The specialist orthodontist
nearest your school,
and how little school you miss.
Milk Orthodontics has two clinics: Albany at 6 Munroe Lane for the North Shore and the Hibiscus Coast, and Newmarket at Suite 27, 2 Nuffield Street for central and eastern Auckland. Below are the schools around each one with typical drive times, and how we book appointments so a review costs one lesson rather than one afternoon. Patients choose either clinic and can switch at any time.
Free first step, no referral needed. Tell us the school and the year level and we will aim for a time that suits the timetable.
Reviewed by Dr Shaz MacAvoy, Specialist Orthodontist. Doctor of Clinical Dentistry (Orthodontics), registered with the Dental Council of New Zealand.
Two clinics, one practice
Albany, 6 Munroe Lane
At the Albany motorway exit, with free patient parking at the Wilson carpark on Davies Drive and the bus station nearby for students travelling themselves. Closest for North Shore and Hibiscus Coast schools. About the Albany clinic.
Newmarket, Suite 27, 2 Nuffield Street
Opposite the Newmarket train station and on the main bus routes, so Grammar zone and eastern suburbs students can come straight from school on their own. Closest for central, eastern and Remuera schools. About the Newmarket clinic.
Drive times are a guide
The times below are a typical off-peak drive from the school gate. Allow longer at 3pm and on a wet Friday. If your school is not listed, call us on (09) 520 1880 and we will tell you honestly which clinic is quicker for you.
Schools closest to the Albany clinic
6 Munroe Lane sits at the Albany exit, in the middle of the northern schools, so most of the North Shore is inside 15 minutes and the whole Hibiscus Coast inside 35 minutes.
A few minutes away, in Albany itself
About 10 minutes
About 15 to 20 minutes
About 20 to 35 minutes, up the Hibiscus Coast
Coming from the coast? See the drive, the parking and the appointment timing on our Whangaparaoa, Stanmore Bay, Orewa, Silverdale and Millwater pages.
Schools closest to the Newmarket clinic
Suite 27, 2 Nuffield Street is opposite the Newmarket train station, in the middle of the Grammar zone, so most central schools are a short drive or one stop on the train.
About 5 minutes, or walking distance for some
About 10 minutes
About 15 to 20 minutes
More on each area: Remuera and Epsom, Parnell, Greenlane, Mission Bay and East Auckland.
How we book around the school day
The question parents ask is not how far the clinic is, it is how much school and work the treatment will cost. Here is the honest answer.
Tell us the school and the year level
We ask at booking for a reason. A Year 9 timetable and a Year 13 one cost different lessons, and we would rather take a period that repeats than the one subject your child cannot afford to miss.
Short reviews, spaced six to ten weeks
Most reviews are 15 to 20 minutes in the chair. Over a 12 to 24 month treatment that is usually eight to fourteen visits in total, so about one appointment a term for most families.
Siblings and parents in one trip
Brothers and sisters are booked back to back so one trip covers the family, and we keep the same time slot through the treatment where the timetable allows it.
Exams, the ball and the season
Tell us the dates. We keep study leave and exam weeks clear, time completing treatment and the photos ahead of a ball where we can, and fit a mouthguard over braces so contact sport carries on. More on braces at high school and braces and sport.
The school-age checks worth knowing about
Two ages matter more than the rest, and both are free to check.
Around age seven, Year 2 or 3
The first adult teeth are through and the jaws are still growing. Most children need nothing yet, and hearing that is worth the visit, but this is the age where a crossbite, a crowded arch or an impacted canine is simplest to guide. When should my child see an orthodontist.
Intermediate and Year 9
Most of the adult teeth are in, which is when comprehensive treatment usually starts and when classmates start getting braces. Timing it with the school year means the fitting lands in a holiday and completing treatment lands before the ball. Treatment for teens.
Not sure it is needed at all
Send a few photos from your phone and our Treatment Coordinator replies within 2 working days with an honest steer and a cost guide, free, without anybody leaving school or work. Does my child need braces.
School questions, answered honestly
Which orthodontist is closest to my child's school?
Milk Orthodontics has two clinics, so it depends which side of the harbour the school is on. Albany at 6 Munroe Lane is closest for North Shore and Hibiscus Coast schools, and Newmarket at Suite 27, 2 Nuffield Street is closest for central, eastern and Remuera schools. Patients can use either clinic and switch between them at any time.
Is there a specialist orthodontist near Auckland Grammar, Epsom Girls Grammar or Diocesan?
Yes. Milk Orthodontics Newmarket at Suite 27, 2 Nuffield Street is about 5 minutes from Auckland Grammar School, Epsom Girls Grammar School, St Peter's College, Diocesan School for Girls, Baradene College and Auckland Normal Intermediate, and it is opposite the Newmarket train station for students who travel themselves.
Is there a specialist orthodontist near Rangitoto College, Kristin or Albany Junior High?
Yes. Milk Orthodontics Albany at 6 Munroe Lane is a few minutes from Albany School, Albany Junior High School, Albany Senior High School, Kristin School and Pinehurst School, and about 10 minutes from Rangitoto College, Northcross Intermediate and Long Bay College.
Is there a specialist orthodontist near Whangaparaoa College or Orewa College?
The closest is Milk Orthodontics Albany at 6 Munroe Lane: about 20 minutes from Orewa College and Kingsway School, about 25 minutes from Whangaparaoa College and Stanmore Bay School, and about 30 minutes from Gulf Harbour School and Wentworth College.
Can appointments be outside school hours?
We hold some after-school and early-morning appointments, and they book out first, so long-standing patients tend to take them. Most reviews are short and are booked in school time, which is why we ask for the school and year level when you book: we aim for the lesson that costs the least, and we spread siblings across one trip rather than two.
How much school will my child actually miss?
Reviews run every six to ten weeks and take about 15 to 20 minutes in the chair, so most terms hold one appointment. The longer visits are the records appointment, the fitting and completing treatment. Over a 12 to 24 month treatment that is usually eight to fourteen visits in total.
Do you give a note for school?
Yes. Ask the front desk team and they will print or email an appointment note for the school office, and we can email a copy to a parent at work as well.
What about exams, the school ball and sports seasons?
Tell us the dates and we plan around them. NCEA study leave and exam weeks are avoided for anything but emergencies, we time completing treatment and the photos ahead of a ball where the treatment allows it, and for contact sport we fit a mouthguard over braces rather than pausing the season.
When should a school-age child first be checked?
Around age seven, in Year 2 or 3, when the first adult teeth are through. Most children need nothing done yet, but it is the age when the few problems that are simpler to guide early show up. The first check is a free Smile Assessment, and no referral is needed.
My child's school is not on the list. Do you still see us?
Yes. The lists above are the schools nearest each clinic, not the limit of who we treat. Families come to Albany from across the North Shore and the Hibiscus Coast, and to Newmarket from across central, eastern, western and southern Auckland. Call (09) 520 1880 and we will tell you which clinic is the quicker run from your gate.
Start with the free step, from the school car park if you like
Send a few photos from your phone and our Treatment Coordinator replies within 2 working days with your options and a cost guide, or book a free Smile Assessment at whichever clinic is closer to the school.