Your Child’s First Pediatric Dental Visit

We are very excited to welcome you to our practice! No referral is ever needed so please call today to make your appointment!

In accordance with the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Academy of Pediatrics, we recommend that your child first visit our office within six months of eruption of his/her first tooth or before his or her first birthday. Seeing your child early will allow us to evaluate their mouths and advise on any potential or current issues.

During your first visit, we will strive first and foremost to make your child’s first visit to the dentist a positive experience so that they will look forward to returning in the future. We believe that it is extremely important to foster the development of a person who will seek dental care for a lifetime. Additional examinations will depend on your child’s age and cooperation and will usually include:

• Comprehensive examination
• Cleaning
• X-Rays if needed
• Flouride treatment

• Diet recommendation and oral hygiene education

Suggestions to prepare your child for the initial exam:

Tell your child that we will count, brush, and take pictures of his/her teeth. By explaining the exam and the cleaning in these terms, your child will better understand the situation.

Be incredibly positive about this experience. Avoid negative words such as “hurt, drill, pull, and shot”. Please do not tell your child that the “dentist will not hurt you” as this may never have entered his/her mind. Instead, you may wish to assure your child that the dentist and her helpers will be gentle and friendly.

After the appointment, compliment your child’s good behavior at the dentist’s office in the presence of other members of the family.

Explain that it will be a fun visit where our staff will clean their teeth and leave the rest of the details to us!