Pediatric Dentistry

We love to see kiddos! It is very rewarding for us to make your child’s visit a positive experience. Those first visits shape a child’s attitude towards oral care. Likely, if you are a dental-phobe, it is because of an experience from when you were a child. Nowadays there are many more advances in making a child comfortable than when you were a kid. The biggest part of a child having a good experience is the parent’s preparation of the child to come to the dentist. Please never say, “You’d better be good or the dentist will give you a shot.” – this makes the child fearful and untrustworthy before he or she even comes through our door.

We try to employ a “Tell, Show, Do” practice where a child gets a “tour” of the equipment we will be using. We will show him or her our “Mr. Thirsty” suction straw, our “water and air squirter,” our mirror and “tooth counter” explorer. The first visit is simply to introduce your child to the routine of a dental visit. If your child is comfortable we may use our “special toothbrush” and toothpaste to “tickle” their teeth for their cleaning and maybe two digital x-rays to see in between their teeth.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry encourages children to have their first dental visit at age one (12 months). While your infant may not have many teeth, we can assess if the number of teeth and jaw development is on track and coach you on the proper bedtime procedures and nutrition to protect your child’s oral health. Only a bottle with water should be given at bedtime and thumb sucking should cease by age three or an expensive orthodontic (braces) expense may be in the near future.

Many insurance companies cover child preventative procedures like fluoride treatment <link> and sealants <link> at 100% coverage depending on your plan.

We have options to calm and distract your child like Netflix movies and if needed, nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”) <link> to help ease an anxious child. We encourage parents to wait in the Waiting Room and enjoy a coffee and magazine or our complimentary Wi-Fi while your child is a “big kid” getting his or her dental work done. Of course, parents are always welcome, but sometimes a child’s satisfaction of accomplishing their visit by themselves makes them more confident and responsible in their oral care.

If your child’s needs are extensive or there are circumstances where a specialist would be better suited to serve your child, we are happy to refer you to Pediatric specialists who can perform sedation and hospital dentistry. We want to do whatever we can to make you and your child’s visit to the dentist a breeze!