First dental visit at NSPD:
The first dental visit for a child could be the very first time the child has ever been to a dentist or the child has been referred and is being seen for the first time at North Shore Paediatric Dentistry.
This appointment is generally an anxious one for a child in pain as they know that intervention needs to be done but a child who is coming in to see us with no major problems are generally the happy ones.
We at NSPD pride ourselves in providing attention to detail and personalized dental care for children as we believe that every child is different from the other.
The first dental visit generally includes meet and greet the dentist, a comprehensive medical, dental, family and social history taking, identifying the dental issue, diagnosing the issue and a provisional treatment planning. The dentist also uses this appointment as a tool to assess the child’s dental compliance which is a major aspect that determines how the treatment goals are achieved.
Treatment is generally avoided in this appointment unless it is an emergency. This, out of experience suggests that the children are more compliant for following dental appointments.
Services:
Preventative care
Specialist dental care for infants, children and teenagers
Specialist dental care for children with special needs
Management of tongue-tie
Sedation dentistry: Nitrous oxide sedation or happy gas
While some dental problems in children can be managed by non pharmacological techniques and behavior management, others definitely require pharmacological intervention. Happy gas is a pharmacological technique to manage dental problems. Happy gas helps in eliminating pain and dental anxiety in a conscious child. The child under happy gas sedation is awake and is able to respond to verbal commands throughout the dental procedure.
Sedation dentistry: General Anaesthesia
General Anaesthesia is where the child is in a state of deep sedation whilst the dental treatment is being done. This procedure is performed either in a hospital or a day surgery set up and not in the dental practice. Anaesthesia is administered by a Paediatric Anaesthetist. A team is required to execute this procedure and it includes a Paediatric Dentist, Anaesthetist, Dental assistant, theatre staff and recovery staff. Not all hospitals or day surgeries are equipped to perform dental treatment under a General Anaesthetic. Our team at NSPD will discuss all of this in detail after completion of the consultation.
Trauma:
Emergency spots (appointments) are maintained during weekdays in order to provide care for children with dental trauma which means there is a good chance your child will be seen on the same day.
Emergency care:
Dr. Dhanpal is accredited at North Shore Private Hospital for provision of emergency care after hours and on weekends should, the need arise