SpaDental supports Dental Check by 1

SpaDental Children’s Days are great fun for the staff, and we hope it’s fun for children too! Read on for information about our ongoing support of Children’s Oral health, and the campaign ‘Dental Check by One’.

We’re encouraging new child patients, as well as children who have been in to see us before, to attend dental examinations. If you weren’t able to bring your children to our recent children’s events, don’t worry. All you need to do is contact the practice to ask when they can make an appointment.

When we have availability, we’re happy to make appointments for children on days that are not designated children’s days too.

Bring a baby in!

It’s good to get a baby used to coming in to see a dentist. Your dentist can start monitoring their dental development and follow their progress. Dentists also share tips on cleaning, diet and teething, for example.

Too often a child’s first visit to the dentist is when there’s a problem. This creates a negative association, so please bring in your babies!

A note about our practices:

Please note – not all SpaDental practices have funding from the NHS, but some do!

NHS funded care

Our practices that have an NHS contract offer children NHS funded dental care. This means that for children under 17, (or 18-year-olds still in full time education) examinations and essential treatment are at no cost to the parent or guardian.  With availability varying, SpaDental practices with an NHS contingent are located in:

• Somerset – Chard
• Devon – Plymouth,
• Cornwall – Saltash and
• Shropshire – Whitchurch.

Alternatives to NHS care

As some of our practices do not have an NHS contract, we have introduced a reduced examination fee for children and offer a special care plan to help make preventive care more affordable. Please ask for more details. Our private only practices also hold children’s days. Although all our dentists offer good care for children, private dental care can be a good option for children who need a little extra time in a more relaxed environment.

Plans for private care

Our private-only practices offering reduced examination fees for children are in:

• Somerset – Glastonbury
• Herefordshire – Ledbury & Ross-on-Wye
• Gloucestershire – Tewkesbury

It’s never too early!

We believe it’s important for children to see the dentist regularly, so we’re supporting government campaigns to help children to grow up with healthy teeth. Therefore, you can register your baby, child or teenager. All a parent or guardian needs to do is contact us to make an appointment at the practice.

Dental Check by 1

The Dental Check by 1 campaign (DCby1) is organised to raise awareness of the need to start monitoring baby teeth as early as possible.

We want children to only have positive experiences at the dentist. It’s a good idea to get babies used to the clinical environment of a dental practice. Moreover, some

You can begin cleaning a baby’s gums even before a tooth comes through. To begin:

• • cradle your baby’s head for security
  • wipe the teeth and gums gently with damp gauze on a finger
  • once teething begins, add a rice-sized smear of fluoride toothpaste

General dental care tips for babies and children are useful, but not enough.

Oral care needs differ from child to child. Therefore, we recommend personalised advice and a tailored routine to follow at home. Moreover, we suggest regular appointments with a dentist so that your babies and children receive the best individual oral health support.

Read more about baby dental care here:

• Baby’s Oral Health (be sure to read the BSPD leaflet linked)
• Teething – gels and alternatives
• Free sugar in baby food 

Useful Links & Information