Child Friendly Dentistry
Expressions and its staff see huge holes in the provision of dental care in Ireland. Particularly in the early age groups. When new-born until 6 years old there is no availability for dental care for most parents, and whilst there was always the option to seek private dentistry, patients were often met by dentists who have little understanding of the paediatric mouth other than as a mini adult.
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The management of all children requires a calm and step-wise approach allowing the child to progress through treatment at their own pace in a warm, fun and welcoming atmosphere. To aid the introductions, we have a really cool story book which can be borrowed to read through who you will meet and what will happen during your visit. This can also be beneficial for older children with additional support needs to make the visit less daunting.
We have utilised numerous behavioural techniques to help earn trust and create a calming environment that suits all ages and all needs. We have the ability to modify the environment to suit sensory needs including reduced noise and lighting, AV distraction, gravity blanket for emotional support and physical contact.
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For children with a more simple anxiety, we can work with them to acclimatise them to us and our clinic, we can help to work with them to build the confidence over a prolonged period of time that is often not viable under the state-funded schemes. We always use topical gel prior to injections for much more comfortable anaesthesia, and we can provide muscular distraction techniques to alleviate the common discomfort of the procedure.
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For emergency treatment that requires a more speedy intervention, we can refer for sedation or anaesthesia, but for the long-term benefit to the patient we are confident that a caring and comfortable pace with the right techniques will over time prove beneficial to their long-term dental health.
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Our Staff possess no postgraduate certificates, specialisms or specialist referral practice. We believe that the place for young children and patients with special requirements of us is in general practice. The convenience of seeing a local dentist with a passion and empathy that doesn’t require a 3-hour round trip to the local urban centre or specialist clinic is a prize for our local community.
We welcome you to our practice, and we can't wait to welcome your children to a life time of enjoyable fearless dentistry!