Your Child's First Visit

Our office, as well as the The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Dental Association (ADA), and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) all recommend establishing a "Dental Home" for your child by one year of age. Children who have a dental home are more likely to receive appropriate preventive and routine oral health care.

You can make the first visit to the dentist enjoyable and positive. If old enough, your child should be informed of the visit and told that the dentist and their staff will explain all procedures and answer any questions. The less to-do concerning the visit, the better.

It is best if you refrain from using words around your child that might cause unnecessary fear, such as "needle", "shot", "pull", "drill" or "hurt". The office makes a practice of using words that convey the same message, but are pleasant and non-frightening to the child. Do not tell your child about your dislike or hate of the dentist. Let him develop his own perception.

We allow you to stay with your child for any of his/her dental visits.

We do however ask for the safety and privacy of all patients that you remain in the parent seat and allow us to “walk” your child through the appointment as we are trained to do. Your role as a parent is to provide the comfort of your presence and to show your child that you have confidence in our abilities. If you have a positive outlook and expect your child to do well, chances are they will. We kindly ask that a maximum of two adults accompany your child to the treatment areas. As our only play area is in the reception room, if you choose to bring siblings, we may ask that you remain in the reception room while we see your child.

Examinations and Oral Health Instructions

In this visit we will:

• go over medical/ dental hx to gain insight on how to best care for your child- please be thorough
• explain how to care for your child’s teeth (prevention is the main part of our practice)
• answer any questions or concerns you may have
• provide anticipatory guidance involving decay risk, gum disease risk, safety risk, sucking habits, feeding habits, dietary habits
• assess your need for fluoride supplements
• assess any need for orthodontic intervention
• create a plan that will lead to a lifetime of oral health

Note- Regular “well visits” with positive experiences help foster positive attitudes about the dentist for a lifetime (This is the main goal of our practice)

Prophylaxis

Teeth are cleaned to remove plaque (bacteria) and tarter/ calculus (hard plaque) that can cause gum/ periodontal disease and tooth decay. For younger children that have no areas of calculus or stain, a toothbrush prophylaxis with a professional prophy paste may be adequate.

A thorough cleaning followed by a Fluoride treatment every 6 months has been shown to be an extremely effective way to prevent dental disease.

Fluoride Treatment

Fluoride is a naturally occurring element that helps prevent tooth decay by making the entire surface of the tooth more resistant to acid attacks from the bacteria that live on the plaque on your teeth. It also promotes remineralization, which aids in repairing early decay before a cavity forms.

There are two forms:

• Topical- professional varnish (recommended every 6 months), rinses, toothpastes (high risk patients may even be prescribed a special toothpaste for at home use)
  *This form is needed to prevent cavities in the teeth currently present in your mouth.
• Systemic- fluoridated water, other foods and beverages, fluoride supplements.
  *This form is needed for un-erupted developing teeth

We provide professional fluoride varnish application and assess your child’s need for further fluoride treatments/ supplementation in both forms.

We are a paperless office, which means that we try to make visiting us as simple as can be. You will not be overwhelmed with paperwork and all necessary information will be obtained via an ipad in the waiting room. Or you can click the link below to fill out our online form at home before your next appointment. If you have any questions, or want to visit us before your child’s exam in order to make them more comfortable, please feel free to call us.