First Visit
Our office, as well as the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommend establishing a "dental home" for your child within six months of his or her first tooth or by age one. The dental home is intended to provide a place other than the emergency room for patients.
You can make the first visit to the dentist both enjoyable and positive by informing your child that Dr. Meek and her team will be using the "Tell, Show, Do" technique to explain each procedure. With this technique, your child will hear and see what the procedure involves before they receive that part of their treatment. Dr. Meek and her team use child-friendly words to explain the tools and the processes, such as "sleepy juice," "wiggle," "Mr. Thirsty," and "tooth counter." We encourage you to use the same types of terms.
Each child is unique, and so are his or her dental needs. You are invited to accompany your child during the initial examination, but in future visits, if your child is over the age of five, we suggest you allow your child to have their own dental experience. This allows us to build a rapport with your child. Studies and our experience have shown that most children over age five react more positively when allowed to experience the dental visit on their own. Most school-aged children like to show their independence. However, if you choose, you may accompany your child to the treatment area. We ask that other children who are not being treated remain with a supervising adult in the reception area.
Emergencies
Toothache
If your child has a toothache, first rinse the irritated area with warm salt water and place a cold compress on the face if it is swollen. Give your child either children's Tylenol or Ibuprofen (as directed on bottle) for any discomfort. Finally, contact us at Pediatric Dentistry of Winchester, PLLC as soon as possible.
Knocked-out baby or permanent teeth
Most cases where your child knocks out his or her baby tooth are not an emergency and may not require medical treatment; however, you should contact us for follow-up care. If your child knocks out a permanent tooth, find the tooth and hold it by the top (chewing end) and place it back in the socket. If this is not possible, place the tooth in milk and bring your child and the tooth to us immediately. Time is a critical factor in saving the tooth.
Chipped tooth
Contact us. If possible, find any broken parts of the tooth and bring them with you. Even a small chip may need expert care.
Infant Oral Health
Introductory Tooth Brushing
Most children get their first tooth between seven and 13 months of age. This tooth and all future teeth, as well as gums, need to be kept clean on a daily basis. Most children by the age of three years have all 20 baby teeth. Until the child can effectively expectorate (spit), fluoridated toothpaste should not be used. Usually, this happens by age four. Prior to this, the child's teeth can be cleaned with water or non-fluoridated toothpaste and a soft-bristled, age-appropriate toothbrush.
Baby Bottle Tooth Decay
Early childhood caries (tooth decay) is a serious form of decay caused by frequent and long exposure of an infant's teeth to liquids containing sugar. Putting a child to bed with a bottle with any sugar containing liquid in it other than 100% water can cause this type of rapid and potentially very harmful decay.
Baby Teeth
Why are baby teeth so important?
Baby or primary teeth are important for many reasons. They help children chew properly and speak clearly. They hold space for and aid in forming a pathway for permanent teeth to follow when they come into the mouth. They also allow normal development of the jawbone and muscles.
Finances and Insurance
Our fees for our professional services are the same for all patients whether or not they have a dental insurance program. As a courtesy to our patients, we will be happy to complete and submit your primary insurance carrier forms for dental treatment.
There is a great variety in the types of dental insurance offered. Various programs cover as little as 30%, up to as much as 80%. Almost every dental plan has a provision for limiting dollar disbursement by the insurance company for covered services. Rarely is there 100% coverage.
Your particular insurance program may base its allowances on a fee schedule, which may or may not coincide with our office fee schedule. In some instances, it may be possible for you to determine, prior to treatment, what your benefits will be by merely reading your policy or by checking with your employer.
Please understand that this office does not determine the benefits to be derived under your policy. We cannot be responsible for the structuring of your plan. This is a pre-determined situation agreed upon between your employer and the insurance carrier.
Insurance is designed to reimburse the policyholder and is a contract between the policyholder and the company. We do not have an insurance department, but we will do all we can to help you collect legitimate claims. Since our services are rendered for you at your request, in the event your insurance carrier is slow to pay or for some reason disallows the claim, payment of the account is your responsibility. Financial arrangements are to be made with our office prior to commencement of treatment. We will furnish information needed to file all referrals but ask that these be submitted by the insured. Payment is due from the insured at the time of the visit.
In order for our office to apply for insurance benefits on your behalf, we ask that you provide us with the following: the insured's birthdate, social security number, name and address of employer, occupation, policy number, and plan or group number.
Most major dental plans are accepted.
Payment for our professional services is due at the time dental treatment is provided. We accept cash, personal checks, debit cards, and most major credit cards.
