Initial Visit to Pinnacle Pediatric Dentistry

We are excited and look forward to meeting you and your child at their initial visit. Pinnacle Pediatric Dentistry’s goal is to build a relationship with you and your child over the next several years in a comfortable, loving and caring environment that promotes excellent oral health care and dietary habits.

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Recommendation

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) and our office recommend that your child visits the pediatric dentist within 6 months of the eruption of the first tooth or no later than 12 months of age.

Also, this dental visit gives the pediatric dentist an excellent opportunity to educate the parent on proper oral health care and dietary habits for their kids.

It is important that your child’s newly-erupted teeth (erupting at 6-12 months of age) receive proper dental care and benefit from proper oral hygiene habits.

Keep in Mind During Initial Visit

We would like for your child’s first visit to Pinnacle Pediatric Dentistry to be positive, informative, but most of all lots of fun!!!

When discussing dentistry with your child, it is best that you refrain from using words around them that might cause unnecessary fear, such as “needle”, “shot”, “pull”, “blood”, “hurt”, “pain” or “drill”.

The office makes a practice of using words that convey the same message, but are pleasant and non-threatening to your child.

If there are any questions or concerns with your child’s oral health, please inform the dentist upon arrival at our office. We will be certain to address any concerns that you may have.

Initial Dental Visit Overview

Upon review of your child’s medical history, Dr. Shaw will do a limited examination and order any needed radiographs (x-rays).

We follow the ALARA “as little as reasonably acceptable” rule as adopted by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, meaning we will only take those radiographs that are absolutely necessary for your child. This will allow the dentist to examine areas in between their teeth and under their gums (where permanent teeth may be developing).

Depending on the age of your child, we may also take a panoramic radiograph that will allow the dentist to visualize the existing dentition, developing permanent teeth, the bony structures of the upper and lower jaws, diagnose and treat health conditions that cannot be detected during a clinical examination and view any missing or extra teeth.

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Frequently Asked Questions

We welcome the parents to accompany their child during their dental visits. This will not only alleviate the stress of the child, but the stress of the parent as well. As your child becomes more comfortable with our dental providers and our team members, we encourage (but do not require) them to come back on their own.

Upon the conclusion of each visit, any treatment or positive findings will be discussed with the parent. In this manner, we hope to build a positive relationship with each family that gives us the opportunity to serve them for their oral health. Our goal is to make both you and your child feel welcomed and comfortable in our office.

During your child’s initial visit, we will review their medical and dental histories. Please provide us with a complete medical history (as this may affect their dental treatment). This may include any history of surgeries, hospitalizations, adverse reactions to medications, asthma, heart murmurs, sleep apnea, etc. In addition, please give us the name and telephone number of your child’s pediatrician and/or any pediatric medical specialists that they may be seeing. Also, give us the names, doses and frequencies of any medications (including over-the-counter medications) that your child may be taking. Subsequently, at each recall visit, we will update any changes to your child’s medical history.

We accept all major credit cards, debit cards and cash payments.