Your Child's First Dental Visit
The arrival of your baby's first teeth is an exciting time! You'll be introducing solid foods soon, and their first words are just around the corner.
This is the time to schedule your first dental visit with your pediatric dentist in Media. Early visits to the dentist build confidence and your child's comfort level with Dr. John and our team. It also allows us to begin monitoring your little one's growth and oral development.
Why Choose a Pediatric Dentist?
When you choose a pediatric dentist for your child, you can rest assured that you're setting them up for a successful dental experience now and into the future.
Dr. John has completed extensive additional training preparing him to meet the needs of infants, children, and adolescents, including persons with special health care needs. In addition to the typical 4 years of undergraduate school and four years of dental training required to become a general dentist, Dr. John completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric dentistry and advanced hospital training at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine.
Dr. John also has specialized tools and equipment, such as pediatric sensors for x-rays, that make dentistry more comfortable for children. He provides specialized treatments specifically for children, like silver diamine fluoride and pediatric crowns that help kids maintain healthy and happy smiles.
It is our team's primary goal to ensure that your child has an exceptional experience every time they visit our dental office.
What Happens During a Child's First Dental Appointment?
Consider this first visit a "well check" for your baby's teeth. We spend much of our time during the first dental visit helping your child feel comfortable in our office and the dental chair. Dr. John
will count and examine their teeth, answer parents' questions, and provide guidance on nutrition, oral hygiene at home, bottle habits, tooth eruption, thumb and pacifier habits, tooth trauma, and other essential tooth topics.
Teeth cleanings and fluoride treatments are incorporated into their six-month routine visits over time. Our primary goal is to make these visits comfortable and fun for your child so they look forward to their future dental visits.
Tips for Preparing for the First Operative Visit
Preparation for the first operative visit begins at home. Parents can start talking about the visit ahead of time using positive, child-friendly language and terms, like eliminating "sugar bugs," and Dr. John will use "giggle air" to help them feel comfortable.
Please avoid scary terminology like "painful" or getting a "shot" when talking to your child about their appointment.
Parents may also want to read a fun story about visiting the dentist or color a dental-related picture with their child to promote the fun aspects of visiting their pediatric dentist.
We're Here to Help!
Keep in mind that Dr. John's specialty is making dentistry a positive experience for your child. So if there's any way we can make your little one more comfortable at our Media dental office, please let us know.
