Our children’s dentistry goes far beyond routine check-ups.
It’s about creating positive experiences that shape your child’s relationship with oral health for life.
Our children’s dentist and child-focused team understand that young patients have unique needs, from their first tooth to their teenage years. We combine gentle, age-appropriate care with a welcoming environment designed specifically for children, because we believe dental visits should be something kids look forward to, not fear.
Our mission of ‘care beyond the chair’ means we’re invested in your child’s comfort, confidence, and long-term oral health success, building trusting relationships that make every visit a celebration of their growing, healthy smile.
Our Children’s Dentistry Services
Every day, we create positive dental experiences that set the foundation for lifelong oral health, making visits fun and educational while providing the specialised care growing smiles need.
General & Preventative Dentistry
Children’s preventative care focuses on building healthy habits from the start. From gentle examinations and fun cleanings to tooth-colored fillings and early cavity prevention, we make dental care an adventure rather than a worry. We provide fluoride treatments, protective sealants for molly teeth, and custom sports mouthguards for active kids. Our patient, playful approach helps children feel comfortable and excited about taking care of their teeth.
Children’s Orthodontics
Early orthodontic intervention can prevent more complex problems later. Properly aligned teeth are easier for children to clean and support healthy jaw development. We offer fun, colorful traditional braces and clear aligners for teens who prefer discretion. Our child-focused orthodontic plans emphasise comfort, compliance, and creating smiles that children are proud to share.
Dental Implants & Restorative Dentistry
When children experience tooth damage or loss from injury or decay, we provide gentle restorative solutions that support continued development. Our treatments include child-friendly crowns, space maintainers to guide permanent teeth, and age-appropriate restorations. For complex cases, we coordinate with specialists to ensure the best outcomes for growing smiles.
Specialist Dentistry
Some children need extra specialized care, and we’re equipped to help. Our services include gentle treatment for gum issues, careful management of dental emergencies, and sedation dentistry for anxious young patients. We also provide urgent care when playground accidents or sudden tooth pain can’t wait, ensuring children receive prompt, compassionate treatment.
Child Dental Benefits Schedule
Supporting Young Smiles Through Children’s Dentistry
We’re proud to offer bulk billing through the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS), providing eligible children and teenagers aged 2-17 with up to $1,000 in dental services over a two-year period. This comprehensive program covers essential treatments including examinations, cleanings, fillings, extractions, and preventive care like fissure sealants.
If your family receives Family Tax Benefit A, Youth Allowance, ABSTUDY, Disability Support Pension, or other qualifying government payments, your child may be eligible. We handle all Medicare billing directly through HICAPS, making the process as easy as can be for you.
The Process
Our child-centered process ensures every young patient and their family receives personalised attention, age-appropriate care, and ongoing support. From your child’s first visit through their ongoing dental journey, we prioritise comfort, understanding, and building a positive relationship with dental care. This is what ‘care beyond the chair’ truly means for growing smiles.
Step 1
Getting To Know Each Other
Your child's dental journey at Unley Park Dental begins with a gentle introduction and comprehensive assessment—including child-friendly digital X-rays (when age-appropriate), visual examination, and fun oral health evaluation—to understand your child's current dental development and identify any areas needing attention. We'll chat with both you and your child about their habits, concerns, and comfort level so we can create a personalised care plan that grows with them.
Step 2
Pre-Treatment Prep
Next, we develop your child's personal dental strategy in our welcoming, kid-friendly environment. We'll explain our findings using simple, age-appropriate language and involve both parent and child in planning the best path forward. Whether it's preventive cleanings, fluoride treatments, or early intervention, your family will understand exactly what we're recommending and how it will keep your child's smile healthy and bright.
Step 3
Treatment Process
Then we proceed with your child's dental care using techniques designed specifically for young patients and their unique needs. From gentle cleanings and cavity prevention to minor restorations and space maintenance, we combine pediatric dental expertise with patience, encouragement, and understanding. Each treatment is managed with special attention to your child's comfort, developmental stage, and emotional well-being throughout their visit.
Step 4
Aftercare & Post-treatment Evaluation
After treatment, we provide ongoing guidance to help your child maintain their healthy smile at home. We'll schedule appropriate follow-ups based on your child's age and needs, teach fun oral hygiene techniques, and ensure your family has our support as your child grows. Our care philosophy means we're genuinely invested in building lifelong healthy dental habits and positive experiences that will benefit your child forever.
