Your first dental visit
When your child visits Toothbeary for the first time, we want to ensure they receive the best dental care possible. We will carry out a full initial oral assessment which involves examination of the lips, tongue, teeth, jaws, bite, gums, soft and hard palate as well as a full carries risk assessment. This is also checked at the beginning of every future dental and hygiene appointment too.
Your child’s first visit to our private dental practice based in Richmond, London
The full dental assessment allows us to assess the oral health of your child and identify any changes such as tooth decay, oral conditions, gum health, tooth loss/eruption, abscess or trauma. Additionally, we will take intraoral x-rays if needed.
Creating a fun and positive dental experience
We want kids to look forward to going to the dentist because it should be a fun place where they can learn about the value of having healthy teeth as they grow and develop.
The first appointment also includes an oral hygiene scale and polish with one of our qualified hygienists. We will polish their teeth and eliminate any stains, plaque, or calculus. In addition, our hygienist will also provide advice on oral health and may demonstrate to your child how to clean their teeth properly at home, such as flossing. If your child is under three years of age, then a full oral hygiene procedure is not necessary at this stage.
After the initial check-up
The results from the examination will determine whether your child will benefit from dental treatment or not. Our team can then advise you of the most appropriate and suitable treatment route for your child. We will give you tips and guidance, in terms of prevention through oral hygiene routines, diet advice and appropriate recalls for routine check-ups and cleans.
Important Information for parents and guardians
At Toothbeary, we welcome parents and guardians to accompany their children during all appointments if possible. If not, we recommend attending the initial appointment as parental participation is important.
We need you to provide essential information about your child’s medical and dental history, and we want to ensure all your queries and questions are answered.
It is also important for us to explain the effective methods we use to accompany treatment where required.
Our main focus is to make parents, guardians and children feel very welcome and relaxed during visits. We strive to create a fun atmosphere where kids can learn the importance of healthy teeth and dentistry as they transition into adulthood. Accompanying your child to their dental visits can give them a sense of comfort especially if they’re feeling anxious. Participation and a positive attitude from parents can sometimes show the child to relate dental visits with a positive experience.
“It is a common rule of law and ethics that all dental team members who are delivering treatment should have consent before beginning a procedure”
Consent is super important when visiting the dentist, this ensures that the information given to you was explained clearly, where you understand the benefits of the dental treatment offered as well as any potential side effects.
It is our duty as a paediatric dental clinic to ensure the following;
- The patient receives sufficient information on the advantages and disadvantages of all acceptable treatment alternatives (including none at all).
- Patient enquiries should receive honest and thorough responses.
- At each appointment and during each course of treatment, we must confirm that the patient still comprehends the risks and advantages of the procedure to be carried out.
- Confirm the patient is aware of the price of any suggested treatments.
- Keep record of all discussions with the patient regarding the advantages and disadvantages of various alternatives.
In the case of Toothbeary the majority of consent obtained is from the legal parent and/or guardian rather than the child who would be the patient. When a child is under a certain age, consent must be obtained as such. If the child is above a certain age then they can consent to their own treatment.
Sometimes parents/guardians are referred to us by another clinic, which means that the children may have recently seen a dentist and had a dental examination. However, it is our duty of care to provide a full dental assessment at Toothbeary before recommending or performing any treatment. The assessment will allow us to ensure we provide the best possible treatment recommendation.
In addition to this, we will get to know the child and their cooperation level to identify the best method to support the treatment.
Please feel free to talk to our dentist about any queries and worries you may have. Please keep in mind that your feelings towards dental visits may differ greatly from that of your child.
Be mindful not to associate any dental worries you may have with your child. By maintaining good composure in the dental examination room, parents can provide great moral support.
If you have any questions for our health care professionals, bring these with you to your child’s initial dental visit.
Initial oral health assessment costs
To help keep our initial health assessments as affordable as possible, we ensure our prices are extremely competitive when compared to other specialist paediatric dentists in London.
| Treatment | Cost |
|---|---|
|
Initial oral health assessment including x-rays if clinically necessary (over 3s) |
£275 |
|
Initial oral health assessment including x-rays if clinically necessary (under 3s) |
£225 |
Book a children's oral health assessment
Expert children's dental team
Principal dentist and director – GDC No 103947
Our gentle & caring team at Toothbeary is led by practice principal Dr Nicole Sturzenbaum.
Nicole has over 24 years extensive dentistry experience and has always strived to make a positive impact on children’s dentistry. Her vision of high standard dentistry within a child orientated environment is encapsulated in Toothbeary. Toothbeary is more than just a dental practice.
Teaching your child about how to look after their teeth
Teaching children how to look after their own teeth at home is an important part of the initial oral health assessment.
You can read more about how we do this on the webpages below:
Our leading and most trusted children’s referral practice in London
Children's dental practice review from Google Business
“This was our best dental experience in years. My son and I, we felt safe and protected. The practitioners were very kind and approachable, communication was clear and we were accommodated at the maximum comfort. The practice is very clean, high hygiene level and the environment does not give the feeling of being in a hospital. Even if we live far from the practice, we will remain to this practice for all the professional manner we were treated.
Many thanks to the whole team!”
Child and parent satisfaction is very important to us
Book a children's oral health assessment
Positive Experience
Our unique approach to treating your child is designed around building trust and confidence through positive experiences so we can promote and reinforce good oral hygiene habits whilst instilling the need to care for their own teeth.
