Dental Education and FAQ | The Smile Specialists

What you will experience?

At our office, we don't just treat the mouth, we treat the entire child. This means offering comfort and compassion, as well as the ability to see every child as an individual. We feel it's important for every child to feel good about oral health — a healthy smile contributes to health and self-esteem. We motivate children to take responsibility for their oral health because nothing makes us happier than seeing our kids taking pride in their smile.

Because we stress preventive dentistry, it's important we regularly monitor the development of your child's teeth. When necessary, we also provide other pediatric services such as restorative dentistry, as well as orthodontic treatment to return the smile to your child's face.

No matter the age of your child, from toddler to teen, the beginning of a great smile begins with the first visit.

The first visit to our practice will be a memorable one because we treat your child as if they were the most important person in our office — that's because they are! We call this our New Patient Experience.

To begin, you and your child are given a tour of the office and are introduced to our team. Next, the doctor will sit down with you and discuss our office philosophy, your child's medical and dental history, and will answer any questions you (or your child) may have.

An initial exam for your child includes any necessary X-rays with an examination by the doctor. Then we schedule an appointment to bring you back for a prevention visit. The visit includes a cleaning and fluoride treatment, and oral health instruction with a hygienist. The doctor will then sit with you to discuss an individualized prevention and treatment program to ensure the best care for your child’s oral health.

The final step is with our patient consultant who will sit down with you and review the visit, explain office policies and procedures, and answer any questions you may have. This initial visit is an excellent opportunity for information gathering and giving. Of course, if you have any questions after you leave the office, call us any time.

Finance/Insurance

We work with virtually all insurance companies. Our staff will work really hard with you to make dentistry affordable by not only submitting to your insurance but also arranging various payment options. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, checks, and even have other great payment options. When you come in for your first visit we will do a complimentary benefits check of your insurance. Please call to find out more information about your child’s first visit.

F.A.Q.'s

Got a question that isn’t covered here? Just drop us a line. We can’t get into specifics about your child’s particular needs without an in-person consultation, of course. But we can answer general questions on our procedures, or arrange a time to meet you and your child.

When Should I Schedule My Infants First Check-up?
How Often Should My Child Visit a Pediatric Dentist?
How Important Are Baby Teeth?
How Can I Stop My Child From Sucking Habits?
How Important is Diet to My Child's Dental Health?
What is Preventive Dentistry?
How Often Should My Child Have X-rays?
How Do I Schedule An Initial Appointment?

When Should I Schedule My Infants First Check-up?

We recommend that you bring your infant for a check-up by their first birthday. You may wonder, "Why are baby teeth so important if they're only going to fall out anyway?" That's a question we hear quite often. Well, baby teeth may be more important than you think — early loss of baby teeth can lead to overcrowding and crooked adult teeth. Our goal is to treat small problems before they become big problems. We feel so strongly about bringing your child in as a baby that we offer all our exams for under 2 years old as complimentary baby exams. This is when prevention starts.

We're here to baby your infant's smile because early dental care today leads to a healthy smile tomorrow.

How Often Should My Child Visit a Pediatric Dentist?

A check-up every six months is recommended. However, we'll recommend how often your child should visit based on their personal oral health. Because we stress preventive dentistry, it's important we regularly monitor the development of your child's teeth for cavities or other problems so we can stop small problems from becoming big ones.

How Important Are Baby Teeth?

Many parents wonder why we need to fix baby teeth if they're only going to fall out. There are many reasons and they're all important to your child's dental and overall health.

Baby teeth have an important role — they act as a guide for adult teeth. If baby teeth are well taken care of, the adult teeth will be able to follow properly. If baby teeth are lost prematurely, problems such as overcrowding and a delay in the development of adult teeth can occur.

If cavities in baby teeth are left untreated, children may be unable to eat properly. Cavities are contagious and can spread from tooth to tooth and to new permanent teeth as they erupt. Premature loss of baby teeth can also lead to poor speech development.

Baby teeth are important for a healthy and beautiful smile. And a great looking smile goes a long way in building a child's self-esteem today, and tomorrow.

How Can I Stop My Child's Sucking Habits?

Many children suck on their thumbs or digits until they are two to four years old. This is a completely normal habit but it can cause severe problems to the development of your child's teeth and bite if it continues too long. Most children eventually stop the habit on their own and many will stop when they are old enough to understand that it can be harmful to them. The doctors have developed a special program to share secrets with your child on how to stop sucking their thumb. Please call us to set up an appointment for this service.

How Important is Diet to My Child's Dental Health?

Diet is very important to a growing child's dental and physical health. Children need a well-balanced diet in order to get the vitamins and minerals their growing body demands. Snacking can be teeth's worst enemy as all too often snacks are sticky, sugary treats and it is sugar that reacts with plaque on teeth to promote dental decay. In short, try to limit your child's snacks and try to avoid foods heavy in sugar, and have your child brush after every meal to remove food particles from the mouth.

What is Preventive Dentistry?

Our practice stresses preventive dentistry because it is key to stopping problems before they start. Preventive dentistry is a team effort between you, your child, and our staff and includes the teaching of proper brushing and flossing techniques as well as regular check-ups and cleanings. Preventive dentistry includes the use of sealants to protect teeth from cavities as well as custom fitting. Diet and eating habits are also important contributors to your child's dental health — a balanced diet is an important part of maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Mouth guards to protect teeth from dentistry.

How Often Should My Child Have X-rays?

It depends on your child. Often, with children that have a high-risk of tooth decay, we take X-rays every six months. For children less at risk, the frequency is less. It's important for us to take X-rays because they give us information that we can't otherwise see. For example, X-rays allow us to see the progress of erupting teeth, allows us to evaluate injuries, or to monitor for bone disease. And of course, X-rays allow us to look for hidden cavities.

How Do I Schedule An Initial Appointment?

It's easy-just give us a call. Our number is 201-337-6135.