Early visits establish a dental home for children and families and begin to build relationships and create trust over time.  These early preventive visits are easy for patients and help foster positive dental attitudes and healthy habits early that impact patients over their entire lives.

Going to the dentist should be positive, and creating a memorable experience begins at home.  Start by discussing the upcoming visit with your child to ease their mind.  Make sure to let them know the dentist and team will explain each procedure and answer your child’s questions.  With young children, this can be explained as “counting your teeth”, “brushing your teeth with a special tickling toothbrush”, “painting vitamins on your teeth to make them strong”, and “taking pictures of your teeth”.  Role playing these activities with young children prior to your visit may also make the appointment easier for them.  Lean them back into your lap and look inside their mouth with a flashlight.

Please show them our orientation video above  so that they see the interior of the office and some common activities that take place.

Part of the purpose of this visit is to educate parents on proper oral hygiene, nutrition, and oral habits. We will assess growth and dental development of your baby and offer recommendations that will help lead to a lifetime of beautiful smiles. You’ll have the opportunity to ask as many questions as you desire, because we all know that babies don’t come with a handbook!

Children pick up on adults’ apprehensions, and if you make negative comments about trips to the dentist, you can be sure that your child will fear an unpleasant experience and act accordingly.  Start by discussing the upcoming visit with your child to ease their mind.  Show your child the photos of the doctors and team and the welcome video on our website.  Let your child know that it is important to keep their teeth and gums healthy, and that the doctor will help them do that.  Remember that pediatric dentists are specially trained to handle fears and anxiety, and our team excels at putting children at ease during treatment.  Many children can form views of the dentist from what they have seen and heard from their parents, friends, or siblings.  It’s best to start off being positive and excited about this first visit to help them start on the right foot.

• Expect your child to do well and enjoy the first visit to our office and chances are they will!
  
  
• Tell your child that the dentist will be gentle and friendly and will count their teeth.
  
  
• Please do not tell your child that the dentist will not hurt them, as this may never have entered their mind.
  
  
• Please do not use words such as needle, shots, drill or other words suggesting unpleasantness.  Our team will describe procedures using different words with similar meanings that are carefully selected to be positive and not frighten your child.  These words are not appropriate for a first visit at all, as this visit will be an evaluation of medical and dental histories, an assessment of the child’s needs, and an establishment of plan for creating dental health.  In most cases, actual treatment of decay or other problems will not happen on the first visit.
  
  

Likely, it is not going to be a whole lot like your dental visits, so sharing your experiences is not often beneficial.  Please do not share any negative dental experiences that you may have had with your child (this includes talking to people about these experiences at home, on the phone, and at the store.  Children are ALWAYS listening except when you say clean your room!)  If you have experiences you would like to share with our dental team, we recommend that you include it on your child’s new patient forms, call us ahead of time, or take one of us aside and whisper so the child doesn't hear it.  We want to be able to honor all your emotions and feelings without a negative impact on the present appointment.

Just like some words can have a positive impact, others can carry a negative impact with them.  Some negative words should be avoided prior to, and especially, during the dental visit.  It is best if you refrain from using words around your child that might cause unnecessary fear, such as "needle", "shot", "pull", "drill", “yank”, “hold down”, or "hurt".  Our office makes a practice of using words that are age-appropriate and convey the same message but are more pleasant and non-threatening to the child that greatly helps to allay fears.

Please don't walk in and say "they won't hurt you"; you don't say that at other new places like school, daycare, the movies, etc.  Brushing, counting, and looking at teeth does not hurt, but telling your child we won't hurt them may make them wonder why you have said this and be more nervous the whole time. Our office is designed to be kid-friendly and fun, and our team members choose to work in a pediatric office because they enjoy working with children.

While we do not have any policy that restricts parents from being with their child during their visit, for some visits we MAY suggest you allow your child to accompany our staff through the dental experience. We can usually establish a closer rapport with your child when you are not present. Our purpose is to gain your child's confidence and overcome apprehension. However, if you choose, you may come with your child to the treatment room.

We all know that children vary as individuals.  It has been our experience that most children do better with the parents waiting in the Bluebird Lounge.  There are exceptions, and there are certain children who will have a better experience if the parents are with them throughout the visit.

We require that one parent or legal guardian be present with the child for their initial visit.  We need to discuss details of the child's medical, dental, and social history and a legal guardian must be present to give consent for care on the first day and for future appointments.  If the child requires treatment during another visit, the need for parental presence should be discussed between the dentist and the parent and decided on a case-by-case basis.

For the safety and privacy of all patients, other children who are not being treated or seen on the same day should not come to the office or be prepared for them to wait in the Bluebird Lounge with an adult.

It is important to refrain from bringing several family members to your child's appointments.  We set this time aside to treat one child; it can be detrimental to the quality of care if the treatment room has other distractions for the dental team and the child.  It works best if one person or less accompanies the child during their treatment appointments.  Please respect our expertise in this situation.