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Why Love Teeth won Child-Friendly Practice of the Year – and what it means for your family

We’re thrilled to announce that Love Teeth won the 2024 Child-Friendly Practice of the Year award at the Private Dentistry Awards. This recognition means the world to our team, but more importantly, it reflects our genuine to creating positive dental experiences for children across Surrey.

If you’re a parent in Sutton, Cheam, Park, New Malden, Chessington or Stonecot, you understand the importance of finding a dental practice where your children feel comfortable, safe and even excited about dental visits. Let’s explore what this award means and how it benefits your family.

What the Child-Friendly Practice Award recognises

The Dentistry Awards Child-Friendly Practice of the Year award evaluates practices on their ability to create welcoming, non-threatening environments for children, communicate effectively with young patients in age-appropriate ways, deliver gentle, pain-free treatments that build positive associations, engage parents as partners in their children’s oral health, and demonstrate commitment to preventive care and education.

The judging involves comprehensive assessment of facilities, of patient interactions, review of clinical for children, analysis of parent satisfaction data, and mystery patient visits. This rigorous process ensures winners genuinely excel at paediatric dentistry, not just claim to be child-friendly.

Building positive associations from the first visit

A child’s early dental experiences shape their lifelong attitude towards dental care. Positive early visits create confident adults who maintain regular dental care. Negative experiences can create anxiety lasting decades. At Love Teeth, we understand this responsibility and approach every child’s appointment with this long-term perspective.

We recommend bringing children for their first dental visit around their first birthday or when their first tooth appears. These early visits aren’t about extensive – they’re about building comfort and familiarity. Children sit in the chair (often on a parent’s lap), explore the equipment with guidance, meet our friendly team, and learn that the dental practice is a safe, welcoming place.

Age-appropriate communication

Effective with children special skills. Our team excels at explaining procedures in language children understand without causing unnecessary anxiety. We use child-friendly terms – ‘tooth counter’ instead of ‘probe’,