The Dental Home is intended to provide a place other than theEmergency Room for parents. We are pleased to receive your child as a patient in our office and feel honored by the confidence you have placed in us. We sincerely desire to make his or her visit as pleasant as possible. We feel that we can better establish a good patient-doctor relationship if our patients are familiar with the services and procedures of this office.Each child receives a thorough examination on his first appointment, which includes dental x-rays as needed. It is very important that children build confidence in themselves and in us on the first appointment. Therefore, no actual dental treatment will be performed unless the child is experiencing pain or discomfort.The majority of children are excellent dental patients (more so than adults), but they must be treated with special consideration. In order to minimize the strain on the child during dental treatment and eliminate as much unpleasantness as possible, there are several procedures and routines we follow.With few exceptions, children are more cooperative in the treatment area if the parents are not present. In a way that your child can understand, we explain in detail (with the exception of the injection) what we are going to do in order to reduce any fears and anxieties about dental treatment. It has been our experience that this is not easily accomplished when parents are present, because we do not have your child’s undivided attention. There are no enclosed treatment areas; all areas are open, and children interact with each other in a climate that fosters respect and independence.For those procedures where it is required, we use a pleasant tasting topical anesthetic followed by a local anesthetic. We begin work as soon as the anesthetic takes effect. We utilize our auxiliary personnel so that all treatment is completed as rapidly as possible in order to keep the child from getting tired. It is best that the actual dental work for young children be done in the morning when your child is fresh and not tired from hard play and school.The majority of children can be reasoned with and dental treatment is performed quite satisfactorily here in the office. Some children, especially the very young who need extensive treatment, are better off having their teeth restored while they are "taking a nap". This requires hospitalization and will be discussed with you if we feel it necessary.An account of the services to be provided and an estimate of the cost of the complete care will be given to the parents before any restorations are begun. Payment for services is expected at the time the service is rendered. Other arrangements should be discussed with the office manager or the receptionist prior to the time of the appointments.