A child’s first visit to the dentist should be enjoyable and positive. The more you and your child know about the first visit, the better you will feel. Children are not born with a fear of the dentist, but they can fear the unknown. Our office makes a practice of using pleasant, non-frightening, simple words to describe your child’s first dental visit and treatment. We want you to feel at ease from the moment your family arrives at our office.

According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), children should visit the dentist by their first birthday. It is important that your child’s newly-erupted teeth receive proper dental care and benefit from proper oral hygiene habits right from the beginning.

What to expect

Once you have secured an appointment, our staff will send you a welcome packet with some important information. Also included in the packet are the Health History Form and a Patient Privacy Consent Form that need to be filled out before your appointment. Please kindly bring the completed forms with you on your child's first visit.

Your first visit with our doctor includes:

Once Dr. Tang or Dr. Bellamy has reviewed the dental and medical health history forms, and completed the dental exam, she will provide you with a dental consultation, and information about any additional dental treatments your child may need. During this time our doctors and friendly staff welcome any questions you may have, and are always available to listen to your concerns. In some cases, a thorough dental cleaning and fluoride treatment will conclude the initial visit.

How to prepare your child for his/her first dental visit

One of the most reliable predictors for children's dental anxiety is parental anxiety. To prepare your child for a positive experience at the dentist, we recommend that parents maintain a positive attitude. If your child senses that you are at ease, he will relax as well. It is helpful to briefly describe to your child what to expect at his first visit. Avoid usage of words such as "pain", "needles", "scary", "drills", "hurt", etc. If you are unsure on what to tell your child, our office staff will be happy to help!

Parental presence/absence

Effective communication between the dentist and the child is paramount to building a good rapport. It requires focus on the part of both parties.

Although we welcome parents to the treatment area, children's responses to their parents' presence or absence can range from very beneficial to very detrimental.

To ensure that your child receives the best care possible, Dr. Tang and Dr. Bellamy will make recommendations about parental presence/absence. She makes her recommendations based on her treatment philosophies, the abilities of your child, and your specific desires.

Regular checkups are an important part of maintaining your child's healthy smile!

Don’t brush off regular checkups to the dentist! Regular dental checkups are essential to maintaining good oral health. We encourage regular checkups at least every six months. Seeing the dentist twice a year is recommended because your dentist can:

• check for problems that you child might not see or feel
• find early signs of decay
• treat oral health problems early, while they are still manageable

Regular checkups include a thorough cleaning, polishing, and an oral exam. During the oral exam, our dentist checks the health of your child’s mouth, teeth, gums, cheeks, and tongue. At each visit, she also checks old fillings because constant pressure from chewing, grinding, or clenching can cause them to wear away, chip, or crack.

Regular checkup appointments typically take 30-40 minutes. Patients are seen by appointment only. We make every effort to be on time for our patients, and ask that you extend the same courtesy to us. If you cannot keep an appointment, please notify us immediately.