Thank you for visiting the website of Dr. Merhoff, Dr. Blake and Dr. O’Neal! Our doctors have had two additional years of specialized dental training to provide exceptional care for your child.
In addition, our entire staff has the training and the love for children to make your child’s dental visit fun and enjoyable. In order for you and your child to feel more comfortable, we would like for you to familiarize yourself with our practice.
To ensure good dental health for your child, the process needs to begin at home prior to the first visit. We have found it best for parents to treat the appointment as a normal outing. Explain to your child that the dentist will count his or her teeth and take pictures of their teeth to make sure they are healthy. We also will write a story about how their teeth look.
Your participation in your child’s dental experience will be a vital part of his or her overall dental health. You play an important role in your child’s very first appointment in our office, therefore we require that at least one parent or legal guardian be present for the initial exam (not other relatives or friends). We ask that you accompany your child through each step of his or her initial visit. This visit will include a thorough examination, oral hygiene instructions, nutritional counseling, any necessary radiographs, and a consultation with the doctor. We do ask that at restorative appointments the parents remain in the reception area so the doctor can have your child’s undivided attention.
Our office is committed to the prevention of dental disease. By seeing your child early in life, we are able to help prevent dental problems through patient/parent education and early treatment when necessary. Your child, with good parental support, may have an excellent dental experience, a healthy mouth, and a happy smile.
When it comes to picking a dentist, we know that you have options. Personalized, gentle, comprehensive patient care is our number one priority.
Here are just a few things that make our practice unique:
From the front office to the clinical team and doctors, our practice is made up of professionals who take your oral health very seriously. Using state of the art equipment designed with safety and efficiency in mind, we are able to offer top-notch care. As you walk through our office, you will notice that everything is clean, comfortable, and thoroughly sterilized. Your safety and comfort are our top priority.
We know that your time is valuable to you, and that’s why we offer dental appointment reminders for your child via text and email, and a quick turn around time on calls and appointment requests. We are happy to answer any questions or concerns in the office, over the phone or via email as well.
At our practice, we are qualified to handle all aspects of your child’s care so you are always surrounded by people that you trust. If we must refer out for a specialty procedure, we promise to recommend carefully vetted colleagues who apply the same professional principles in their office that we do in ours.
We respect and understand that many children experience dental anxiety. At our office, we do everything we can to make sure that their experience is as enjoyable as possible. By communicating clearly and age appropriately what to expect during your child’s appointment, we are often able to minimize dental fear. We are able to play movies for your child on television monitors above their head, but we also welcome you to bring headphones and music for your child to listen to during their treatment if that’s preferred.
At our practice, you and your family aren’t just a patient. We take interest in your child and their oral health needs. We think your child will become fast friends with our caring staff!
We follow the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Guidelines, which recommends the first “regular” dental visit should be no later than your child’s first birthday. Our office encourages an Infant Care Consultation before the age 18 months to promote early childhood dental health. Their first visit is a fun, interactive visit where we hope to your child can leave with a smile on their face, excited to come back! We recommend reading fun books with your child about coming to the dentist prior to their first visit. Some that we recommend are:
We tell your child everything we’re going to do in terms that they will understand. For example, we may “take pictures of their teeth” with radiographs and the doctor will “count their teeth” during the examination of their teeth and gums. Radiographs may be taken to reveal decay and check on the progress of your child’s permanent teeth under the gums. We may clean your child’s teeth and apply topical fluoride to help protect the teeth against decay. We will make sure your child is receiving adequate fluoride at home. Most important of all, we will review with you how to properly clean and care for your child’s teeth.
Give us a call today at 336-659-9500 to inquire about upcoming dates and times of our Toddler Tooth Time – a program unique to our office where we will discuss proper oral hygiene, habits and provide a complimentary exam, available until age 17 months.
