First Visit One of the things we ask of new parents is that they bring in their infants for their first visit, by the time they turn one year old, or when they get their first tooth. Here at Jerome Riddle DDS, we do understand that these little patients are not going to fully understand what this first visit is all about. To help make these early dental visits easier on you, your child, and our team, we do what are called lap visits. These visits are often done for patients under three years old and are typically much shorter than regular dental visits.What is a Lap Visit?As the name suggests, these visits are done with your little one sitting on your lap rather than in the standard dental chair. You have your baby face you. One of our pediatric team members will sit in front of you, likely with their knees touching yours. You then lean your baby back, so their head is in the other person's lap. This allows us to investigate your baby's mouth while they can still see you. You can hold their hands and keep them calm while we look inside their mouth. While early visits typically include a visual exam, there are a few other things we may do. For example, we may rub a special fluoride gel on your baby's gums. If your baby has several teeth, we may also gently clean them. The goal of these initial visits is to check to make certain that your little one's gums and teeth are developing as they should. We also look for signs of certain diseases and other oral conditions that affect infants, such as thrush. These visits also help get your child comfortable with seeing us. It is a good way to ease young patients into having regular dental visits and, as they get older, provides a time for them to ask their own questions about their teeth and mouth. How Long Is a Typical Lap Visit?We know little ones often do not want to sit still for very long, especially if they are in a new place. Our lap visits usually only last about 10 minutes, though that does depend on your child's oral health. During this time, we will also answer any questions you may have and talk to you about anything that we find that is concerning or needs more attention. Like adults, we do ask that all of our patients, no matter how young they are, come in every six months. This allows us to see how your child's oral health is progressing and gives us time to catch developing issues before they can become too serious. If your little one has not had a lap visit yet and is already one year old, it is time to bring them in to meet us. Give Jerome Riddle DDS a call at 480-991-4410 to arrange a lap visit for your little one. |
