Your Child's First Visit

It is our goal to make your child's first visit to us as stress-free as possible. We want you, the parent, to be with your child in the exam room for their visit. It is important that we are able to take the time to:

• Meet your child
• Evaluate your child's level of cooperative development
• Review your child's previous medical and dental history and experiences
• Review home preventive care
• And finally, examine your child's teeth and oral cavity for any concerns

3 and Younger: Kids under 3 are usually allowed to sit on the parents lap for their dental exam. It is not uncommon for very young children to be very apprehensive about allowing a strange person to get that close to them and put a mirror in their mouth. The parent's lap is very reassuring place for them. Even if they cry for the exam, as soon as we are finished they are in a good position for mom or dad to grab them up into a good hug and cuddle, thus reassuring them that everything is OK. The first visit for a child age 3 or younger is normally just an easy examination.

4 and Older : The first visit is tailored to their previous experience and their reason for being here. If it is the first visit to a dentist, usually an examination is done, and then, based upon the needs of the child, xrays may be taken if needed to determine if there are any hidden problems. We do not usually take xrays on younger children at the first visit if it will be too difficult for them. We want that visit to be a good experience. If your child is 4 or older and is not apprehensive, at your request, we can also clean your child's teeth and apply topical fluoride. Cleanings and topical fluoride treatment become an integral part of the preventive care for your child, but it is important they are introduced to it appropriately so it becomes something that they enjoy in the future.

Scared Kids: If your child is being referred to us because of they are scared, unable to cooperate for treatment, or they are very young and have a lot of treatment needs, then the first visit, regardless of age, will probably just be an examination. This allows your child to have an easy visit without causing any more stress and it allows us to evaluate your child's treatment and behavioral needs to arrive at an individualized plan suited for your child.

Summary : We want your child's first experience at our office is as easy and comfortable for them as possible. We tailor that visit to the age, level of development, cooperation level and previous experiences of your child.

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