January 13, 2021

Successfully treating children is a combination of fantastic communication, and confidence in one’s own ability.  At Bristol Dental Specialists our Specialist in Paediatric Dentistry, Rebecca John, certainly has both strengths, and is one of only eighty children’s dental NHS consultants currently working in the UK.

Paediatric dentistry is a skill, if you are confident that you can deliver pain free treatment in a friendly and calming environment, then younger patients will have a positive attitude towards all future dental treatment.

Rebecca often receives referral letters saying that a child needs dental treatment, but even with their dentist’s best efforts, they were unable to tolerate this care. Often, when the same child is treated in a time rich and child-friendly surgery, they can accept care without the need for complex interventions.  Where this is not possible, Rebecca uses relative analgesia (nitrous oxide, often referred to as laughing gas) to calm the child to a point where they can cooperate with treatment.

As with other areas of dentistry and healthcare, prevention is better than cure, however, once a child has been diagnosed with a dental problem then treatment is a must. Where a dentist is unable to treat the child then referral to a specialist may be appropriate. Dental caries (decay) is still unfortunately one of the top five reasons for a child to have a general anaesthetic, but this should not be necessary if appropriate steps are taken to either treat or refer.

Another time when a young child may be referred is when they have suffered dental trauma, following an accident for example.  It can be heart-breaking to see your child’s teeth damaged or broken.  Receiving the appropriate care as soon as possible after the trauma is key to a good outcome and dentists either taking advice from, or referring to, a more experienced paediatric dental colleague can make a huge difference.

Using state of the art 3D scanning technology removes the need for gloopy impressions, at Bristol Dental Specialists we have found that every child is fascinated with this ‘cool’ technology, a great distraction and talking point!  Being a multi-disciplinary practice is a real bonus, as should a child require a different specialist (most commonly an orthodontist) then this can occur seamlessly. All records are shared with a patient’s own dentist and treatment can start quickly without the need for lengthy waiting lists.

We look forward to meeting new patients and your child will be in the safest of hands, Rebecca genuinely loves her job and knows that she can treat our very special younger patients and achieve amazing results.  She is well supported by our experienced nursing team, who work hard to ensure that a calm and caring environment gives children a positive attitude to visiting.  Bristol Dental Specialists are currently offering free initial video consultations and children can be referred to us by their dentist, or directly, using our online self-referral form.

With great care your child’s teeth will last them a lifetime – now isn’t that something to smile about.