First visits
When should my child first see a dentist?
By the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth. Here is what that appointment actually is, and why we do not wait until three.
Dr Amara Whitfield
Reading room
The reading room
The questions we are asked most often, answered properly and in order, so you are not reading a leaflet at nine at night.
Everything here started as a phone call. A parent rings, asks a real question, and someone at this practice answers it in plain words — so we wrote those answers down, in the same plain words, and put them where you can read them before you ring.
No trend pieces and no scare stories. Each post says who wrote it and when it was last checked, and each one links to the page that goes further. If something urgent has happened tonight, skip all of this and go straight to dental emergencies.
Four things parents ring us about
Emergencies
A tooth got knocked out. What now?
One question decides everything you do next: is it a baby tooth or an adult tooth? The answers are different, and one of them is the opposite of the other.
Dr Ben Ortiz
Everyday care
Brushing without a battle
Two minutes, twice a day, and an adult on the brush until about seven. Everything else is negotiable — including, some nights, your dignity.
Marisol Vega
Prevention
Sealants explained in plain words
A thin resin flowed into the grooves of a back tooth, set with a light, done in minutes. What they protect, what they do not, and how long they last.
Dr Ben Ortiz
Looking for something specific?
Questions parents ask
Sixteen short answers about first visits, sedation, X-rays, cost and cover.
Read the FAQThe first visit
The whole appointment, step by step, in a picture story you can read out loud.
What happensSomething has happened
Knocked-out teeth, broken teeth, swelling and pain, written to be read in a hurry.
Emergency steps
Still want to ask a person?
Ring us and you will speak to someone who works here. If the answer is short we will give it to you on the phone rather than booking you in.