Eastside Pediatric Dental Group
From the first day your child joins our office, we will work to take care of their dental needs. Prior to your child’s first visit with us, you will need to log in and fill out a comprehensive medical and dental history form. These forms are important as they help us get acquainted with your child and determine the proper course of treatment.
We ask that all forms be filled out ahead of time so we can review and be prepared for your childs visit.
Explaining the dental experience to your child begins at home, with encouragement and reassurances. Here are a few suggestions to help prepare your child for his or her first visit to our office:
At your child’s first office visits, you are able to comfortably ask us questions and gather all the information you need about how to care for your child’s teeth, how to prevent cavities, teething, oral habits, and the role of diet and hygiene in cavity development. The examination allows for our pediatric dentists to evaluate your child’s medical history, dental development, and identify potential problems at an early stage. Most importantly, an age-one visit allows your child to be introduced to dental care in a personalized and gentle way. This helps your child feel comfortable and helps the visit become a successful experience.
Many times, the very young patient can be slow to warm up to the idea of being in the dental environment. We may ask that your child remain in your lap during the examination and while additional care and conversation takes place. When the examination is complete, it’s time for your child to pick a prize!
As pediatric dentists, we know that many young children may have opinions about their first dental visit. Our additional training and experience have made us quite comfortable with young dental patients. The first visit at age one allows for you and your child to develop a relationship with us. You will have a place to turn to if you have a question or if your child should suffer a dental trauma.
We have training that allows us to evaluate the oral health and development of the mouth and face for children of all ages. We will make recommendations regarding timing for orthodontic care and for other appropriate intervention, establish relationships, provide education, and identify problems.
Both the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Academy of Pediatrics recognize early childhood cavities as a health problem affecting a significant number of children. We recommend that a child see a dentist at one year of age or six months after the first tooth comes into the mouth. Establishing a relationship with a pediatric dentist, or a dental home, allows for parental education and early identification and treatment of tooth related problems, which will minimize the potential for lengthy and costly treatment in the future.
If your child is older than one year of age, this is a great time to schedule the first dental visit. We will often recommend that your child have dental check-ups every six months, but we will tailor this time frame based on your child’s specific needs.
Your child’s first dental visit with our office will be an experience that we tailor to your child’s needs. If it is their first ever dental visit at a young age, the visit typically consists of an examination, discussion of findings and any treatment needs, demonstration of proper hygiene techniques and education for the parent regarding proper oral health and hygiene.
If you feel that your child will do better with preparation prior to the visit, please call our office at (425) 392-4048 for the most age-appropriate guidance.
If your child has been a patient at another office and this is the first visit with us, we will plan on cleaning the teeth, discussing hygiene, and doing an examination. When necessary, we will provide tips on how to improve hygiene, take X-rays, and discuss our findings and any treatment needs.
We invite parents into the treatment area. If you would prefer to stay in the reception area, we will take great care of your child.
To help make your child comfortable, we will first use a ‘tell-show-do’ technique, which helps us introduce your child to the dental tools.
If treatment is necessary, we can utilize this same technique and when appropriate and necessary consider sedation or hospital dentistry.
