Questions parents ask

By their first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth appearing — whichever comes first. That is the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry guidance, and the reason for it is not the teeth. It is that we can catch feeding and brushing habits early, and that a one-year-old who has met a dentist is a four-year-old who is not frightened of one.

Yes, for three reasons: they hold the space the adult teeth need, a decayed baby tooth can abscess and cause real pain and infection, and a child who cannot chew comfortably eats and sleeps badly. Losing a baby tooth years early is a problem worth avoiding.

Yes, always, at any age. Some children do better with a parent in the room and some do better without; you know yours. For babies and toddlers we actively want you in the room — the knee-to-knee exam needs you.

Your Medicaid, CHIP or insurance card, a list of any medicines your child takes, and the name of your paediatrician. Bring whatever your child needs to feel settled too — a comforter, a favourite toy, headphones. If they have been seen somewhere else we can request the records ourselves, so please do not spend a week chasing them. Arriving ten minutes early means the paperwork happens outside the appointment rather than inside it.

We will not promise you a pain-free visit, because that is not a promise anyone can keep. What we will do is tell your child honestly what each thing feels like before it happens, use numbing gel before any injection, agree a stop signal they can use at any moment, and stop when they use it. Most check-ups involve nothing that hurts at all.

We slow down. A first appointment can be nothing but a ride in the chair and a look in a mirror. We use tell-show-do — describe it, show it on a finger or a model, then do it — and we book longer appointments for anxious children so nobody is rushing. If four visits are needed before a cleaning happens, that is fine.

It is a sticky, quick-setting fluoride painted onto the teeth in about a minute. It strengthens enamel and slows early decay. For most children we apply it at every check-up. It is one of the cheapest and best-evidenced things in paediatric dentistry.

A liquid that stops a cavity progressing without drilling. It is genuinely useful for a very young or very anxious child, or for a baby tooth that will be lost soon anyway. The trade-off is honest: it stains the treated decay permanently black. We always show you a photograph of what that looks like before you decide.

Nitrous oxide — laughing gas — for a child who is mildly anxious and can still cooperate. Oral sedation for a younger or more anxious child needing longer treatment. A hospital general anaesthetic for extensive treatment, very young children, or some children with additional needs. Each has different risks and we will explain which we are recommending and why.

An orthodontic screening at about age 7 is the standard recommendation, because the first permanent molars and incisors are in by then and crossbites, crowding and jaw growth problems become visible. Screening at 7 does not mean braces at 7 — most of the time the answer is "nothing yet, see you in a year".

It depends entirely on whether it is a baby tooth or an adult tooth. An adult tooth is a minutes-matter emergency and may be able to be put back. A baby tooth must NOT be put back. Our dental emergencies page has the full instructions for both.

We take radiographs when the examination gives us a reason to, rather than to a fixed timetable — to see between teeth that touch each other, to check a tooth after a knock, or to see how the permanent teeth are developing underneath. Digital films use a small dose, we use protective aprons and thyroid collars where they are appropriate, and we will tell you what we are looking for before we take one. If you would rather wait, say so and we will talk it through.

Grinding is common in childhood and most children stop on their own without any treatment at all. At check-ups we look for wear on the biting surfaces and ask about broken sleep, snoring and jaw soreness in the morning, because those are the things that would change our answer. Night guards are rarely right for a mouth that is still changing shape, so mention it and let us look before buying anything.

Yes. We are in-network with Ohio Medicaid managed care dental plans and we take CHIP. Kelly, our coordinator, will check your eligibility on the phone before you come in, so nobody arrives to a surprise.

We will give you a written estimate before treatment, and for anything beyond a check-up we submit a pre-treatment estimate to your plan so you see the real number rather than an approximation. Ask us. We would much rather have the conversation first.

Tell us at the start of the phone call. We will give you the cost of the appointment before you book it, a written estimate for anything beyond a check-up, and a straight conversation about a self-pay arrangement. The one thing we would rather you did not do is stay away because of the money — a small problem seen early is nearly always the cheaper one.