Specialist Dental Services - Children

Our specialist services provide dental care for children who may benefit from behavioural techniques, sedation, or general anaesthetic to help them have their dental treatment carried out safely and comfortably. 

We work closely with local General Dentists, who will continue to provide routine dental care once treatment is complete.

For children with additional or complex needs, our service offers ongoing review and long-term care.

Children with additional or complex needs will be reviewed and cared for within this service long term.  As they grow, we will support a seamless transfer into the Special Care Service, ensuring compassion at every stage of their development.

School dental screenings are when dental professionals do examinations of children's mouths and teeth at school.

They provide parents with detailed reports on their child's oral health status and any necessary treatments.

The aim is to identify oral health issues at an early stage and prompt parents to seek the right dental care for their children.

Our team of trained dental care professionals also promote the maintenance and improvement of oral health across the county. They do this by:

• Working with North Northamptonshire County Council, West Northamptonshire County Council, Public Health England, community centres, care homes, nursery schools and other healthcare professionals to deliver a range of initiatives and training to support oral health.
• Ensuring all oral health initiatives are targeted to areas within our county where a high dental need is identified. This means those that need the support the most can access it. 
• Providing oral health education, advice, information and staff training to those who are at a higher risk of developing dental disease and decay. The team particularly focus on children, vulnerable adults and older people.

• Brush twice a day for two minutes
• Use a family fluoride toothpaste
• After brushing, spit out the paste, but don't rinse

• Fresh fruit
• Fruit kebabs
• Cherry tomatoes
• Vegetable sticks of cucumber, carrot or celery
• Dips such as hummus, guacamole and salsa
• Toast with savoury spread
• Homemade, unsalted popcorn. Crumpets or English muffins with a savoury spread
• Cheese 
• Cheese triangles
• Pitta bread
• Breadsticks 
• Rice cakes
• Oatcakes
• Naan breads

The support needed to keep teeth and gums healthy can be different for each person.

TOOTHBRUSHING ADVICE

• Brush the teeth and gums twice a day for two minutes. Night-time before bed and one other time in the day.
• Use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste and spit out after brushing, don't rinse.
• Use a medium bristled manual toothbrush with a small head or an electric toothbrush with a small round head.
• Replace toothbrush every 3 months.

DIET ADVICE

• Keep sugary foods and drinks to mealtimes only. Have healthy snacks and drinks in between meals.
• Water and milk are safe for your teeth in between meals.

• Start brushing your baby's teeth as soon as they appear
• Brush their teeth twice a day using family toothpaste containing 1450ppm fluoride.
• A smear of toothpaste for children under three and a small pea-sized amount for children over 3 years old
• Help your child to brush twice a day for at least two minutes, children up to seven years old will need help with toothbrushing
• Encourage your child to spit after brushing, but not to rinse
• Support your child to use a free flowing cup or a cup without a lid (valve cups are not recommended)
• Encourage your child to enjoy healthy snacks and drinks, plain milk and water are the safest drinks to have between meals
• Discard dummies for children over one year old
• Ensure all medicines are sugar free
• Visit your dentist regularly and take your baby along, it's never too early.

There are many reasons why a child might not be able to leave their home for dental treatment. 

It's best to talk to us about your child's situation so we can work out if they meet our criteria for home dental care. 

This service is normally offered to children that are not able to get to their dental practice because of a disability or medical condition.

Before a home visit, you will have a remote consultation appointment with a member of the dental team who will let you know to confirm if a home visit is right for your child. Your child will be assessed on a home visit to see if it may be best for you to visit one of clinics instead for further assessment or treatment.   

• Patients who can leave their house/care setting to access appointments in a taxi / ambulance / car.
• Patients who leave can their house to access services other including their GP surgery or shopping etc.
• Patients who can travel to clinics via non-emergency patient transport

Treating children in their home or care setting can be very challenging for the dental team.

• They do not have access to all their normal equipment or a dental chair.
• Only minimal treatment is possible at home, such as a dental check-up, smoothing teeth, fluoride application, temporary fillings, and sometimes a tooth extraction.

We may suggest coming into the clinic for a certain treatment as this may be the safest setting for your child. We cannot take X rays or impressions for denture work on a home care visit and patients may need to come to a clinic to have these taken.

If a patient is bedbound, they may need to be referred into a hospital setting for a stretcher transfer to get the treatment they need. However, the first assessment can take place at home.

A dental nurse will visit you at home with the dentist. There may be more clinicians that come along too, as part of our training of staff in home dental care. We may bring a trolley with all our equipment as well as emergency medicines and oxygen.

The child who is having an assessment or treatment should have a private place to do this, to maintain dignity and privacy.

There also needs to be a clean table area, which will be the base for the examination kit. They will also need access to running water. The dentist and dental nurse attending will be wearing blue surgical scrubs and have NHS ID badges. They will need a clean space to put on their personal protective equipment (PPE) which is usually gloves, a surgical mask and a visor.

They will also need to shine a torch in your mouth to get a good view of inside your mouth. The dentist will let the child, and if needed carers or family present, know what they see and will make a treatment plan. They will also need an updated Medical History document with a current list of all your child's medications.

Please make sure any pets are kept in a different room for the visit.

Standard NHS dental charges apply. Some patients will be exempt from paying.

Please visit this NHS website page for more details and a list of exemptions - How much NHS dental treatment costs