Our office, as well as the The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry all recommend establishing a Dental Home for your child by their first birthday. Children with a dental home are more likely to receive proper preventive care, and routine oral health treatment.
The Dental Home is intended to provide a place for dental care other than the Emergency Room.
You can make the first visit to the dentist enjoyable and positive. Inform your child of the visit and tell them that the dentist and their staff will explain all procedures and answer any questions. The less to-do concerning the visit, the better.
It is best if you refrain from using words around your child that might cause unnecessary fear, such as "needle", "shot", "pull", "drill" or "hurt". We make a practice of using words that convey the same message without frightening children.
