Our goal is for your child to enjoy visits to the dentist.  We hope your child’s experiences with us will allow him/her to appreciate the importance of clean and healthy teeth so that once they have left your nest they will continue to seek dental care.  With that goal in mind, we make every effort to make your child’s dental experience as enjoyable as possible.

I have treated children for over twenty years in a relaxed and comfortable manner.  Keep reading to find out my secrets for success.

At the exam appointment we will tell your child s/he has a brown spot and that they get to (notice “get to” not “have to”) come back and see us so we can polish it.  They’ve just had their teeth polished, so they are not afraid!  We do not use scary words like cavity, drill, shot, poke, or hurt.  We do not even say, ”Don’t worry.  It won’t hurt.”, because they will immediately begin to worry it will hurt!

When your child learns they need a “filling” they will come to you with questions.   In an attempt to “get them ready” or to “be honest” we sometimes inadvertently scare them.  It is very easy to prepare your child for this visit.  Simply memorize the following phrase, and use it every time your child asks a question: “I don’t know.  Let’s ask when we get there.”

In the twenty-plus years I have treated children and introduced them to restorative dentistry (fillings, crowns, extractions, etc.) I have learned how to prepare the child for the visit.

I use a “show – tell – do” approach that allows the child to see and feel everything before it is used in their mouth.  Of course what I show is set aside and what I actually use is sterile.  I even show them the syringe of “Novocain”, without the working end, and I explain that “the liquid that looks like water is sleepy juice and I will spray it around your tooth to make it sleepy”.  With the use of a numbing gel first, your child will not find the injection unpleasant, and often will not even feel it.

I’ve also found the use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) to be very helpful in making the experience a good one.  The gas is mixed with oxygen and inhaled through a small mask which lies on the child’s nose.  They can pick which “flavor” they like.  The gas does NOT put them to sleep, it does NOT sedate them. It simply relieves their anxieties and relaxes their muscles.   This allows them to lay more still and open wider.  Then I can work more quickly, making the experience fast and comfortable.  Your child will breathe pure oxygen before and after the nitrous oxide and will have no lingering effects or limitations on activities. 

Remember, the child does better without a parent in the treatment room, but you are welcome to see and listen to your child’s treatment from the viewing area.  It is best not to bring siblings to this visit if you wish to observe.