We are delighted you have chosen our team to provide your child’s dental care. Our goal is to provide quality care while promoting a positive attitude toward dentistry and hope to make your child’s visit to our office a fun and pleasant experience. We are not your typical dental office … as specialists in dentistry for children, our approach may be different from what you are accustomed to experiencing at a general dentist’s office. We want to share some information to help you prepare for your child’s visit to our office. By letting you know how we do things ahead of time, we hope to make you and your child’s first appointment a relaxing and informative visit!
2. To help ensure a positive experience for your child, please avoid fearful stories and anxiety-producing words such as “hurt”, “pain”, “pull”, and “shot.” Children who visit the dentist with preconceived negative notions will have reason to fear the visit. Your child can easily pick up on your anxieties or past dental fears and express them as their own. We will explain everything to your child in a nonthreatening manner using terms they can understand. Should your child have questions about their appointment, reassure them we will explain all procedures and will answer his/ her questions at their appointment. You play a big part in preparing your child for their appointment, expect them to do well and they will!
As each child is unique, we will customize their appointment according to your child’s age, needs, and cooperation level. We do not believe in pushing children beyond their ability for their appointments. At the initial examination, we will review your child’s medical and dental history and perform a thorough exam to assess the health of your child’s teeth, gums, and developing teeth and bite. Our goal is to complete a comprehensive examination and to provide parents with preventive information and guidance on topics such as cavity prevention, diet, oral hygiene routines, fluoride exposure, habits, growth, and development, etc. as well as discuss any concerns you have. As part of the examination, we often take radiographs (x-rays) to detect cavities and evaluate the health and growth of your child’s teeth and jaws.
After the examination, your child’s dental health and needs will be discussed with you. Fillings and other non-diagnostic treatments are rarely done at the first visit. This is done for two reasons; first, we would like to introduce our dental office to your child as a friendly, non-threatening place and to dispel some possible fears they may have held before coming for the first time. The positive foundation built from the first visit will make subsequent appointments much easier for them. Second, prior to your child’s exam, we do not know beforehand what treatment your child might require. We want to get to know you and your child so we can tailor their future appointments to their individual needs.
Again, welcome to our pediatric dental practice, and please do not hesitate to let us know if you have any special concerns. We look forward to meeting you soon!
Prior to your first appointment, please complete the following form.
Please review the following three forms. We will ask you to electronically sign them at your first.