We would like to welcome you and thank you for the privilege of assuming the dental care of your child. Our staff is devoted to making your child’s visit here a comfortable, pleasant experience and rendering the best dental treatment available. Very often this is your child’s first encounter with dentistry and you have many questions. This page will answer many of those questions concerning your child's dental health and our office policies.

What is a Pediatric Dentist?
A pediatric dentist is a practitioner who, after completing the four years of study necessary to become a general dentist, has completed an additional two years of study, which enables them to provide dental care for infants, children and adolescents.  Our goal as a pediatric practice is to provide complete preventive and restorative oral health care based on an education in child psychology, the guidance of behavior, and the treatment of the chronically ill or handicapped child.  Children often require creative approaches in order to understand their behavior and monitor dental growth and development.  Pediatric dentists are the most adept at meeting the dental needs of children and helping them avoid future dental problems, and for this reason many parents choose a pediatric dental practice for their child just as they select a pediatrician to care for their child’s medical needs.  Dentistry for Children also provides our patients with the talents of general dentists, specializing in children and teens, to address cosmetic dental needs as well as issues with the permanent teeth.

When should a child be seen by a Pediatric dentist?
According to the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry, children should establish a “dental home” no later than their first birthday.  Preferably, though, your child should pay a visit to the pediatric dentist upon the emergence of their first tooth.  The sooner a child becomes acquainted with the dentist, the better their continued perception of the dental experience will be.  By the age of three, your child will be well prepared for a complete oral examination, x-rays, a cleaning, and fluoride treatment.  By introducing your child to dentistry at an early age, we hope to protect your child’s smile for today and prevent potential dental problems for tomorrow.

But will my child be good?
Our office is somewhat different than most dental offices, in that it is designed specifically for the comfort of your child.  The doctors and staff in our practice possess a passion for working with children, making your child feel more relaxed and familiar with the new surroundings.  It is normal for children to be afraid of anything new or strange. Many of their fears are manifested through your own apprehensions, so do not be too anxious about your child’s first visit- you may be pleasantly surprised!  We realize that every child learns and comprehends new ideas at a different speed, so we will proceed at a pace that is comfortable and unique for your child.  We also implement the “Tell, Show, Do” method, where our staff will explain everything to your child in age appropriate terms and then demonstrate for your child, perhaps by using a “tooth counter” to count your child’s fingers before moving on to actually “counting” their teeth, for example.  This method presents information to your child in a visual way that makes them more at ease with the new and unfamiliar experience.  Also, we will always emphasize the positive aspects for your child at every visit, in a belief that enough praise will give your child the confidence they need for future visits.

May I accompany my child?
You are welcome to accompany your child during their dental examination if you choose.  It has been our experience, however, that most children are able to build a stronger and more confident relationship with our staff when they come back on their own.  Your child will enjoy an open area for their visit, where they will have other patient “friends” to learn from and help encourage them throughout their visit.  If you should choose to accompany your child, we have found that your presence will be greatly enhanced if you assume the role of a silent observer.  It is important for our dentist and staff to establish cooperation and trust directly with your child, and your child may become easily confused if more than one person is speaking to them.  Gaining your child’s friendship and trust are very important to us and we will use all of our resources to achieve this goal.

What Should I Tell My Child Before the First Visit?
It may help to explain to your child that the dentist is a friendly person who helps with the care of children’s teeth.  It is important to emphasize the positive parts of the visit.  Your child will enjoy our playhouse, see a unique fish aquarium, watch a movie, play video games, and get a prize at the end of the visit!  You may explain to your child that the dentist will count their teeth, clean them with a special tickling toothbrush, and take some pictures of their mouth.  Never tell your child that the dentist will not “hurt” them, for that may have never even occurred to them.  Instead, explain that the dentist will be “careful” and “gentle”.  We want your child to be as comfortable as possible, so we welcome any suggestions from you on how to best achieve this goal.

The First Visit
We appreciate the time and interest that you have put forth to learn about pediatric dentistry.  Making the choice for your child’s dental “home” is an enormous decision that demands careful thought.   At Dentistry for Children, our staff strives to make your child’s first visit as pleasant as possible.  We realize that we must work closely with each child in a unique way in order to gain their’ trust and friendship.  In order to perform the most thorough and educated examination on your child, our staff will need to ask you some questions regarding your child’s health history.  During your child’s visit, the doctor will examine your child’s mouth (lips, cheek, tongue, floor of the mouth, tonsil area, hard and soft palate), check the growth and development of the head, and check the teeth and gums.  Your child will also receive a thorough cleaning, topical fluoride treatment, and x-rays as necessary.  Finally, the dentist will present you with an assessment of your child’s oral health, instructions on oral home care, as well as the risks of cavities and finger, thumb, and pacifier habits.  We will also provide you with information on dental growth and development, and on the prevention of injury to the teeth and mouth.  We will end the visit by presenting your child with a prize and scheduling the next appointment.  Making this first visit as pleasant as possible helps your child develop a better dental attitude for the future.

One Step Further - Prevention
Our staff focuses on preventing dental problems, and will provide you with tools and instructions for a preventive home care program.  Remember, the main catalysts in cavity formation are sugars, carbohydrates, bacteria, and time.  Our staff will help your child develop healthy eating habits, understand how to keep harmful bacteria from organizing, and help you realize the role that time can play in the development of cavities.  We are a team and with your help and our coaching, we can provide every child with a cavity free smile.

