Dr. M. Danielle Funny recommend scheduling your child’s first dental visit when their first few teeth appear, or by their first birthday.
Our dental team uses this initial visit to establish a “dental home” for your child and arm you with information on how to keep your child’s smile healthy for a lifetime. Children with an established dental home are more likely to receive appropriate preventive and routine oral health care. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Dental Association® (ADA) and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) all recommend this early dental visit.
A dental home is intended not only to provide comprehensive dental care but also to serve as a resource so you know how to best maintain your child’s oral health.
What To Expect
We strive to make your child’s first visit to University Pediatric Dentistry an enjoyable and positive experience. Our upbeat team is trained to meet the unique needs of children. If your child is able to understand, you can tell them about our special office, where there will be plenty of kids just like them. Our hygiene visits are completed in an open bay setting that allows children to see and be with other children who are having their teeth cleaned. Giving specific details about the dental visit is not necessary because we will explain everything to your child in age-appropriate language!
Our dental team takes pride in using nonthreatening terminology to describe our instruments and procedures to our patients. Please partner with us by refraining from using words around your child that might cause unnecessary fear. Words like “needle,” “shot,” “pull,” “drill” or “hurt” are not typically used by our team, as we make a practice of using words that convey the same message but are pleasant and nonfrightening to your child.
We Welcome You in the Back!
We invite you to tour our office and remain with your child during their initial examination. During future appointments, however, we do suggest that you encourage your child to experience independence by receiving their treatment while you wait in the reception area. We strive to establish a rapport with each of our patients in order to gain their confidence and overcome apprehension. If you do choose to accompany your child during future visits, you are more than welcome to come in the open bay area. If treatment is necessary for your child, one adult is allowed in one of our private operatories. For the safety and privacy of all patients, other children who are not being treated should remain in the reception area with a supervising adult. We strive to make each visit to our office a great one. The University Pediatric Dentistry team is committed to providing excellent patient care and exceptional customer service!
For your convenience, we have provided our new patient forms online. Please follow the link provided here to access our forms. We encourage you to complete them prior to your child’s first appointment.
If you still have questions or need to schedule your child’s first dental appointment in Charlotte, North Carolina, with our pediatric dentist, please call our office at 704-688-1664 and speak with a member of our team.