Tips To Prepare Your Child for a Dental Visit
We understand going to the dentist may seem anxiety-inducing for both children and parents, especially for first-time visits.
That’s why we’ve created this helpful guide to ease those worries and turn dental visits into positive experiences. These practical tips will help your child feel confident and excited about taking care of their smile, transforming dental visits from stressful moments into celebrations of healthy habits.
Talk about what happens at the children’s dentist in simple, positive terms. Explain that the paediatric dentist will count their teeth, take special pictures to see how strong they are, and help keep their smile healthy and bright. You can describe it as a simple ‘check up’ where the children’s dentist makes sure all their teeth are happy and healthy.
At Unley Park Dental, we take extra time during your child’s first visit to explain everything we’re doing in kid-friendly language, so they never feel surprised or worried. Ready to book your child’s first visit? Contact our friendly team today.
Should we watch videos about dental visits?Watch a cartoon where your child’s favourite character visits the dentist. These can be easily found on YouTube and help make the paediatric dentist seem friendly and familiar. Many children’s shows, like Peppa Pig or Sesame Street have episodes dedicated to dental visits that show characters having positive experiences, getting their teeth cleaned, and learning about oral health.
These visual stories can be incredibly powerful in showing children that children’s dentistry visits are normal parts of staying healthy and that even their favorite characters go to the dentist regularly.
What can we do at home to prepare for a paediatric dental visit?Role-play going to the dentist at home! This helps them feel more comfortable with the idea of someone looking in their mouth. You can use a small flashlight to ‘examine’ their teeth, practice opening wide, and even pretend to polish their teeth with a soft toothbrush. Make it a fun game by giving their stuffed animals dental check-ups too!
You can also practice counting your child’s teeth at home—a spoon can make a great pretend dental mirror, making the experience fun and familiar. You can also practice ‘opening wide like a lion’ or ‘showing your teeth like a friendly shark.’ Make it into a game by seeing who can keep their mouth open the longest or who has the brightest smile.
These simple exercises help children get comfortable with having someone look inside their mouth, which makes the actual paediatric dentist examination much easier for everyone involved. The role-playing helps children understand that children’s dentistry visits are normal, safe experiences and the more familiar they are with the process, the more confident they’ll feel in the real dental chair.
What attitude should I have about the dental visit?Keep a positive attitude about going to the children’s dentist. Your child will pick up on your emotions, so staying upbeat helps them feel confident too. Talk about the dental visit as something exciting—like going to meet a new friend who cares about their teeth. Share positive aspects like getting to sit in the special chair, seeing the cool tools, or earning a sticker afterward.
Remember, your enthusiasm (or lack thereof) will directly influence how your child feels about the paediatric dentist experience. If you have concerns about your child’s first visit, don’t hesitate to call Unley Park Dental—we’re always happy to discuss how we can make the experience perfect for your little one.
What should I avoid saying before the visit?Avoid negative or scary stories about dental experiences. Don’t use the children’s dentist as a threat (i.e. ‘If you don’t brush your teeth, the dentist will have to fix them!’), and try not to describe procedures in frightening ways. Also avoid phrases like ‘it won’t hurt’ or ‘don’t be scared,’ as these can actually introduce the idea that there might be something to worry about.
Instead, focus on the positive aspects on the children’s dentist visit. Focus on how the paediatric dentist helps keep teeth strong, how clean teeth feel amazing, and how proud they’ll be of their healthy smile!
Should I tell my child to be brave?As mentioned above, it’s best not to tell your child to be brave, as this can make them think there’s something to be fearful of. Instead, focus on the positive aspects of taking care of their teeth. Talk about how strong and healthy their teeth are, how the children’s dentist is excited to meet them, and how good their teeth will feel after the cleaning.
Frame the visit as a celebration of their healthy habits rather than something they need to endure. This approach builds genuine confidence rather than masking fear.
Why Unley Park Dental for Your Child?
Because our care goes beyond the chair
And because your child deserves a dentist who combines pediatric expertise with gentle innovation. We deliver thoughtful, age-appropriate treatments with child-friendly advanced technology always guided by your child’s comfort, developmental needs, and growing smile goals.
