Family Dentistry

One of the things I do tell all my pregnant patients and new mothers is the importance of their child's first visit. They … most of them have this question as to, When is the right time to come to a dentist? I would say the right time would be 1 year of age or within six months of having their first tooth. You want to make sure that you take ... your child goes to the dentist regularly, because it is a strange place to them. It's a place where they see strangers and weird noises, and they have funny stuff all over. It's important that we raise our children to be not fearful adults, like fearing to come to the dentist.

What you can expect from your child's first visit is basically we are singing with them, talking to them, counting teeth with, counting their teeth, and just showing them everything. Showing them what a mirror is, showing them the explorer, which is, as a – we show them as a tooth count – it’s your finger counter, or tooth counter. After their visit they get balloon animals made. We have a treasure chest; if they were good boys and girls, they can go in there, claim their prize. Our kids – I don't think I've had … most of our kids are very happy to come here, and they look forward ... they have stories for us when they come.

We, of course, have TV up. When they lie back, they see the television monitor. They're watching their favorite cartoons. They have headphones, so they don't really have to hear any scary noises. It's important, I do feel as a mother, and as a parent, I think your child's health care is important, and it is very important for us to raise children who are compliant and not fearful dental patients who understand the importance of oral health.

At Newman Springs Dental Care, we love having our senior citizens trust us and come to us for their oral health care needs. Our senior population, they have diverse, different needs from what we see in younger people. They were born at a time where what we know about dentistry or oral health care wasn't readily available. They haven't had the resources or the care they need growing up. We usually see patients who've served, veterans who come in and who trust us with us knowing what they need, and trusting us with their care.

I do serve in the Army Reserves. I am a captain in the Army Reserves. That side of my career has given me a better understanding as to the amount of sacrifice that our veterans have done, and how different their needs are now. They don't have too many places that they can go to get that kind of help. It is very important that our patients who served know that we are here for them, and we understand their needs. Most of them are fearful too. I've heard stories where a tooth or teeth were taken out without anesthesia because apparently anesthetic was outside in the sun and just didn't work, and they felt everything. They're fearful about coming, and they have problems trusting us too. So, we are very empathetic. We understand.

I do want to see our, the senior citizens who've done so much, where they're at the phase in their life where their needs are very different from probably a 16-year-old. They've not had regular dental care or they've lost a lot of teeth. We do dentures. We do partials. If they're candidates for implants, those services are offered. It gives me immense pride to be able to serve that population. I can’t be happier.