An early start in regular
dental care is an important step in your child’s road to total health. The
American Association for Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children
visit a dentist by age one.
Our
practice is currently piloting an infant oral health program. At the
infant dental visit, our pediatric oral health educators will consult with
the parents, examine the infant and apply topical fluoride if indicated.
Follow-up visits with the doctor will be scheduled according to the
individual needs of the child.
One parent is welcome to accompany each child on his/her first visit. At
subsequent visits, we ask that you allow our staff to accompany your
child through the dental experience. We are all highly
experienced in helping children overcome anxiety. Separation anxiety is not uncommon in children, so please try
not to be concerned if your child exhibits some negative behavior. This is
normal and will soon diminish. Studies and experience have shown that most
children over the age of three react more positively when permitted to
experience the dental visit on their own and in an environment designed for
children.
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.
During the first visit, our dental team will
introduce your child to a dental cleaning. We will most
often accomplish this in the open bay area so the new
patients can learn from our more experienced dental
patients. If your child is not ready for a cleaning in the
open bay, one of our doctors will examine him/her in your
lap in a smaller private room. Our goal is to provide your
child with a positive introduction to our practice and
obtain a baseline examination of their teeth. Since we
recommend the first exam at 12 months of age, many patients
will be too young to cooperate for a dental cleaning. This
is normal for that age group. We will work with them over
time and eventually they will be able to sit for a cleaning.
Dental radiographs will be obtained
when your child is of sufficient age and has the necessary
ability to cooperate.
We strive to make each and every visit to
our office a fun one!