A Healthy Smile Begins Here

Patient Information

At Colorado Springs Pediatric Dentistry, we don’t just create healthy smiles. Our pediatric practice is dedicated to nurturing generations of strong, confident, and happy individuals.

Our board-certified team is renowned in the region for providing comprehensive, all-encompassing dental services for infants, children, and adolescents. Many families seeking sedation dentistry or a special needs dentist turn to us to provide their child with gentle, proactive, and accommodating dental care.

It all starts by educating and informing you and your family on what we do and how we’re here to help. We’ve provided information on how to prepare your child for their first appointment and teach healthy oral hygiene habits at home. Call our offices in Colorado Springs, CO, today!

Patient Information, CO

First Visit

The relationship between a child patient and their pediatric dentist can have a lasting effect on their smile and oral health for years to come.

If Colorado Springs Pediatric Dentistry is your child’s new dental home, please look over the following information to better prepare your child for their first appointment.

How can you talk to your child about the dentist?

You can make the first visit to the dentist enjoyable and positive. If old enough, your child should be informed of the visit and told that the dentist and their staff will explain all procedures and answer any questions. The less to-do concerning the visit, the better.

It is best if you refrain from using words around your child that might cause unnecessary fear, such as “needle”, “shot”, “pull”, “drill”, or “hurt.” The office practices using gentle, non-frightening language and words that convey the same message without sounding unpleasant.

Can you stay with your child during their first appointment?

We invite you to stay with your child during the initial examination. During future appointments, we suggest you allow your child to accompany our staff through the dental experience. We can usually establish a closer rapport with your child when you are not present.

Our purpose is to gain your child’s confidence and overcome apprehension. However, if you choose, you are more than welcome to accompany your child to the treatment room. For the safety and privacy of all patients, other children who are not being treated should remain in the reception room with a supervising adult.

First Dental Visit, Colorado Springs Pediatric Dentistry, CO

Office Info

Have questions about payment options, insurance, and appointments? We have the answers!

How are appointments scheduled at CSPD?

The office attempts to schedule appointments at your convenience and when time is available. Preschool children are best seen in the morning because they are fresher, and we can work more slowly with them for their comfort. School children are also best seen in the morning for the same reason. Dental appointments are an excused absence. Missing school can be kept to a minimum when regular dental care is ongoing.

Since appointed times are reserved exclusively for each patient, we ask that you please notify our office 24 hours in advance of your scheduled appointment time if you are unable to keep your appointment. Doing so allows us to sufficiently notify and schedule another patient in need of our care. We realize that unexpected things can happen, but we ask for your assistance in this regard.

Can you stay with your child during their appointment?

We invite you to stay with your child during the initial examination. During future appointments, we suggest you allow your child to accompany our staff through the dental experience. We can usually establish a closer rapport with your child when you are not present. Our purpose is to gain your child’s confidence and overcome apprehension. However, if you choose, you are more than welcome to accompany them to the treatment room. For the safety and privacy of all patients, other children who are not being treated should remain in the reception room with a supervising adult.

What are our finance options for families?

Payment for professional services is due at the time of dental treatment. Our practice will make every effort to provide the best treatment plan possible that fits your timetable and budget. We accept cash, personal checks, debit cards, and most major credit cards.

What is our policy on dental insurance?

If we have received all of your insurance information on the day of the appointment, we will be happy to file your claim for you. You must be familiar with your insurance benefits, as we will bill you the estimated amount that insurance is not expected to pay. By law, your insurance company must pay each claim within 30 days of receipt. We file all insurance electronically, so your insurance company will receive each claim within days of the treatment. You are responsible for any balance on your account after 30 days, whether insurance has paid or not. If you have not paid your balance within 60 days, a re-billing fee of 1.5% will be added to your account each month until paid. We will be glad to send a refund to you if your insurance pays us.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND that we file dental insurance as a courtesy to our patients. We do not have a contract with your insurance company, only you do. We are not responsible for how your insurance company handles its claims or for what benefits they pay on a claim. We can only assist you in estimating your portion of the cost of treatment. We at no time guarantee what your insurance will or will not do with each claim. We also can not be responsible for any errors in filing your insurance. Once again, we file claims as a courtesy to you.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, please keep us informed of any insurance changes such as policy name, insurance company address, or a change of employment.

