We recommend that all children be seen by their first birthday, which follows the recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
We want to start early so we can focus on prevention and building good habits from the beginning. We call our office a “dental home” because we want to create ongoing relationships with your family so that we can guide your child through their growth and development. Establishing this at a young age will not only allow us to focus on prevention and education as they grow, but it also helps us to build trust with your child to make them comfortable.
Time can fly and we understand your child may be older than one. No problem, we love children of all ages and are excited to customize each visit to fit your child’s needs.
We want this to be a great experience and are looking forward to meeting you and your child!
Pregnancy & Prenatal Dental Care
Healthy mouths are important to moms and their unborn children. There are links between gum health and the health of the unborn baby. Moms with poor oral health can also pass cavity-causing bacteria to their babies even before the first teeth erupt!
We encourage all mothers to:
- Visit the dentist regularly and take care of any unmet dental needs
- Brush and floss daily
- Eat a healthy diet that is low in sugar, especially beverages
- You can share lots of things with your new little one, but try to avoid sharing utensils or cleaning things with your saliva
- Chew xylitol gum. Xylitol is a natural sweetener that can inhibit bacteria from growing and potentially spreading to your child.
Bring your child to the dentist at age one so we can work on prevention early
What to expect:
For most children this age they are not yet comfortable to sit in the dental chair alone. This is ok and we will do a lap to lap exam to make them feel safe. Over time they will get more comfortable and eventually the dental chair will become a fun ride for them.
We want to know all about you and your child. We will ask questions and listen to make sure we know all of your questions or concerns and review all of your families needs. At this visit, we will discuss diet, homecare, prevention, teething, fluoride, habits and help give you a “snapshot” of what you may see soon with your child’s continued development.
We want this visit to be as fun as possible for children so we will introduce instruments and tools in a fun way. Dr. Sara will perform a clinical examination to look at your child’s development. She may recommend digital x-rays to be prescribed if necessary. and she will let you know what we see and make sure all of your questions are answered. We will prescribe digital x-rays only if necessary.
Here a few easy steps to schedule your first visit.
Make an appointment…
Use our contact form to send us an email. We’ll get right back to you with a phone call to set up your appointment.
Let us get to know you better…
Fill out our online patient forms.
Get Directions…
And MOST importantly…Relax!
This is going to be a great experience for both you and your child. There is no need to over prepare your child for this visit, just stay positive and use general “kid-friendly” terms to describe the dentist. Tell your child we are going to play games, sparkle their teeth clean and count them…this is what we do! Please try to avoid words like hurt, pain, shot, needle, pull and drills. Children know when their parents are stressed and anxious, so make sure you are relaxed as well.