3 Things To Do Before Choosing A Pediatric Dentist

Are you the parent of one or more young children? Have you recently moved to a new area and so are in need of finding a dentist for your young family members? Going to the dentist can be an intimidating experience no matter how old you are. Finding a good dentist can make a huge positive impact on your children's dental health. Fortunately, there are a few different steps that can help you determine if you've found the right dentist or not. Some of the things that you can do include:

Visit the office: Your dental insurance can give you a list of dentists available in the area. Once you've figured out which four or five offices are the most convenient to visit, go and take a look at each office. Too many people simply pick a dentist out of the phone book or off the internet without even finding out anything about them first. Find out if each children's dentistry office is as convenient as you had thought and what the office decor is like. If it's an ordinary dentist's office that just happens to have a pediatric dentist or two on staff they should still have books, magazines, or toys geared towards their younger clients. While you can always bring your own entertainment for your children when visiting the dentist, you may want to skip offices that don't have any children's toys or activities at all.

Meet the dentist: You should always try to meet your children's dentist before introducing your kids to him or her. Your insurance is unlikely to cover this sort of consultation but it can be worth paying for the office visit out of your own pocket just to find out about the dentist's personality. A good children's dentistry practice should be warm and friendly and more than willing to give you a brief tour of his or her office. If you've had trouble getting your children to visit the dentist in the past, your new dentist should be able to give you details on how he or she plans to help allay any of their fears.

Bring your children: Once you've narrowed the candidates down to your favorite two or three, it's time to bring your children in to meet the dentist. Make sure to take notice of not only how the dentist treats your children but also their reactions to him or her. For example, a dentist who is tall and balding may be extremely intimidating to your very young children even though your slightly older children don't mind or like him very much. It can occasionally be easier on your sanity to use multiple dental offices, one or two children apiece, though most parents shouldn't have to resort to this.

Check with dentists like Picone Dental - Vincent J Picone DDS for more information.


Share