Frequently Asked Questions

Once we have received your referral, a member of the clinical team will review the information provided, considering your child’s symptoms, the treatment they most likely need and your home address. If the referral is accepted, they will use this information to decide the most appropriate person and clinic to see your child.

 

To help us organise referrals effectively, it is important you provide your dentist with as much relevant information as possible and to let them know if anything changes.

 

Even if your child has been referred to our service, your dentist remains responsible for their dental needs. Should your child experience further pain or infection, please contact your usual dentist.

For those who are new to our service, if accepted following referral, the first appointment will be an assessment with a dentist. This typically includes the dentist asking some questions, looking at the teeth and possibly taking X-rays. Please note that the first appointment is a consultation and assessment of treatment need. It is unlikely treatment will be provided at this stage.

It is important that somebody with parental responsibility attends the initial appointment. This means a person that is legally able to give consent for the child. Often this includes people named on the birth certificate (Mum or Dad) or people appointed by the court (arrangement order, special guardianship order, social services arrangement). From a legal perspective, this does not include friends or family members who may be involved in the life and care of the child; however, these people are welcome to support in the decision-making process and may be able to accompany the child to future appointments.

• Information about concerns/problems with teeth
• How you look after the teeth? e.g., brushing habits, diet, attendance at the dentist
• Medical questions about your child’s general health
• Social information including which school your child attends and who lives at home
• Who has parental responsibility?
• Does your child have any support worker or social worker involvement?

Our service provides care for certain patients who cannot be supported by the general dental practitioner. We have specific criteria which your referring dentist can use to determine if a referral is appropriate.

 

All patients who meet our referral criteria will be seen in due course.

 

Unfortunately, we receive some referrals which do not meet these criteria. This may be because an alternative service is needed, or care would best be completed by a General Dentist.  These are returned to the referrer for future management.

When we have finished all the treatment that needs to be completed by our service, most patients then return to their usual dentist for regular check-ups. Should these patients need our support in future we are always happy to see them again following a referral from their usual dentists.