First Visit
We know how to make a positive experience for a lifetime
Our office, as well as the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, recommends that your child establish a dental home by age one. A dental home is an ongoing relationship between the dentist and the patient, inclusive of all aspects of oral health care delivered in a comprehensive, continuously accessible, coordinated and family-oriented way. This relationship includes anticipatory guidance, prevention, acute treatment, comprehensive oral health care and referrals to dental specialists when appropriate.
Upon the First visit, a toothbrush cleaning, exam, fluoride varnish and parental education will be provided.
We believe it’s important to make the first and every visit thereafter to the dentist enjoyable and positive! We recommend familiarizing your child with the dentist and their role in providing oral health prior to their first appointment using the information provided here. It is also important to be honest and positive about the experience. Parental anxiety is an indicator of a child’s anxiety in the dental environment. If you suffer from dental anxiety as a parent, try to minimize negative comments and your own anxiety about visiting the dentist.
Knee-to-Knee Exam
For young children, we commonly do a knee-to-knee exam.
This positioning of the patient, parent, and doctor allows for a thorough exam and allows your child to touch and visualize you to minimize anxiety. Your child will sit on your lap facing you, and you will help recline the child’s head into the mat placed in the doctor’s lap. You will then hold their hands and encourage them during this brief procedure that requires a few minutes.