"Can I get an after-school appointment for my child?"
Back in the "olden days", when I was a child, it was the norm for doctors and dentists to schedule their patients throughout the day and parents just took their children out of school, when necessary, for their appointments. Schools rarely resisted children being taken out for any medical reasons. Well, things seem to have changed in the past 20 years or so. Teachers and parents alike are much more hesitant to have their children miss school, or even after-school activitie
When should dentist pull tooth?
It's funny, but most children, when they come for their pediatric dental check-up and have a loose tooth, think the dentist is going to pull it. But most of the time I leave it up to them what they want to do, and the vast majority of kids want to do it themselves! So that brings the question, "when should the dentist pull my child's tooth?" Here are things to consider when determining if the pediatric dentist should pull it or let them do it: 1) Is the loose tooth hurting
"Why do I have to wait so long"
You have probably thought this to yourself many times while you're waiting in the reception area of a medical or dental office. You have arrived several minutes early and now you've been waiting 10, 15, 30 minutes or more, or you have been moved to a treatment room and you're waiting there well past your scheduled time. You're thinking that your time is valuable too and wondering why the office always does this to you. Well, in my opinion, this should very rarely happen. T
"My child is a thumb sucker!"
In my 37 years in pediatric dentistry, I have seen all sorts of responses from parents who have a child that sucks a thumb or finger. Everything from "it's no big deal", "it comforts them and helps them get to sleep", to "how can we stop it now?" When I get asked about it and what to do, I always have a definite answer, "it depends!" Here are some things I consider when counseling a parent on thumb sucking: 1) How old is your child? I don't get too worried about it until t
"Can I come back with my child?"
It is very normal for parents to want to accompany their child to the treatment area for their pediatric dental visit. Every office has it's own policy regarding this. Some always allow parents in the treatment area for any procedure with any aged child. Other offices will not allow parents in the back for anything on any aged child. So how does our office respond to this question? I believe that for any child younger than kindergarten age, usually 5, parents are welcome
