At what age should my child’s first appointment be?

We recommend about 3 years old unless there are special or specific concerns you may have.  Kids seem to do well if they are brought along to witness you or his/her siblings appointment.  Then they can witness how easy and fun it can be.

Will it hurt?

We do our best to make you comfortable.  We can use topical anesthetic jelly to numb the surface to make the local anesthesia injection more comfortable.  If something does hurt or is uncomfortable, please let us know and we can help.  If a second injection is needed, the area is already numb so it will be painless.

Can I just wait until it hurts to fix it?

No.  Sometimes cavities hurt, and sometimes they don’t.  The cavity only gets bigger and deeper with time.  So the longer you wait, the bigger it will get.  If it reaches the nerve of the tooth it can be very painful.  Time only makes the condition worse and it could become more complicated and expensive to fix.

Should I just get all my teeth taken out and get dentures?

Dentures are often a last resort of treatment.  Dentures function about 25% chewing efficiency as natural teeth.  Often a partial denture will be more comfortable if it has other teeth to support it.

Are x-rays bad for you?

Dental x-rays are completely safe.  We us digital x-rays which use 25-50% less radiation than film.  Dental x-ray beams are focused to a beam of only a few inches wide.  We also take precaution to provide a lead apron to block any scattered rays from the rest of your body.  Standard x-rays are actually less radiation you will receive in a normal day from the environment.