We don’t follow the standard script. We plan deeper, communicate better with both parents and children, and aim higher for every young patient. Our process is led by genuine relationships and trust-building, not rushed appointments. From our kid-focused technology to our warm, encouraging tone, everything we do is about creating positive dental experiences that last a lifetime.
Each member of our team brings a shared philosophy: excellence with empathy for our young patients. Our children’s dentists are not only highly qualified—they’re deeply committed to making every visit comfortable and building healthy habits that grow with your child.
We built our practice on a simple belief: children’s dental care should do more than treat teeth. It should build confidence, reduce dental anxiety from an early age, and respect the unique needs of every young patient and their family.
Our team brings decades of experience to pediatric dentistry, and we use that expertise to create the best personalised experience for families. We take time to understand your child’s personality and needs, creating treatment plans that work with busy family schedules, and celebrating every milestone in your child’s oral health journey.
Our advanced, child-friendly technology helps—a lot—but empathy and patience drive everything. We remember being young patients too. We understand the big feelings that come with dental visits, the importance of gentle explanations, and how much it means when someone genuinely cares about making the experience positive. That understanding shapes every service, from first dental visits and preventive cleanings to early orthodontic consultations.
Parents tell us they never expected their child to feel excited about the dentist. Many say their kids actually look forward to visits. We can’t promise every moment will be perfect, but we can promise genuine care that considers who your child is—their age, personality, and comfort level—not just their dental needs.
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Frequently asked questions
When should my child visit the children’s dentist?We recommend your child’s first visit to a children’s dentist by their first birthday or within six months of their first tooth appearing. Early visits help establish good oral health habits and allow our paediatric dentist to monitor your child’s dental development from the very beginning. These initial appointments are gentle and focus on making your child comfortable with the dental environment while providing you with guidance on proper oral care routines.
Ready to schedule your little one’s first visit? Contact Unley Park Dental today to book with our experienced children’s dentistry team.
How often should children visit the paediatric dentist?Most children should visit their children’s dentist every six months for routine check-ups and cleanings. However, some children may need more frequent visits depending on their oral health needs, dietary habits, or developmental factors. Our paediatric dentist will create a schedule that’s right for your child’s specific needs and help prevent any issues before they become bigger problems.
Regular visits also help children become familiar with dental care, making each appointment easier and more comfortable than the last.
What makes children’s dentistry different from regular dentistry?Children’s dentistry requires specialized training in child development, behavior management, and pediatric oral health needs. Our children’s dentist understands how to communicate with young patients, making complex procedures feel like fun adventures. We use child-sized equipment, colorful environments, and age-appropriate explanations to ensure every visit is positive.
Additionally, children’s teeth and jaws are still developing, requiring different treatment approaches than adult dentistry. Our paediatric dentist is trained to recognize and address these unique developmental needs at every stage of your child’s growth.
How can I help my child feel comfortable with your children’s dentistry team?Our team understands that building trust is essential for successful children’s dentistry. One of our dentists, Dr. Jarrad Elson is actually a published children’s author, having written two delightful kids’ books, Cheetah the Cheater and Sloth the Sleuth, which reflects our team’s natural understanding of how to connect with young minds and make them feel at ease. We take time to get to know each child’s personality, interests, and comfort level.
You can help by reading positive dental stories together, playing “dentist” at home, and maintaining an upbeat attitude about dental visits. We’re always happy to arrange a meet-and-greet appointment where your child can explore our office and meet our team before their first treatment.
How do you handle anxious or nervous children during dental visits?If dental visits make your child feel nervous or anxious, our team at Unley Park Dental has extensive experience in easing young patient concerns—it’s just another part of our patient-first approach to children’s dentistry. We use gentle communication, explain everything in kid-friendly terms, and allow children to proceed at their own pace.
We also provide noise-cancelling headphones for children who are sensitive to dental sounds, creating a calmer environment during treatment. Our dentists are specially trained in managing dental anxiety in young patients, ensuring every child leaves feeling proud and confident about their visit.
Other Services We Offer
Book With Confidence
Whether you’re new to Adelaide or simply looking for a dental clinic that feels a little different, we invite you to discover Unley Park Dental.
From your first appointment to your final results, we prioritise your comfort, clarity, and care.
Unley Park Dental. Not your ordinary dentist in Adelaide.
