Taking your children to the dentist in a new country

Adults arriving in Shenzhen tend to postpone finding a dentist until something hurts. With children that approach has a cost: the first appointment ends up being the one where something is wrong, and a frightening introduction can set the tone for years.

The alternative is straightforward. Make the first visit a nothing-visit, before anything is needed.

When to start

Earlier than most parents expect. The usual advice is a first dental visit around the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth appearing. Almost nothing happens at that appointment — it is about establishing a baseline, spotting early problems, and letting the child sit in a room that will otherwise be unfamiliar.

If your children are older and have simply not seen a dentist since you moved, the same logic applies. Book a check-up while nothing is wrong.

What a first visit should look like

Short. Ideally nothing is treated. The child sits in the chair, meets the dentist, has a look inside their mouth, and leaves.

That may feel like a wasted appointment. It is the opposite: it is the appointment that makes every later one possible. A child who has been to the clinic three times and had nothing unpleasant happen is a child who will open their mouth when something does need doing.

What helps

• Book a time when they are rested. Late afternoon after school is usually the worst slot.
• Keep your own language neutral. "It won't hurt" plants the idea that it might; "the dentist is going to count your teeth" does not.
• Avoid promising rewards for bravery beforehand — it signals that something requiring bravery is coming.
• If you are frightened of the dentist yourself, say so to us and not in front of them. Children read this from their parents faster than from anything else.

The goal of a first appointment is not to examine a child thoroughly. It is to make sure they will come back.

If your child is already frightened

Often because of something that happened at a previous clinic, sometimes in another country. Tell us. It changes how we run the appointment entirely.

We go slower, explain everything before it happens, and agree a signal that stops us immediately — and we honour it, which is the part that matters. A child who discovers that "stop" actually works usually relaxes considerably. We would rather spend three short appointments getting there than force one long one.

Questions expat parents ask

Will the dentist speak to my child in a language they understand?

Ask before you book, and ask about the dentist rather than the clinic. A child being spoken to through a translator has a much harder time. Between our doctors and reception we work in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Mandarin.

What about school dental checks?

International schools in Shenzhen vary in what they provide, and a school screening is not a substitute for a proper examination. Ask your school what is included and fill the gap yourself.

Should we wait until we are back home for the summer?

For an actual problem, no — pain and infection do not wait for the holidays. For routine care, an annual check-up at home is fine, but it leaves eleven months uncovered. Most families end up doing both: routine care here, continuity there.

Do you do fluoride and sealants?

Yes, where they are appropriate for that child. We will explain why we are suggesting it and what the alternative is, as with anything else.

Coming to us

We are at Store 102, 1008 Hong Gui Road in Luohu, open every day from 09:00 to 19:00, by appointment only. Both doctors treat children as well as adults, and Dr. Sebastian Solano has three daughters of his own in Shenzhen — the school-run logistics are not theoretical to him.

If you want to bring a nervous child in simply to look at the room and meet us, without an examination, say so when you book. That is a perfectly good reason for an appointment.