All I want for Christmas is...a dental appointment?

STOCKHOLM, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Some young Swedes may just get something truly unexpected from Santa in their Christmas stockings this year: a dental appointment.

For years, dentist Katarina Mikaelsson in Sweden has been trying to come up with a way to persuade young people to keep visiting the dentist after the state stops paying for treatment at the age of 19.

"It's a tricky age - they might be students with a low income and nightlife as their top priority", she said.

Her answer was simple.

For 300 Swedish crowns (${esc.dollar}45.42) parents and grandparents who are concerned about the dental health of younger family members can buy a gift card for a check up and clean.

Parents sleep better at night and Mikaelsson's small, private clinic in central Stockholm gets some new patients.

Goran Uvner, who bought cards for his two 20-something daughters for Christmas, is one such concerned father.

"This is a good and cheap way to make sure that they don't get the same problems I've had just because I didn't take care of my teeth in my youth", he says.

Uvner doesn't only see the gift cards as dental insurance for his kids. It's also an original Christmas gift that's useful, even if it may not be that popular.

"It's hard to find unusual gifts that are really useful. If I get a book I may not read it and if I get a tie, I might just wear it once".

What does he think his daughters will say when they unwrap their presents on Christmas Day?

"They will say: Oh dad, can't you just let go? Why can't we take care of our own business? But after a while, they will be really happy."

So far, the gift cards haven't been a commercial success, but they have only been on sale for a month and Mikaelsson thinks it will take a little while before sales really kick off.

"Hopefully it will be the Christmas present in 2013," she said.

(${esc.dollar}1 = 6.6043 Swedish crowns) (Reporting by Johan Sennero, editing by Paul Casciato)