A free check-up for children at the Faculty of Dental Medicine

After the check-up you will know the state of your child’s teeth and whether anything needs treating. If the child needs treatment, it is done at the faculty too, for a nominal fee that the faculty sets and collects. Treatment with a student does not go through NZOK, the national health fund, and you confirm the fee on site before it starts.

The students and teachers at the faculty care for children gently and without rushing. The student has time to show the child and explain what they will do before starting, and the teacher guiding them oversees the treatment and is responsible for it. Children are treated by senior students who already have experience with patients.

The check-up suits children who can sit in the chair and open their mouth. If you have another child who has not seen a dentist for a long time, you can ask for a check-up for them too. If the case needs a specialist approach or sedation, the teacher will tell you what your child needs and where to go.

A parent or guardian must consent to the child’s treatment. Bring identification and any records from previous treatment, and tell the student about allergies, chronic conditions and any medicines the child takes.

Part of the first visit goes on settling in, because the child has to allow the check-up before treatment is discussed. After the check-up a treatment plan is made and followed, and everything is done calmly so the child feels at ease. If there is something to treat and the child allows it, treatment can start at the first visit.

Beforehand, do not describe the procedure in frightening words and do not promise “it won’t hurt”, because if it does hurt, your child will find it harder to believe you next time. Say simply that the dentist will look at their teeth and count them, pick a time when your child is usually rested, and try not to pass on your own worry.

If the appointment falls in school hours, the faculty gives a medical note for school, so the child’s absence is excused.

How many visits depends on what the check-up shows, but it is usually more than one, and better to know that now. Most visits at the faculty last an hour and a half or two hours, rarely longer, because the teacher checks each stage of the work.

Appointments are on weekdays. You agree the time directly with the student, so you can say when suits you, morning or afternoon, and find a day that works for you both. If treatment takes several visits, you agree each one with the student, and if your child falls ill, message the student and agree another time.

• A swollen cheek, a temperature or bad pain

  If the child’s cheek is swollen or they have a temperature, do not wait for a call: seek emergency care.

  For severe pain, swelling or injury, go to the Faculty of Dental Medicine in your city and ask for a doctor there, or go to an emergency department. The faculty has no emergency surgery. If you have heavy bleeding, difficulty breathing or rapidly increasing swelling, call 112.

• Is there a free dentist for children?

  At the faculty the check-up is free: your child is seen by a student, guided by a paediatric dentist from the faculty. If the check-up finds something to treat, that is done at the faculty too, for a nominal fee that the faculty sets and that you confirm on site.

• Is my child’s treatment at the faculty under NZOK?

  No. Treatment with a student at the faculty does not go through NZOK, the national health fund, and the faculty sets and collects its own fee. The check-up is free, so you can start with it, and if your child needs treatment you confirm the fee on site before it starts.

• Decay in a baby tooth: is it worth treating?

  Baby teeth keep the place for the permanent ones, so they are worth treating rather than waiting for them to fall out. A dark spot on a baby tooth is often decay, and small decay is easier to treat than large, so it is good to have the tooth looked at while the spot is small.