At Salem Dentistry your children are our highest priority. We focus on prevention so we can provide a lifetime of healthy teeth for your children. Understanding how to care for their teeth helps children create healthy habits which are important to their overall dental health. Our staff strives to provide the highest level of comfort and care to your child at every visit.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends that children have their first visit to the dentist by their first birthday, or within six months after the first tooth appears.

Because the first visit is so important to a child, our goal is to make this visit comfortable, stress-free and fun. In this way, we can make future visits to the dentist less intimidating for you and your child. 

For children under the age of 3, we do a very limited check-up. The goal of this check-up is to familiarize your child with the dental office, the equipment smells and sounds of our office. We also work to establish a positive relationship with the dentist so that when they do have problems, they will look forward to coming to the office to take care of them.

During the visit, we will complete a comprehensive exam to evaluate growth and development, oral hygiene, a status of cavities, or other problems.  While this exam can be done with the child sitting in the chair, we usually prefer to have the parent sit in the chair with the child on their lap facing the doctor. This enables your child to feel secure while the Doctor is doing the exam.  We will provide you with tools and information on how to clean your child’s teeth at home, as well as information regarding any habits they may have that may affect their dental health. We want both you and your child to feel comfortable and get all the information needed to have the best care for your children. X-rays are usually not necessary at this visit.  

For children over the age of 3, the exam changes a bit. At this age, most children will sit in the chair on their own, but there are some that will not be ready would still prefer to have their exam sitting on their parent’s lap. We can continue to do this until your child is comfortable sitting on their own.

Older children (three and over) will have a comprehensive examination, a cleaning, a fluoride treatment (if needed), and digital x-rays (if needed).  Following the exam this you will have a comprehensive conversation with the Doctor concerning what was found and the proposed treatment plan. This is your opportunity to ask any questions you want so that you know exactly what is needed moving forward.

Traditionally, if there is dental treatment needed (such as filling cavities) it is not performed on the first visit unless the treatment is urgent. A new appointment can be set to treat cavities in a way that is best for your child