New Patients

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends taking your child for their first visit to the dentist at one year old. This allows the dentist to carefully examine how your child’s mouth is developing, use preventative care to avoid possible issues and address problems such as baby bottle tooth decay, teething irritations and prolonged thumb-sucking.

Our goal is to help children feel comfortable from the first time they walk through our doors, establishing a positive association with dental care for their lifetime! Your child’s first visit will most likely be a low-key ice-breaker, aimed at helping your child get to know the dentist while also gaining an idea of what a dental cleaning and exam look like. Even so, your child may still have some apprehension about this new experience.

You can help by preparing your child ahead of time with 6 easy steps:

Practice

Take a trip to the “dentist” in your own home! Make-believe is such an effective way to prepare children for their first visit. You can pretend to be the dentist by putting on a pair of gloves and a face mask. Use a paper towel as a bib and tuck it into your child’s shirt collar. Give your child a pair of sunglasses to put on and explain that the glasses will protect his/her eyes from the bright light. You can even use a flashlight for demonstration! The handle end of a toothbrush or a popsicle stick can be used as a tooth counter. Give your child a hand mirror to be able to watch you as you count his/her teeth. A trip to the dentist will be much smoother when your child knows what to expect!

Watch and Listen

Watch a movie with your child such as A Trip to the Dentist through Pinatta’s View, to create excitement about their dental care. Cuddle up on a rainy day and have a dentist-themed story time. Freddie Visits the Dentist by Nicola Smee is a great option to start with. Your local librarian can be of assistance in selecting other age-appropriate videos and books.

Assist

Help encourage your child to brush his/her teeth after breakfast and before going to bed. Make it fun! Allow your child to pick out a special toothbrush. Experiment with different reward systems to identify what motivates your child. For example, you can try having your child pick a reward from the prize bin after each successful brushing session. Or, set up a sticker chart with different rewards to choose for achieving a set goal. Look for ways to provide positive feedback and reinforce good dental hygiene!

Initiate

Hold positive, upbeat discussions about the dental experience. Answer all your child’s questions honestly and avoid using words such as “hurt” or “pain.” Even if you have anxiety about dental visits, it is important that you don’t let your child sense this. Make sure to highlight the importance of oral health and encourage regular dental visits.

Provide

Allow enough time on the day of the first visit for your child to arrive and greet our friendly staff in a relaxed, unhurried fashion. All the preparation in the world won’t alleviate the stress created by a last minute rush to the appointment. Never use the dental visit as a threat or punishment and don’t bribe your child to go to the appointment.

We invite you to stay with your child during the initial examination. However, on subsequent visits, we find we can establish better rapport with most children when parents stay in the waiting room. Our goal is to gain your child’s confidence and overcome apprehension. For the safety and privacy of all patients, siblings who are not being treated should remain in the reception room with a supervising adult.

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Insurances we accept

We accept and file most dental insurance except Dental Maintenance Organization policies.

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Aetna

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Ameriplan

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Ameritas

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Care Credit

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Careington Network

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Cigna-Cigna DPPO

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Delta Dental

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Personal MD

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United Healthcare

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DHA/Assurant Network

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BCBS of TX,IL,OK,NM

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MetLife

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