Philosophy

A pediatric dentist is a dentist who has received additional specialty training in the area of managing children's dental problems. The pediatric dentist specifically deals with those children who may require extensive dental treatment and/or children who are very apprehensive about dental treatment and may require special behavior management techniques in order to accomplish the dental treatment safely and comfortably.

We believe that visiting the dentist can be a very fun and enjoyable experience for children and their parents. The recommendations for treatment of every child that is treated in our office comes from what we believe is the very best treatment philosophy. We treat every child as we would our own. We believe the techniques we use in treating our patients will lead to a very positive dental experience. Our entire team of trained professionals is committed to making the child's visit with us a very positive experience. We use positive reinforcement, reward systems and a lot of Tender-Loving-Care in the treatment of our patients. We do not believe in any type of negative reinforcement when dealing with children, no matter what their cooperation level may be. We believe strongly in the quality of care that we provide our patients and the positive experience they receive. We appreciate every opportunity to apply our expertise to your child in order that they may have a wonderful dental experience.

Being an office that specializes in children only, you will find our office is totally geared toward focusing our entire attention on the child and his or her positive dental experience. As we all know, the dental experience may cause certain anxieties that, if developed early, may last throughout life. These anxieties can be avoided if the child is introduced to the dental experience in an atmosphere they can relate to. That is a fun, non-threatening environment. It is our goal to mold a positive dental experience that will continue into adulthood. As a parent, you will agree that children cannot be expected to be treated and consequently respond like you and I, as adults, would in these situations. This is the function of the pediatric dentist. We provide quality dental care to children in a fun, relaxed atmosphere in order to educate and condition the child to have little or no anxiety when going to the dentist. We have our own "special" language when describing otherwise anxiety-producing procedures, and our entire team is focused on providing a positive, loving environment for your child. We know that the dental experience can be fun and positive for your child, and it is our goal to provide this to them. We appreciate the opportunity to apply our expertise to your child in order that they may have a wonderful dental experience.

The main goal in the treatment of your child is to provide a positive dental experience. Since the dental experience can be a high anxiety-producing event, children react to anxiety differently than adults. Children can display anxiety in different ways depending on age, preconceived ideas and previous experiences. Once a child becomes apprehensive in the dental setting, it is very difficult to "talk the child out of the anxiety". Reversing a negative dental experience is much more difficult than preventing one.

The use of a mild sedative to relax the child can lower the anxiety level and, therefore, allow them to be more relaxed during the dental procedure. A relaxed child is more apt to listen and understand the explanations of the procedure given by the doctor and his assistants. In addition, less anxious children accept the normal activities and noises around the mouth associated with dental procedures. Tell-Show-Do techniques, explanation and positive reinforcement techniques are all more effective in children if the anxiety level is lowered initially. Therefore, a mild sedative can be a tremendous aid to ensure that a child has a positive experience. A common misconception is that the children are "put to sleep" in the pediatric dental office. Sedative medications are used to help relax the child but at no time is any child "put to sleep". The mild sedative medication merely relaxes the child to lower his/her anxiety levels.

Sedation techniques and specific medications are chosen after consideration of the child's medical history, age, anxiety level and extent of treatment. Dr. Bowden will recommend a specific technique once he has met the child and made the assessment based on these factors. He will discuss his recommendations with you and answer any questions you may have.

The most common techniques used in children include the use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) alone or in combination with a mild oral sedative medication. Local anesthesia is used to ensure total comfort for the patient. The techniques used by Dr. Bowden have been shown to be extremely safe and effective in the management of the pediatric dental patient. Dr. Bowden will be glad to explain and answer any questions you may have regarding these techniques.

To say our office is "kid friendly" would be a big understatement. It has been described by many of our patients as the "Disneyland" of dental offices. The setup and atmosphere of our office will immediately decrease the anxiety of the child. From the moment you walk into the waiting room you will see the difference. The Space-ship play area or the Movie Theater area will certainly put the child at ease. For the older children, the video game room complete with Play-stations and Game Cubes will keep their interests as they are waiting to be seen.

A warm, friendly and very experienced staff will be available at every step of the way to make sure you and your child not only have a great experience but also very well informed. Whether it be their caring and attentive attitude toward your child or their knowledge and professionalism in their dealings with you, this staff will make your experience in our office one that is totally different than any other prior dental experience.

Everywhere you turn your child will be able to watch movies or cartoons as we have TV's in each room of the office. You will not have to worry about your child leaving our office empty-handed either. We have seven toy machines throughout the office in which we give away "good helper" tokens for toys. We have stickers, stickers and more stickers. We have a rainbow of colored helium balloons. We give "Great Helper Gold Medal Awards" to all of our great helpers. Of course, your child will need something to carry all their "stuff" in so they will also get a goody bag with a brand new age appropriate "character" toothbrush (we can't forget why you are here!!). And last but surely not least, we have our own soft serve ice cream machine. Everybody(parents included) get ice cream when we are finished. We have different flavors every day.

Your child can always participate in one of our office bulletin board contests so that they can win some great prizes.

We are looking forward to your visit with our office. Please let us know if you have any questions.