At Vivid Dental in Five Dock, one of the things we care about most is making sure children feel comfortable, safe and at ease when they visit us. We know that a child’s early experiences at the dentist can shape how they feel about oral health for years to come, and we try to approach every appointment with that responsibility in mind.
Parents continually tell us they choose Vivid Dental when looking for a child-friendly dentist in Sydney
We wanted to share a little about My Kids Dentist, which is our specialised area of Vivid Dental just for kids and the philosophy behind how we care for our youngest patients.
A Gentle, Patient Approach as a Child-Friendly Dentist
We try to meet each child where they are. For some kids, that means a slow, step-by-step introduction to the dental chair before any treatment even begins. For others, it might mean simply talking them through what we’re doing in language that makes sense to them.
A few things that help us along the way:
- Going at the child’s pace — we’d rather take a little longer and help a child feel comfortable than rush through an appointment.
- Explaining things simply — we try to use kid-friendly language so children understand what’s happening and why.
- A bit of distraction — we have TVs that let children watch their favourite shows during treatment, which we’ve found genuinely helps many kids relax.
- Happy gas, when needed — for children who feel particularly anxious, we can offer gentle sedation to support them through their visit.
We don’t always get it perfect, but we’re always trying to learn and improve how we support nervous or younger patients.
Our Team
Dr Caroline Nguyen, who leads our practice, has a long-standing interest in working with children and co-founded My Kids Dentist after parents in our community kept asking for a recommendation for a dentist who was comfortable treating kids. Dr Caroline also has a particular interest in orthodontics and periodontics.
We’re also fortunate to have Leanne Smith on our team — a dually qualified Dental Hygienist and Oral Health Therapist with over 13 years of experience, much of it focused on preventative care for children and adolescents. Leanne is currently completing her PhD alongside a research team working in paediatric dental health, which helps keep our approach informed by current thinking in the field.
We’re grateful to work alongside a wider team of dentists and support staff who share a genuine interest in paediatric care, and we’re always learning from one another and from our patients.
Care That Grows With Your Child
We try to offer a fairly complete range of care so that, where possible, families don’t need to go elsewhere as their child’s needs change:
- Preventive care — regular check-ups, professional cleans, fissure sealants and fluoride treatments
- Restorative care — tooth-coloured fillings, when needed
- Support for teeth grinding (bruxism) — including custom-fitted mouthguards
- Sports mouthguards — properly fitted to help protect against injury during sport
- Early monitoring and orthodontics — keeping an eye on jaw and bite development over time, with options including fixed braces and Invisalign as children grow older
Seeing the same familiar faces over time also means we’re often able to notice small changes early — things like a tooth that’s slow to come through, or early signs of crowding — which can make a real difference to how straightforward treatment ends up being.
Make Care Accessible
We’re conscious that cost can be a real barrier to families seeking dental care, and we do our best to ease that where we can. Eligible children can access care under the Australian Government’s Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS), which may provide up to $1,095 in benefits over two years for services such as check-ups, cleans, X-rays and fillings, often at no out-of-pocket cost. We’re happy to help families check their eligibility.
A Genuine, Ongoing Effort as a Child-Friendly Dentist
We don’t claim to have all the answers, and every child is different. What we can say is that we genuinely enjoy working with children, we take the responsibility seriously, and we’re committed to making each visit as positive as we can.
If you’re looking for a child-friendly dentist for your child, we’d be glad to welcome your family to Vivid Dental.