How a single appointment day for the whole family is planned

The most common reason families stay away from the dentist is not fear of pain but the calendar. Finding four separate days for four people means taking four days off. The family visit exists to fit all of it into one afternoon.

The set-up

Two rooms work at the same time: the adult room and the paediatric dentist's children's room. When the family arrives, one parent goes into the children's room with a child while the other has their own examination; then they swap. Siblings are taken one after the other.

A sample afternoon

• 14:00 — The family arrives, short forms. First child into the children's room, mother into the adult room.
• 14:30 — Mother out, father in. Second child into the children's room; the first child in the waiting area with a parent.
• 15:00 — Father out. Findings for two children and two parents are written in one file, one plan.
• 15:15 — The family leaves with a shared plan: what was found in whom, which appointment comes first, whether it can be on the same day.

Where it goes wrong

Travel day. If you are coming from abroad or out of town, choose the day after you arrive, not the day itself.

Nap time. For a small child, after the midday nap, between 14:00 and 16:00, is the most comfortable window.

The "you first" argument. If one sibling is anxious, taking the calmer one first makes it easier for both.

The visits that follow

The same-day plan continues for later treatment: a parent's filling and a child's fissure sealant can be booked for the same time in two rooms. Check-ups six months later are written on one day too; the reminder goes to the family in a single message.

How to ask for it

Tick "family visit" on the appointment form, or tell us on the phone how many of you there are and the children's ages. We do the rest.