Pediatric Dentists

What is a Pediatric Dentist .. a Children’s Dentist?

How many of us have our attitude about medicine determined by our first experiences?

Your child’s experience with us will determine their attitudes about dentistry for a lifetime – and we take that responsibility very, very seriously.

Pediatric Dentistry, Children’s Dentistry, starts with the very first contact.  How do we handle it?  While you can, of course, skip any of this we offer parents the option of having a few introductory appointments (at no charge) …

    •    First of all “come on down” …  we invite you to come to the office with your child … just call in advance.  We’ll give your child some stickers and let him play in the reception area for a few minutes ....  to get comfortable with the surroundings.  
    •    If you would like another exposure, we often provide a second introduction appointment  - an opportunity to ride in the chair and maybe even play with the air/water tool – squirting water into the sink.  It’s five minutes of play in the treatment area – to increase the comfort level and to have a chance to answer any of your questions in advance.
    •    At the third appointment we might actually get to look around your child’s mouth and do an examination and, if he/she is still comfortable, maybe even clean some teeth.

Our point is very simple – the key to your child’s long term comfort with dentistry lies in our taking the time and providing the care and consideration that makes a great “first impression”.
We know that we won’t get a second chance at a first impression.

What is Pediatric Dentistry?

Some dentists specialize in treating children – and even limit their practice to only children.

While we treat children regularly (Dr. Joel Spiller is great with children) there are occasions when previous dental experiences (at other offices) have left children scarred and parents disappointed.  Those children may need referral to such a specialist … we know some great ones in our area.

Pediatric Specialists also have training in certain areas specific to children – like complications due to thumb sucking or milk-bottle babies where all of the teeth have decayed .. and developmental problems.  Specialists are an important part of our profession.
 

When is the best time to take a child to the dentists?

Our feeling is that the first introduction can be any time you, as a parent, feel you want to start – generally anytime after two years.  Please come for a visit and some stickers as soon as you feel it is appropriate.

On the other hand, we also feel that by the time your child is two and a half or three they should be having regular examinations and cleanings.

Each child is an individual – the ones with baby teeth that are spread apart have an easy time cleaning their teeth (with parental help, of course) … while the ones with crowded baby teeth probably need cleanings much earlier.   When you bring your child in we’re happy to take a quick look and let you know what we think.

Our hygienists show your children how to brush … and at the right time they help them with flossing too.
The “Rules” of Children’s Dentistry:

Rule Number One is that you child has to have a good experience and walk out of the office happier than when they came in!  

Yet we all know that interacting with children is all about comfort – making the child feel at ease … and presenting messages in a way that is entertaining and fun.

… and we will remember that you, as parent, have the ultimate responsibility for your child’s health.  We’ll give you information about dental health, foods, snacks, brushing …

When you want to start your children on a path to good dental health, please call our office.  You’ll be impressed with our efforts.