Our office, as well as the The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry all recommend establishing a Dental Home for your child by their first birthday. Children with a dental home are more likely to receive proper preventive care, and routine oral health treatment.
The Dental Home is intended to provide a place for dental care other than the Emergency Room.
You can make the first visit to the dentist enjoyable and positive. Inform your child of the visit and tell them 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". We make a practice of using words that convey the same message without frightening children.
We also provide “Happy Visits” that allow parents to bring their child in for a pretend appointment, such as just a walk through in the office to see our team members or sitting in the dental chair which can be such a huge accomplishment for an anxious child. We encourage parents to call our office before they arrive so we can be prepared for their child’s happy visit.
Happy Visits can also be catered to children with autism. Desensitizing children and making appointments familiar may be beneficial to improving your child’s behavior. Also we welcome therapists to the appointments that may help during these Happy Visit appointments.
If your child is over the age of 4, we ask that you allow them to accompany our staff through the dental experience while you wait in the reception area. 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. We are all specifically trained in helping young children overcome anxiety. Our experience has shown that most children over the age of 4 react more positively when permitted to experience the dental visit on their own and in an environment designed for children.
We invite you to accompany your child to the initial examination. During future appointments, we suggest you allow your child to accompany our staff through the dental experience while you wait in the reception area. Our purpose is to gain your child's confidence and overcome apprehension, and we can usually establish a closer relationship with your child when you are not present. However, you are more than welcome to accompany your child to the treatment room. For the safety and privacy of all patients, other children who are not being treated should remain in the reception area with a supervising adult.
We Strive to Make Each and Every Visit to Our Office Fun!
Your child will enjoy healthy dental habits when they use these Motivational Charts. Encourage regular brushing or help them break the thumbsucking habit.
Want something fun to do? Print one or all of the below Activity Sheets to see if you can conquer the Dental Crossword Puzzle, find all of the Hidden Toothbrushes, Unscramble the Dental Words, or find the Hidden Dental Words. We know you can do it!
