First Visit

WHAT TO EXPECT ON YOUR FIRST VISIT

First of all, thank you for trusting us to care for your child! We do not take this responsibility lightly and we will always work hard to provide the highest quality care in an encouraging, exciting environment!

In order to put your child at ease, our staff will create an upbeat and fun atmosphere while delivering high quality dental care and education. In addition to our colorful chairs and fun activities you will see pictures of kids from our neighborhood as well as kids from Dr. Mary Alice’s trips around the world. All these kids are having a great time at the dentist and your child can too! We love our relaxed, interactive environment geared toward little people and we hope you will enjoy your time with us.

Our goal is not only to build your child’s trust but also their confidence to overcome any apprehension and anxiety related to dental visits. Our Maverick Smiles team is invested in making sure your child has a great dental experience and enjoys dental visits for many years to come!

We typically schedule our preschool age children in the morning when they are fresh and alert as we strive to give every child a pleasant, easy dental appointment. We make every effort to stay on schedule so we ask parents to arrive 10-15 minutes prior to your child’s appointment. This allows parents the ability to provide up to date and accurate health information prior to the start of your child’s appointment and it gives your child time to play and get acclimated with our environment. There may be times when our schedule is delayed due to an emergency. Please accept our apologies in advance for this; please understand we would provide you the same care if it were your child involved in an emergency.

Like the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists (AAPD) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), we recommend that children have their first dental visit by one year of age. It is our belief that early visits can make a difference in preventive education and can keep children from having any cavities at all. These early visits are easy and can help children get acclimated to the dental environment and serve to foster a positive attitude about dental visits that lasts a lifetime!

Suggestions for your first appointment:

Let your child know they are coming to the dentist. We will most likely perform a comprehensive exam, clean their teeth and apply fluoride varnish. We usually explain this by saying we will brush and count your teeth and paint some vitamins to help keep your teeth strong. We may also take radiographs or “pictures” of your child’s teeth to check areas we can’t see clinically.

Children form their attitude toward dental visits based largely on attitudes they’ve observed from parents, friends, siblings, etc; therefore, we feel it’s best to be excited and positive about this milestone! We believe parents are a huge part of their children’s oral health and we always welcome you back into the exam room to share the experience.

Along with staying positive we ask that you stay away from words that have negative connotations such as “shot” or “drill.” We will always be honest with your child and work to allay any fears and anxieties about dental treatment, we just find children typically respond well to child-friendly terms and explanations.