Your Child’s First Visit

As you may have guessed, our office is specially designed for children. We have a play area for them to enjoy while waiting their turn for treatment. Some of our patients even enjoy playing our PlayStation games and watching our saltwater aquarium.

All the treatment areas are equipped with TV screens. You child can select a favorite video to watch while having treatment completed in our office.

Please try to treat the dental visit as a very routine part of your child’s week. If you exhibit anxiety about your child’s upcoming dental visit, he will probably become anxious also. Avoid using any anxiety-provoking words such as needle, drill or shot.

We use a special vocabulary and other techniques designed to make the dental experience as pleasant as possible for your child. Please don’t promise a reward for not crying…this may make him fear the upcoming experience even more.

If you child asks specific questions that you cannot answer, please tell him to ask us. We always tell our patients what will be done before we begin. We use a technique known as Tell-Show-Do. Remember, we use terminology that is non-threatening.

We have found that most children will do much better in the dental office when separated from their parent in the reception room. Of course for our very youngest patients, it is often very helpful to have Mom or Dad at chairside to help and provide reassurance. So, as a general rule we will ask parents to wait in the reception room unless we ask you to come to the chairside. All parents are welcomed to join their child at the chairside at any time. Many times children may do better if Mom or Dad wait in the reception room. However, our operatory door is always open for you to come back and sit with your child at any time.

Our new patients are recognized on our welcome movie marquee.

Just try to relax and keep in mind that very few children leave our office unhappy!

When and what is my child's first "regular" visit?

The first "regular" dental visit should be just after your child's third birthday. Of course, we are happy to see your child at any age if you feel that there is any concern you'd like to address. We will gently examine your child's teeth and gums. X-rays may be taken (to reveal decay and check on the development of your child's permanent teeth under the gums). We may clean your child's teeth and apply topical fluoride to help protect the teeth against decay. We will make sure your child is receiving adequate fluoride at home. Most important of all, we will review with you how to clean and care for your child's teeth. Call today and discover the new face of pediatric dentistry.