By Jaime Tercek, R.D.H.
As a new mother, I have quickly realized that there are so many decisions that a parent has to make. My main goal is to make sure that my son has all of his needs met, and that he is getting the best care; both inside and outside of our home.
When finding a pediatrician, I was searching for a professional who would be gentle, kind, informative, preventative, and would communicate well with our family. When we found the right practitioner, we felt like we won a lottery.
I soon realized how fortunate we are to not have to go through the same process when searching for a dentist to treat our little boy. I am grateful and proud that I happen to work in a practice that has cared for young children for the last 13 plus years.
If I have learned anything in my 18 years practicing as a dental hygienist, having a positive dental experience from a young age strongly impacts your opinion and actions in your future years. If you had a poor dental experience as a child, most likely you will not seek regular dental care as an adult. In fact, many put off treatment until they are in incredible pain and need significant work—involving time and money. And in some cases these bad experiences are passed on onto their children, creating fear and influencing their better judgment.
You may believe or have been told that general dental practices treat adults only. And that’s true for some, but not at our office.
We welcome your entire family and look forward to having your children as patients!!! We create a safe, fun, comfortable, welcoming, non-threatening environment to encourage positive dental behaviors and routines.
I can assure you the giggling that echoes from our rooms are not always from them. We look forward to our conversations, hearing about their summer breaks, the fun things going on in their lives, listening to their thoughts. We develop a relationship with them so they see us as people and not as clinicians behind masks and gloves.
We encourage parents to bring their child to watch mom and dad during their appointments. They start off seeing that mom and/or dad is being cared for without any pain, threat or fear. Children begin to recognize and familiarize with our staff. If they choose, they can sit in our chairs and see how they operate. Sometimes they let us take a quick peek which allows us to comment on how many awesome teeth they have. We choose our language purposefully, by using positive talk, and our behavior and approach is not dominating or forceful. It’s important for our young patients to feel comfortable in our practice. We practice within their comfort level. And when they are having a bad day, we respect that and try again on another day. After all, we all have bad days. It is our goal to have our children grow up understanding the importance of dental visits and how it can affect their health. We want our kids to raise their kids having good dental care and habits.
You can begin bringing your children in as early as one year, as recommended by the American Dental Association. As their teeth start erupting, we want to make sure they are healthy and free from decay. We will discuss how their diet can affect their primary teeth and the proper care of their tiny mouths. We can also discuss what to expect when it comes to erupting teeth, how to treat mouth injuries from falls and when to start orthodontic intervention. If treatment is needed, we will determine the best course of action for your child and provide that service in our office. However, there may be times that we feel that a referral to a specialist for a particular treatment is the better choice.
Let this decision be one that you don’t have to worry about. Our incredibly caring and experienced staff will treat your children as we would want ours to be treated. That’s something we stand by and believe in.
Experience total health dentistry…
…in a spa-like atmosphere.
Ask us about our “Whitening for Life” program
Up-to-date education and empowerment about your total health
Day and evening appt’s available
Amalgam (mercury)-free
Tranquil, relaxing atmosphere
We cater to patient comfort
