Community dental service — Canterbury
The community dental service provides free dental care for eligible children living in Canterbury and South Canterbury. We also help teens find a free family dentist.
On this page
Contact us
To enrol your child, book an appointment, or update contact details:
- phone: 0800 846 983
- email commdental@cdhb.health.nz
Appointments are available Monday to Friday, 8:15am to 4:30pm, during the school term (open hours may vary for each clinic).
If you have more than one child needing to see us, you may be able to book a family appointment to have them seen at the same time.
Where to find us
We have 14 community dental clinics throughout Canterbury, where we:
- check and treat preschoolers' teeth, from age 2
- treat school-aged children's teeth.
Our dental vans visit primary and intermediate schools to check children's teeth.
Community clinic locations
- Akaroa Community Dental Clinic — 2c Selwyn Avenue, Akaroa
- Aranui Community Dental Clinic — 240 Breezes Road, Aranui, Christchurch
- Ashburton Community Dental Clinic — PO Box 251, 38 Elizabeth Street, Ashburton
- Burnside Community Dental Clinic — 96A Memorial Ave, Burnside, Christchurch
- Geraldine Community Dental Clinic — Wilson Street, Geraldine
- Hillmorton Community Dental Clinic — Hillmorton Hospital, Sylvan Street, Christchurch
- Hornby Community Dental Clinic — 2 Hei Hei Road, Hornby, Christchurch
- Kaiapoi Community Dental Clinic — Kaiapoi Borough School, 65 Raven Quay, Kaiapoi
- Kaikoura Community Dental Clinic — 25 Deal Street, Kaikoura
- Northcote Community Dental Clinic — 24 Tuckers Road, Casebrook, Christchurch
- Rangiora Community Dental Clinic — Rangiora Health Hub, 163 Ashley Street, Rangiora
- Rolleston Community Dental Clinic — Toka Hāpai (Selwyn Health Hub) 2/3 Norman Kirk Drive, Rolleston
- Timaru Community Dental Clinic — Level 1, 18 Woollcombe Street, Timaru
- Woolston Community Dental Clinic — 11 Hopkins Street, Woolston, Christchurch
Services we provide
Dental care for tamariki and rangatahi
Dental care for tamariki and rangatahi is publicly funded.
Interpreter services are available for people who are deaf or do not speak English as their first language.
If you need help getting to appointments, let us know as we may be able to put you in touch with a support service.
Relief of Pain appointments
If your child is in pain, contact us to book a Relief of Pain appointment. If we cannot offer your child a Relief of Pain appointment, we will help you get an appointment at a family dentist for free.
Resources
Menemene mai early childhood oral health toolkit (external link)