Big Smile Pediatric Dentistry
in Jacksonville Beach & Ponte Vedra
Welcome to Big smiles Pediatric Dentistry! We are a state-of-the-art facility that provides excellent Pediatric Dental care in Ponte Vedra Florida. I am pleased that you have chosen us to provide quality dental care for your child.
As a Pediatric Dentist, Dr Hernandez has advanced Specialty training in clinical Dentistry with over 25 years’ experience for infants, children and adolescents, early childhood development, child psychology, behavior management and growth development. We have a carefully selected well-trained team to assist Knowledgeably in clinical procedures and to relate warmly and positively to our young patients and their parents.
Our goal is to have every child leave knowing they don’t have to be afraid to visit our office. We take every measure to relieve apprehensions they may have. Our experience, along with our ability to communicate with your child, will help instill good oral hygiene practices early in their life and teach them how to focus on prevention. By focusing on prevention and practicing proper oral hygiene, many problems never even get started, which lowers your costs and the frequency of their visits to our office.
We have a fun and friendly atmosphere, everything in our office is designed to help alleviate a child's apprehension about going to the dentist.
Your Childs First Visit
Our office follows the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s recommendations to see children on or around their first birthday. The “Dental home” is created to begin an ongoing relationship between Dr Hernandez and your child. It is meant to be a resource for answering all your dental questions as well as monitoring growth and development. It will emphasize preventive dentistry, make referrals when appropriate and provide your child with a familiar setting for all your child’s Dental needs. Having a dental home enhances the dental professional’s ability to assist children and their parents/caregivers in the quest for optimum oral health. The establishment of a dental home traditionally begins with the age 1 visit. This is especially important because it introduces your child to our dental team. Early dental visits allow the dentist to discuss proper infant oral health care, teach lifelong habits and take preventive steps to avoid cavities.
Our Age 1 dental visit begins with getting to know you and your child. We will discuss growth and development, feeding and oral habits. On this visit we will perform an oral screening, provide you with oral hygiene instructions and discuss pacifier, finger or other oral habits. Traditionally, the visit is done with the child laying on mom or dad’s lap.
First Visit for Older Children
Your first visit begins with our dental assistant greeting you and your child in the reception area, then escorting you to the new patient room where we can get to know you both. We will review your child’s needs and answer any questions. If you have young children, we encourage you to stay with your child for their first visit. It is important to develop a sense of trust between our dental team and you and your child. As your child gets older and more comfortable with our office, we encourage your child to come back on their own, so that our team can develop a level of trust and rapport with them. We realize every child is different and there is no definitive rule of when the children are supposed to be seen on their own. However, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry does state that children 6 years and older, can exhibit more cooperative behavior, when allowed to experience procedures on their own. Based on your child’s specific needs, Dr Hernandez might make some recommendations on the best time to begin to develop an individual relationship with your child and team. However, parents are always welcome to “sneak a Peak” during dental visits, seeing is believing! Moms and dads are usually amazed at how wonderful their children listen and behave during the visits.
For our older children, the assistant will begin their first visit with a tour of the office. Many times, we will let the kids relax and get used to our office by playing games in the waiting area. Once they feel comfortable with their surroundings we will begin “show and Tell” with all our dental instruments. We encourage the children to actively participate in the visit by asking questions that they might have.
All First visits and subsequent 6 months’ visits consist of a complete dental exam, cleaning, X-rays if appropriate, and fluoride treatment if necessary. This includes checking for cavities, Gum disease, checking the bite for correct alignment of the jaw and checking the development of the teeth.
Dr Hernandez and her team provide thorough and gentle care. We strive to make each child’s dental visit as pleasant as possible. As parents you can play a large part in preparing your child for his/her first visit to the dentist. We would like to make a few suggestions to prepare your child for the initial visit. First, present the visit as an exciting experience for yourself and your child! Second, tell your child that we will count, brush and take pictures of their teeth. By explaining the exam and the cleaning in these terms, your child will better understand the situation. Try to act relaxed and at ease. Your child will probably sense any anxiety on your part.
Avoid negative phrases such as, “hurt”, “drill” , “pull” and “shot” . Our office practices using words that convey the same message but are pleasant and non-frightening to children. It is important to be positive regardless of the parent’s past experiences. The initial examination involves nothing uncomfortable and should be perceived by the child as non-threatening. It is our job to make this the most positive experience possible! Welcome to our dental family!
Contact Us Today
To learn more, call 904-249-0037 or contact us today to schedule a complimentary consultation.