Why Does My Child Need Fluoride
The tooth is made more resistant to decay by the use of fluoride.  Fluoride, a mineral that occurs naturally in all of the Earth’s water sources, makes the tooth’s enamel more resistant to decay.  Fluoride is provided to children in two forms, topical and systemic.  Fluoride that is found in toothpaste, rinse, and applications at the dentist are all topical forms.  Systemic fluoride is ingested, however, and provides the most benefit for dental health because it allows the fluoride to be incorporated into the structure of tooth enamel as it forms.  Fluoridated water provides the best method for prevention because it incorporates both systemic and topical contact.  Children who drink fluoridated water from birth have up to 65% less tooth decay.  Indirectly, fluoridation programs also help reduce the incident of malocclusion, or improper bite, which can result in the premature loss of primary teeth or tooth structure.  With less decay due to proper fluoridation, fewer first teeth are lost prematurely.  Also, according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, “Fluoridation is the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay and improve oral health over a lifetime for both children and adults”.  Remember that moderation is key, though, and too much fluoride can be as harmful as not enough.  Our office would be happy to test your drinking water in order to ensure that your child is consuming the proper amounts of fluoride.
The American Dental Association has found fluoride varnish to be superior to fluoride foams and gels and Dentistry for Children is happy to provide this form of fluoride treatment for your child. Fluoride varnish provides the greatest amount of absorption of fluoride to the tooth surface.  Only a very small amount of fluoride is applied (2.3 to 5.0 mg.), therefore, less fluoride is required for each application because it adheres directly to the tooth, causing a great reduction in the risk of fluoride being ingested during application.  You may notice some discoloration of the teeth until the first brushing that night.  Please have your child wait four to six hours before brushing.  Your child can eat and drink right away but nothing hot to drink or crunchy to eat.  Also, refrain from products containing alcohol such as cough syrup and mouthwash.  We are confident your child will benefit from this form of fluoride.

Why Does My Child Need X-Rays?
We feel that it is our obligation to provide the very best in dental health care for your child.  By implementing dental x-rays as a diagnostic tool, our dentists are able to treat dental conditions that may not be detected during a routine examination.  Due to a rapidly growing and changing mouth, a child requires dental x-rays more frequently than adults.  Dental x-rays are important for the recognition of cavities and erupting teeth, as well as for diagnosing the effects of trauma, and planning orthodontic treatment.  Our dentists are mindful of radiation exposure and recognize varying needs of each child based on risk factors.  In order to reduce exposure, we utilize minimum radiation dosages, protective lead aprons, the most modern equipment available, and encourage you to bring x-rays from previous dentists.  The risk of undiagnosed and untreated dental problems, therefore, is far greater than the risk posed by radiation exposure from dental x-rays.

Why are Baby Teeth so Important?
It is hard to imagine that primary (baby) teeth are as important and require the same amount of care as permanent teeth.  The negligence of cavities in primary teeth, however, can lead to problems with the developing permanent teeth.  Furthermore, primary teeth provide space and guidance for the permanent teeth as they “erupt” or drop down into position.  Primary teeth also help maintain good nutrition by permitting proper chewing and digestion, allowing proper growth of jawbones and muscles, and facilitating speech development.  Our goal as a team is to stop decay in the primary teeth in order to obtain cavity free permanent teeth.

Appointment Schedule
In our office, our primary concern is to schedule appointments, when possible, at your convenience.  We realize that every child responds differently and we welcome your input on the time of day at which your child will do best.  With this in mind, we have found that the young and anxious child tends to be more tolerant in the morning.  This allows our staff more time to spend with each child on an individual basis.  For younger children that require treatment, we may also recommend scheduling these appointments earlier in the day, for this will allow you the remainder of the day to monitor your child’s recovery.  We will try to set aside our later appointments for older children, because we realize that their school schedule can be the most inflexible.  If it is necessary for your child to miss school due to a dental appointment, however, we will be happy to provide you with a school excuse.  Every patient is special to us and our staff would like to spend the full appointment time with each patient, so it is important for you to be on time.  Each scheduled appointment is reserved exclusively for your child, so please give our staff 24 hours notice if you must cancel an appointment.  This gives us ample time to notify another patient who may need our care.  We do run on “kid-time” so please be patient, for some children require additional time, and understand that we will do the same for your child as needed.

Fees for Dental Care
We realize that the costs for providing dental care have been steadily increasing.  In order to hold the line on fee increases, our office does not bill or extend credit.  Therefore, full payment is expected for services rendered at each visit.  We accept cash, check, Visa, Master Card, Discover, and American Express and an in-house finance program offered by Citibank.

Dental Insurance
The benefits from dental insurance vary and are dependent upon what the employer pays for your coverage.  We are happy to accept payment from your insurance company, as long as we can verify your coverage.  Our staff will estimate what your portion will be at each visit and should insurance pay a different amount than what we collect, we will inform you of the difference.  The insurance contract is between you and your insurance company, and you are ultimately responsible for your bill regardless of what insurance pays.

Sterilization
We adhere to the highest standards and methods of sterilization procedures.  This is for the protection of both your child and our staff.  We would be delighted to give you a tour of our sterilization room.