First Visit

Dr. Bekka; the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP); recommend that your child visit the dentist six months after the eruption of the first tooth or by age ONE. You can make the first visit to the dentist enjoyable and positive. If your child is old enough they can be informed of the visit and told that the dentist and their staff will explain all procedures and answer any questions. The less to-do concerning the visit, the better.

It is best if you refrain from using words around your child that might cause unnecessary fear such as “needle”, “shot”, “pull” , “drill” or “hurt” even if trying to explain that these things will NOT happen. Dr. Bekka and her team make a practice of using words that convey the same message, but are pleasant and non-frightening to your child. Some words we like to use are “Mr. Bumpy”, “tooth counter”, “Mr.Thirsty” and “tooth paint”.

We understand that new experiences can be frightening. We invite you to accompany your child during the initial examination to see how we engage your child. During future appointments, we suggest you allow your child to accompany Dr. Bekka and her staff through the dental experience; this enables us to establish a closer rapport with your child when you are not present. The purpose of this is to gain your child’s confidence and overcome apprehension. However, the choice is yours; you are welcome to come with your child to the treatment room. For the safety and privacy of all patients, other children who are not being treated should remain in the reception room with a supervising adult.
We strive to make each and every visit to Giving Tree Pediatric Dentistry a fun one!