A DENTAL surgery in Worcester is running special children-only days during the school holidays in a bid to help youngsters understand the importance of taking care of their teeth.

Following recent figures showing 25 per cent of children in the West Midlands will have tooth decay before their first day at primary school, mydentist in Ankerage Green, Warndon, has been working to encourage youngsters to take care of their teeth.

As part of this the practice is designating specific days during the school holidays during which it will only take appointments for children. Practice mascot Timmy the Tooth will be on hand during the events to make them a fun experience.

Practice manager Gemma Holland said visiting the dentist could be scary for children, in turn making it a stressful experience for patients.

“We’ve been working hard with parents and our smaller patients to change this view and make maintaining a healthy smile a far more positive, fun experience,” she said.

“On selected dates in the school holidays we’ll now offer children only appointment days. During this time children will be able to get a full dental check-up and play with other children while they wait.

“They’ll also get lots of information from Timmy Tooth about how they can take care of their teeth.”

The practice is also offering free fluoride varnish treatments for children until Friday, April 17. The next children-only day will be held on Thursday, April 9.