal just before your visit.
• Practice breathing in and out through your nose with your mouth open. 
• Make sure you can breathe through your nose. If you have a blocked nose from a cold, please call the clinics and rearrange your visit.

When you arrive:

• Let the receptionist know that you have arrived.
• Sit in the waiting room.
• The dental nurse will call you into the treatment room. 

In the treatment room:

• You’ll see the happy air machine by the chair. It has four colourful cylinders, lots of tubes, and a green balloon. 
• The dentist will check that your parent or carer has signed the consent form and will ask if your health has changed. 
• The dentist will help you lie back and makes sure you feel comfortalble.
• We will then fit a soft mask over your nose. The masks have nice smelling flavours like strawberry, bubblegum or orange. 
• The dentist will turn on the happy air and show you how to breathe in and out through your nose.
• After a few minutes you begin to feel relaxed and calm. 
• Your parent or carer can sit next to you. 
• When you feel ready the dentist will start your treatment and will keep checking that you are OK.

After your treatment:

• The dentist will switch the mask to give you normal air so you will feel back to normal.   
• We will watch you for a few minutes and ask if you feel OK. 
• The happy air will wear off in about 20 minutes. 
• Before you leave, the dentist and receptionist will book any follow-up visits you need.

Visit the resources page for more information, leaflets, and videos. 

What is an orthopantomography (OPG) x-ray?

• An OPG is a special x-ray that takes a full picture of all your teeth. 
• It will help us check your teeth for decay.
• It will show adult teeth that have not come through yet.
• This x-ray also helps us see if you have any missing teeth. 

When you arrive:

• When you arrive, you will sit in the waiting room with your parent or carer. 
• The dental nurse will call you into the x-ray room when they are ready. 
• They will check your name, date of birth and address. 
• Your parent or carer can come in with you and stand behind a glass window in the room. 

Getting ready for the x-ray:

• The dental nurse will ask you to take off any earrings, hair clips, glasses, or piercings. This is so nothing shows up on the x-ray picture. 
• The nurse might move the machine up and down to get the right height for you.
•  You will bite on a plastic peg with your front teeth. 
• The nurse will make sure your head is in the correct position and a small plastic rest is placed on your forehead to keep your head straight.
• If you are worried, the nurse can show you how the machine works first.  

During the x-ray:

• The nurse will ask you to stand very still.
• They will step back and press a button to start the x-ray.
• You will hear a beep as the machine moves around your head in a circle. 
• The x-ray only takes about ten seconds. 

After the x-ray:

• You will see a picture of your teeth. 
• Your x-ray will be sent to your dentist so they can look at it.

Before your appointment:

• You will get an arrival time. This will tell you when you need to check in not when your treatment starts. 
• There can be lots of waiting at the hospital, so try pack something to keep you entertained like a magazine or a colouring book.
• Wear comfortable clothes. You might be a little bit dribbly after your sleep!

Who you might meet:

• Dentists and dental nurses: they will wiggle out any bad teeth.
• Anaesthetists: these doctors help you fall asleep and wake up safely.
• Nurses: they look after you before and after you sleep. 
• Operating department practitioners: they help the anaesthetist to look after you while you sleep.

When you arrive you will meet:

• A nurse. They will put a name bracelet on your wrist and will put some cream on your hand. They will give you special medicines, check your temperature and check how much you weigh.
• An anaesthetist. Will ask about your health and will explain the different ways they can make you sleep.
• A dentist. They will make sure you and your parents are happy with the tooth removal plan and check if you have any wobbly teeth.

Getting ready for sleep 

• A dental nurse will call you into the treatment room.
• You lie on a big bed, and your parent will be with you.
• The anaesthetist will check your bracelet again. 

You will go to sleep by either: 

• Breathing 'sleepy air' through a mask.
• Having a milky medicine through a tiny tube.

While you sleep  

• Your parent will wait in the waiting area. 
• The dentist and dental nurse will gently remove any bad or loose teeth. 
• The anaesthetist will stay with you and make sure you are safe.
• You won’t remember anything while you sleep.

Waking up 

• The anaesthetist will help you to wake up.
• You may feel a bit confused or be drowsy. 
• Your mouth and gums may feel numb where you had special medicine. 

After you wake 

• Your parent will comes back into the room. 
• You’ll move onto the ward, this is a special room with lots of beds.
• You can have soft food when you’re ready, this might be jelly or yoghurt.

Going home 

• When you have eaten some food, the nurses will check if you are OK. When they are happy you will be able to go home. Plan a nice, quiet weekend to relax and get better.
• For more information, leaflets and videos – have a look at our resources page.