First Visit

It is our goal as a pediatric dental practice to prevent oral disease. For this reason, it is extremely important we begin to educate you, the parent, as early as possible. We agree with the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry in its recommendation that each child have a “dental home” by the age of one. A “dental home” is defined as the ongoing relationship between the dentist and the patient, which includes all aspects of oral health care in a comprehensive and family oriented way. Dr. Radin is available to provide you with guidance on your child’s growth and development, eruption of teeth, nutrition, bottle habits, thumb, finger and pacifier habits, trauma, brushing tips and much more.

Dr. Radin does not expect a one or two year old to cooperate. She will examine your child while you hold him or her on your lap. We cannot stress enough the importance of acclimating your child to the dental setting as early as possible. You will be amazed at how your child will adapt to our child-friendly environment and beg to come back!

You can make the first visit to the dentist enjoyable and positive. It is best if you refrain from using words around your child that might cause unnecessary fear, such as “needle”, “shot”, “pull”, “drill” or “hurt”. Our office makes a practice of using words that convey the same message, but are pleasant and non-frightening to the child.

It is normal for children to feel some anxiety during their first visit, so please don’t be alarmed. Over time we hope to diminish that by getting them to trust and feel comfortable with us. Since our staff is trained to specifically treat children, and our office environment is designed especially for children, most of our patients have become an extended family to us and love coming to visit us!