9
Volume1 Issue6
|
CDA
at
W
ork
Dr.MitchTaillon
Chairof theCDA
AccesstoCare
WorkingGroup
FIRSTVISIT,
FIRSTTOOTH
FourWays toWelcome Infants by Age One
An infant’sfirst tooth isan importantmilestoneand shouldbecelebrated
notonlybyparentsand family, butalsobyyouandyourdental team.
Thefirst dental visit is agreat opportunity toestablisha relationshipwith theyoungpatient’s family
andcreatea “dental home” for years tocome. It alsoallows you tobring theparents intoadiscussion
about establishinggoodoral healthhabits for their child,while reinforcing thecornerstonesof oral
health: balanceddiet, brushing, flossing, and seeing thedentist regularly.
Parentsmight not beaware that an infant’s first tooth signals theneed for avisit to thedentist.
Someparentsmayneed tobe remindedabout the importanceof schedulingadental visit for their
childeveryyear, starting in infancy—just like their child’s regular appointmentswitha familydoctor.
CDA recommends that childrenvisit thedentist byageoneorwithin6monthsof theeruptionof
thefirst tooth. Yetmanydental officeshave their own time frame for this first visit. If youwant to
adjust your officepolicy toclosely followCDA’s recommendation, your dental teammayneed some
tipsonhow tobest serve theneedsof your youngest patients. Hereare someways towelcome
infants toyour practice:
Engagewithparents.
Whennewparents (or expectant parents) visit your practice, it’s aperfect opportunity to let them knowwhy it’s
important to see their childbyageoneorwithin6monthsof tootheruption.
Getyour teamonside.
Likeanychange inofficepolicy, your entire teamwill need tobebriefed so theyunderstandwhy thechange
wasmade. Make sure the front office staffwhobookappointmentsunderstand thepolicy, and that your dental
team reinforces your recommendation for afirst visit.
Celebrate theoccasion.
Findyour ownuniqueway tomake thefirst visit awarmandpositiveexperience
for both the infant andparents. Infants respondwell topositive reinforcement,
soahappyfirst appointmentwill bodewell for futurevisits. Parentswill alsobe
more likely to schedule regular appointments if they seeyouhavemadean
effort tomake this ahappyoccasion.
Get thewordout.
Beclear toyour patients andyour team that parents shouldbook their child’s
first dental appointment byageoneorwithin6monthsof first eruption.
CDAhasprovideda ‘
FirstVisit, First Tooth
’ poster in thepolybagof this
editionof
CDAEssentials
tohelpconvey thismessage.We inviteyou to
display this inyour practice toopenaconversationabout thefirst visit.
a
