Choosing a family dentist in Annapolis isn’t necessarily the same as choosing a dentist for yourself. The habits that children form early in life, whether good habits or bad habits – can stay with them throughout their lives. When you’re thinking about where to bring your kids to get their regular cleanings, we think you should keep these things in mind.
1. Education and Experience
Like so many industries, the tools, procedures and products that dentists use are constantly evolving. It’s not enough for your dentist to go to dental school or simply practice for a few years. Your dentist should be reading industry journals, attending conferences and discussing best-practices with his or her colleagues.
But what good is learning without putting what you’ve learned into practice? The best dentists combine years of experience with an open mind and a desire to learn throughout their entire career. New products are released every day that remove harmful chemicals from products that our industry has been using for years. If your dentist isn’t paying attention to these new developments, he could be treating your children with an older product that has newer, healthier alternatives.
2. Bedside Manner
All of us have different needs when we visit the doctor or dentist. What I value in my doctor might not be the same things that you value. But children are different. Finding a dental practice that fosters a loving environment for kids can mean the difference between your child enjoying trips to the dentist – or dreading it.
Being a mother of 3, I believe that if you want your kids to enjoy going somewhere or doing something, you better make that trip or activity genuinely fun. This is the approach that both of my offices take with our younger patients. With so many wonderful dental options out there, there’s just no reason to take your kids to a dentist that doesn’t treat them like family.
3. Making The Dentist Fun
If a visit to the dentist is going to be fun, your dentist should be able to think like a kid. At our practice, we take entertaining the kiddos very seriously. Every child we see gets to take a visit to the treasure chest once their cleaning is done. They get to pick an item to bring home from choices that include natural honey sticks, honey candies, organic chocolates, throat soothers and more. Then we take them for a stop at our Annapolis Green Dental “Candy Bar”. Don’t worry. It’s not an actual bar and the only candy it’s serving is healthy choices. Most options are replacing sugar with Xylitol, a natural sugar-substitute extracted from plants. And while we’re rewarding our younger patients, we make sure to remind them that they’re getting these extra-special treats because they’ve worked so hard on keeping their healthy smile.