Childrens Specialist Dental Services

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.

Domiciliary dental care (also known as home dental care) is for patients who are unable to access one of our community clinics. We come to you in your own home or care setting to provide dental check-ups or treatment. This is a referral only service which allows patients who are house bound to access dental care in their own care settings or home.

Please note patients must meet domiciliary eligibility criteria, for example, if they are unable to attend a clinic with or without support. This will be assessed before an appointment is offered.

Although this is a service that is not typically offered to children- each request for a home visit will be assessed independently against the service criteria.

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Who is eligible?
What do we offer?Salaried Primary Care Dental ServicesOral health advice Dental Domiciliary Care

There are many reasons why someone might not be able to leave their home. It's best to talk to us about your situation so we can work out if you meet the criteria. Typically, this service is offered to an individual that is unable to get to their dental practice because of a disability or medical condition. Before a domiciliary visit, patients will have a remote consultation appointment with a member of the dental team to confirm if a home visit is suitable. You will also be assessed on a home visit to see if it may be best to arrange for you to be seen in one of our clinics for further assessment or treatment.

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Patients who can leave their house/care setting to access appointments in a taxi / ambulance / car.
Patients who leave their house to access services including hairdresser / GP / shopping.
Patients who can go to clinics via non-emergency patient transport

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Treating patients 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 very occasionally a tooth extraction.

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

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

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A dental nurse will come with the dentist, there may be more clinicians attending as we do train staff in domiciliary care. We may bring a trolley with all our equipment as well as emergency medicines and oxygen. The patient 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 to act as a base for the examination kit and 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 usually consists of gloves, surgical mask and visor.

They will also need to shine a torch to get a good view inside the mouth. The dentist will let the patient, 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 medication.

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

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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

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Specialist Dental Services - Children

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Specialist Dental Services - Children - St James Clinic

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