Adolescent children- Choose your dentist!

Christo from Schnapper Rock

There are a lot of emphasis nowadays on allowing children to make informed choices, however, as a contracted dental provider we are concerned that children and their parents are not always well informed about the choices available regarding the free oral health services provided by the Ministry of Health.
Too often we have young adults attend our surgery with much neglected oral care. Parents are often under the wrong impression, thinking they have no choice in the matter and that their child has to see the school bus, and that treatment at a private clinic will incur a charge. We need to get the message out to parents that they can choose to take their child to the dentist they trust with their own treatment and that the mobile services are there when this is not convenient. Children, unfortunately, can not see both the school bus and a private contracted dentist. If you choose to register your child with a private surgery, please advise your child not to attend the school bus when they visit their school . Further information can be found on our website HERE and to register as a patient, please click HERE
The benefit of registering with a practice, is that if an emergency arises (either toothache or accidents), they will be seen by a dentist familiar to them at a location and time convenient to them. It also has the benefit of continuing treatment at the same surgery (who holds all the previous records) once they leave school.

We all want to give our children the best start in life. We want them to grow, develop and thrive. Healthy teeth play an important role in a child’s development, helping them to eat and speak properly. Nice teeth are important for self confidence later in life.

The system explained -The service is free

Children in New Zealand are entitled to free basic oral health services from 0 to 17 years of age, until their 18th birthday.

If your child is in school year 9 or above, you can choose your dentist . Simply call us and book an appointment and we will provide the necessary documentation for them to register with us.



Children YOUNGER THAN 13 years (up until they start year 9) are to be seen by the mobile unit or the dental community clinic and will be referred to a contracted dentist for specialised treatment should the need be.

Preschool , primary school and intermediate schoolchildren are seen at the local community dental clinic (North Cross Intermediate Community Dental Clinic is the closest to us). It’s important to enrol your child as early as possible into the service so that you can arrange the first check-up. Your child’s first visit will usually be between their 1st and 2nd birthdays. Dental staff will let you know the timing of your appointment once you enrol.

It’s easy to enrol, just call 0800 Talk Teeth (0800 825 583). They will guide you through it and send out the right forms for you to fill in. If your child is a pre-schooler or at primary school, fill in the forms and post them to your local oral health service. If you are unsure where this is, call them or visit www.letstalkteeth.co.nz... .

ACC - Accidents all children

Children of all ages should contact the family dentist (us :-) ) in case of an accident and all treatment will be covered by ACC.

Keep checking

Don’t wait for teeth problems; take your child for regular check-ups. Your dental therapist or dentist will let you know how often you need to take your child. Dental check-ups for young children mean that problems are recognised and treated early. Try to get an appointment for a time when your child is not tired and always be positive about dental visits. Use positive language such as “keeping your teeth healthy” and “keeping your smile beautiful”.

Get into oral health

It’s easy. It’s free. And it’s never too late to enrol your child.

Teeth tune-up

Standard treatments are free and include:

• Check-ups involve a routine examination, checking teeth for decay and looking at gums and mouth for any problems.

• X-rays are used to find tooth decay and other problems that can’t be seen.

• Fluoride treatment helps make the surface of the teeth more resistant to decay.

• Fissure sealants are a thin layer of white filling, painted on to teeth that are at risk of developing tooth decay.

• Cleaning removes plaque, staining and tartar from teeth.

• Fillings are used to restore teeth that have been affected by tooth decay.

• Extractions to remove teeth that have been badly affected by tooth decay.

Please encourage your children to make use of this service, it will save them (and possibly you ) lots of money in future.

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Kind regards

Annelize



Tel: 09-4787830

Website: www.grevilledental.co.nz...

E-mail: info@grevilledental.co.nz

18 Hauraki Crescent, Pinehill, Auckland 0632

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