Picking The Perfect Dental Home for Your Child

August 6th, 2021

You Child's Dental Home

Picking The Perfect Dental Home for Your Child

We know that selecting the right primary doctor or dentist for your child can be a difficult and a very complicated process. So, how do you know who to choose, or how to go about selecting the right dentist for your children? Keep reading below for a few reasons why the best choice is to find a pediatric dentist to be your kids’ dental home.

Pediatric Dentists Make Office Visits Fun

Besides quality dental care, a pediatric dental office seeks to create a fun, inviting environment designed especially for children. At Union Pediatric Dentistry, we want every child who enters our office to leave with as positive of an experience as possible. Our fun, baseball themed office is designed with children in mind.  It's a great idea to look through the photos of our office before your first visit to help familiarize your child with the new environment. You can also check out our Instagram and Facebook to see how fun we are and for news about our office. It’s also a good place to read some of our patient reviews.


Trained to Care for Children

After dental school, pediatric dentist have an addition 2-3 years of special training to care for young children and adolescents. Our board certified pediatric dentists, Dr. GreenhillDr. Jennison, and Dr. Britt, have also completed additional certifications to ensure that you can rest easy knowing that we have had extensive training which has equipped us to care for your child.

Sensitive to Special Healthcare Needs

Our office offers a variety of dental treatments, while taking into account each child's specific needs. We have created a special sensory room, for those with special needs. Our office is trained to treat kids with specific healthcare needs. Call our office to speak with us about your different care needs.

Stress-Free First Visit

Most kids are often very nervous about any new experience. Especially a visit to see the dentist or a doctor for the first time. Pediatric dentists are equipped to deal with this! Your first visit to our office is designed to be a relaxed introduction to our office and all-star team of dentists. Be sure to explain to your child what to expect using positive terms. Also, let them know that you are going to meet some new people who want to help them grow up with a healthy smile!

From Toddler to Teen

Union Pediatric Dentistry provides dental care for children of all ages. From the first tooth to adolescence, we help your child develop healthy habits for a healthy smile. We provide education for you and your kids to create healthy brushing habits, understand the importance of flossing, and provide dietary tips to keep their mouth clean for years to come. We want every child to have a GRAND SLAM SMILE!

Give Us a Call

We would love the opportunity to become your child's dental home! Establishing a relationship with an office where your child feels comfortable from an early age is very important for long term dental health. Therefore, we recommend, in accordance with the recommendation of the American Pediatric Dental Association, that you begin to take your child to a pediatric dentist within six months of the first tooth emerging. If your child is already past age one and has not yet seen a dentist, that is okay, it's not too late to begin. Call our office to schedule an appointment.

Help! My Child is Afraid to Visit the Dentist!

October 8th, 2015

my child is afraid of the dentist

One of our central goals is to help children have a more positive view of going to the dentist.  We feel that preventing and alleviating the fear associated with dental visits is important in encouraging future overall oral health.  Adults who are not afraid to go to the dentist are more likely to keep up with regular visits and be proactive in the care of their teeth.  We also believe that parents can play a vital role by working with us as a team.  Here are four steps you can take in helping your child not be afraid of the dentist.

Introduce your child to our practice outside of any procedure.

The first visit to your pediatric dentist should be relaxed and non-formal.  Starting early usually ensures that this visit can be more of a “meet and greet” and won’t involve any major procedures.

Avoid using negative words when talking about the dental visit.

As we mentioned in our previous post on finding a dental home, it’s important to stay away from words that connote fear.  Avoid saying things like drill, pain, hurt and shot.

Understand your own fear.

Recent studies have shown that a parent’s own fears of the dentist are transferred to your child.  Evaluate how much of your fears are substantiated.  Consider which conversations about your own dental care are appropriate for your child to hear.

Prepare for the dentist.

Make going to the dentist a truly fun event.   You can build excitement for the experience and plan a fun day that centers around the visit.Above all else, it’s important to stay positive.  Your child will sense your mood and will respond to it.

7 Tips for Teething Babies

July 31st, 2014

Help for teething infants
Teething can be an uncomfortable time for babies, with little gums experiencing tenderness and swelling as emerging teeth break through the surface.  In light of a recent FDA warning against using lidocaine for teething infants, we wanted to put together a few helpful tips for managing this sometimes-difficult time for your child.

Massage sore gums.

Gently rubbing your baby’s tender gums with a clean finger or soft cloth can help alleviate some teething pain.  Applying slight pressure to the gums offers temporary relief from soreness and is one of the quickest and easiest ways to make your child more comfortable.

Find a teething ring that your baby loves.

We recommend sticking to teething rings that are made of solid rubber because those filled with liquid can sometimes break.  Experiment with different types or sizes until your baby shows you which one he or she clearly prefers.

Stay cool, but not frozen.

While it’s fairly common to give babies cold washcloths or teething rings that have been in the freezer, it's best to use one that is simply cold.  Your baby’s gums are very sensitive and contact with frozen objects could actually harm them.  If you do use a frozen teething ring, you might consider giving it a few minutes to warm up or unthaw.

Consider cold foods.

If your baby is beginning to eat solid foods, you may try offering large chunks of vegetables for gnawing.  It’s important to always carefully watch your baby and remember that choking can occur easily, with babies being able to bite off small pieces.  A good solution is mesh feeders that allow children to taste foods without the fear of choking.

Keep a clean cloth nearby.

Teething often causes excessive drooling which can irritate your baby’s chin and neck if consistently left to dry. Instead, have a soft cloth handy to gently dab away saliva regularly.

Remember that teething isn’t sickness.

Teething is normal and natural that shouldn’t be accompanied by symptoms of illness outside of an occasional mild or low-grade temperature (under 101 degrees Fahrenheit or 38.3 degrees Celsius).  Your baby may be irritable or fussy during teething, but high fevers are caused by viral infections and not teething.  Contact your pediatrician if you sense your child may be getting ill.

Don’t forget to establish a Dental Home.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends establishing a dental home by age one or at the emergence of the first tooth, whichever comes first.  If your child is teething, and you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office!

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