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 WORD OF MOUTH Spring 2013 |
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Greetings!
As spring approaches we hope all our patients, parents, and friends have successfully braved the winter. We would like to remind our families that if anyone is considering Spring Break for appointments, our schedule is filling up quickly. |
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 Food Drive
Our second annual winter food drive to benefit the Northern Illinois Food Bank has been very well received and we wish to thank those that have participated. Your contributions go to help feed local families in need. |
National Chi ldren's Dental Health Month
February was National Children's Dental Health Month. Each year the CDG Team goes to day care facilities, early learning centers, and schools to give our award winning presentation on the importance of having good health through daily brushing, flossing, and nutrition.
This year the team has made presentations at over 25 schools with more than 1500 children attending our presentations, in total. There has been such a demand this year that we had to schedule many into March. We are enjoying every minute of it! |
All children starting kindergarten, second, and sixth grades are required under Illinois School Code to have dental exams. Generally the schools will hand out the forms during registration, however, if you do not have the form yet, our office has the forms and we can complete them during your child's next dental visit. |
Many parents have asked about gummy vitamins. We know that many children take vitamins as part of their daily routine. Gummy vitamins and gumball vitamins are very popular with the kids. The sticky sugar coatings of these vitamins adhere to the teeth, similar to candies and sweets. Caution should be used with these vitamins since they will promote tooth decay. Your child should brush and floss after their use. There are some gummy vitamins on the market that are sugar free. Your Pharmacist or Pediatrician can assist in suggesting alternative options. |
Child's First Dental Visit
Another frequently asked question we will hear is, "When should my child first see the dentist?" The short answer is, by your child's first birthday. This is the position of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Dental Association, and American Academy of Pediatrics. Insurance carriers are also encouraging this policy as part of their preventive health and well-being policies. Dental problems can start early, so the sooner the better is the easiest answer.
Many parents will ask, "How do I prepare my child for their first dental visit?" Very young children may be fussy and not sit still, therefore patience, a calm demeanor on the part of the parent and reassuring communication with your child are very
important. Using POSITVE and encouraging words prior to, during and after the appointment is necessary. NEVER use words such as "hurt" or "shot" because it instills the possibility of a negative event. It is important for parents not to bring any of their own fears into the situation. Children are very intuitive in picking up negative vibes from their parents.
Our pediatric dental team is trained to make this first appointment pleasant, engaging and fun for the child, as well informative and minimize stress for the parents. Our office is geared to be a calm environment for both children and parents. Appointments for children under the age of six should always be scheduled earlier in the day, when your child is alert and fresh. For children under 2 years of age, the parent may have to sit in the dental chair and hold the child during the examination, giving the child extra support so the experience does not seem so overwhelming.
Prevention and early detection are important parts of the first visit. In our next few newsletters we will discuss this in more detail. |
If a child has a primary (baby) molar with severe decay, malformation, or extensive wear the stainless steel crown may be the restoration of choice. Due to the lack of healthy tooth structure other filling materials may not be strong enough to restore the tooth. Many parents have inquired about alternatives to the stainless steel crown. Several types of resin (tooth colored) crowns have been  tried, but with very limited success and a great degree of unpredictability for long term clinical success. When there is a need for crowns in the front primary (baby) teeth we have a few esthetic options, however for the back primary (baby) teeth where durability is a concern due to heavy chewing forces, restoration with stainless steel crowns provides a safe, resilient and long lasting results. |
We understand that families have very busy schedules and life can be quite hectic at times. This is why we send reminder postcards for cleaning appointments scheduled in advance. The postcard generally gets sent one month prior to the scheduled appointment.
Recently, our office has begun asking for a return call from our patients to confirm their scheduled appointments. As a courtesy, we will now call TWO days before the scheduled appointment; if we must leave a message, we will ask for a return call in order to confirm the appointment "in person". If we do not receive the return call, we will call again ONE day before the scheduled appointment and once again, ask for a return call when leaving a message. We make every effort to remind our patients and parents of their scheduled appointments in order to avoid the dreaded "MISSED APPOINTMENT".
When patients miss their appointments it creates a hole in the schedule that can cost a practice quite a bit of money, and ultimately adds unnecessary expenses to healthcare for all. The practice has to pay for supplies that cannot be used for another patient as well as paying for the staff to stand  around and wait - not to mention the time that has been invested, setting up, sending out postcards, making confirmation calls, etc. It also creates a window of unproductive time in the schedule where another child could have been seen for urgent dental care or an emergency situation, had there been advanced notice of the cancellation.
Next time you are in our office, please make sure we have any updated phone numbers for your family. We appreciate your cooperation; that will allow us to provide the highest quality dental care to all our patients. |
A Final Thought
THANK YOU for referring your friends' and families' children to our practice. We appreciate the trust and confidence you have in us!
Thank you to Gloria Council for the suggestion of the winning name for our newsletter! Thanks to all that participated on Facebook! |
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 Please Don't Be Bashful
If you have any questions regarding pediatric dental health, please feel free to contact us by phone: 847-726-0300 or by e-mail: info@childrensdentistrygroup.com.
If you have a family member or friend with a child, please feel free to forward this newsletter to them.
Paul D. Herer, D.M.D., M.S. ● Melissa J. Patenio, D.D.S., M.S. ● Leila C. Younger, D.D.S., M.S.
Diplomates: American Board of Pediatric Dentistry
195 S. Rand Road, Suite 110
Lake Zurich, IL 60047
(847)726-0300 ● Fax: (847)726-3799
www.childrensdentistrygroup.com
   
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