  • NO INSURANCE PAYS 100% OF ALL PROCEDURES
  • BENEFITS ARE NOT DETERMINED BY OUR OFFICE
  • DEDUCTIBLES & CO-PAYMENTS MUST BE CONSIDERED

Pediatric Dental Care Tips for Parents

The following information can help you educate your child on the importance of oral hygiene and ways they can maintain their best and healthiest smile.

What is the best toothpaste for your child?

We recommend using fluoride toothpaste for all ages. We do not recommend fluoride-free toothpaste. Routine topical fluoride exposure, as is done with brushing, is one of the most effective ways to prevent cavities. When young children are properly supervised, you can help minimize the risk of problems caused by fluoride ingestion.

Is fluoride safe for children?

Excessive fluoride ingestion by preschool-aged children can lead to dental fluorosis, which causes discoloration of the permanent teeth. Many children often get more fluoride than their parents realize. Being aware of your child’s total exposure to fluoride can help parents prevent dental fluorosis.

  • If younger than 3-years-old, place only a smear or rice grain-sized drop of fluoridated children’s toothpaste on their brush.
  • If older than 3-years-old, place only a pea-sized drop of fluoridated children’s toothpaste on their brush.
  • Obtain fluoride level test results for your drinking water.
  • Avoid giving any fluoride-containing supplements to infants.

Fluoride treatment can strengthen the enamel of teeth and prevent tooth sensitivity. Before requesting fluoride treatment, account for all of the sources of ingested fluoride.

How can you prevent baby bottle tooth decay?

Baby bottle tooth decay, also called early childhood cavities, can occur with repeated exposure to sugary liquids, such as milk, breast milk, formula, and fruit juice. These liquids can cause tooth enamel to wear down.

Early childhood cavities are common among babies who go to sleep with bottles that contain liquids other than water. If your infant uses a bottle as a comforter when they go to sleep, make sure it only has water.

After every feeding, wipe your baby’s gums and teeth with a damp washcloth or gauze pad to remove plaque and bacteria.

When should children stop sucking their thumbs or using pacifiers?

Sucking is a natural reflex that infants and young children may use thumbs, fingers, pacifiers, and other objects. It may make them feel secure and happy, provide a sense of security at difficult periods, or induce sleep.

Encourage your child to stop the use of pacifiers or thumb-sucking by 2-years-old to reduce the chance of deviations in normal growth. Thumb sucking that persists beyond the eruption of the permanent teeth can cause problems with the proper growth of the mouth and tooth alignment. Usually, children stop between the ages of two and four.

Should your child use a sippy cup?

Sippy cups help young children transition from bottles to cups; however, parents should discontinue the use of sippy cups by their child’s first birthday.

Allowing a child to drink from a sippy cup containing milk or sugary liquids throughout the day can soak the child’s teeth in cavity-causing bacteria. If your child uses a sippy cup throughout the day, fill the sippy cup with water only (except at mealtimes).

How can you talk to your teenager about tobacco and/or tongue piercings?

It’s not uncommon for adolescents to begin wondering about oral piercings, cigarettes, and other tobacco products. Explaining the health risks associated with oral jewelry and tobacco products to your teenager can help prevent complications and health problems now and later in life.

ORAL PIERCINGS

The mouth contains millions of bacteria, and infection is a common complication of oral piercing. If an infection occurs, the tongue can swell large enough to close off a person’s airway!

Here are some of the other risks associated with oral piercings:

  • Chipped or cracked teeth
  • Blood clots
  • Blood poisoning
  • Heart infections
  • Brain abscess
  • Nerve disorders (trigeminal neuralgia)
  • Receding gums
  • Scar tissue

Common symptoms after piercings include pain, swelling, infection, an increased flow of saliva, and injuries to gum tissue. Difficult-to-control bleeding or nerve damage can result if a blood vessel or nerve bundle is in the path of the needle.

TOBACCO

The health risks associated with cigarette smoking are well-known, and many young people often believe smokeless tobacco to be a safer alternative. But does your teenager know that smokeless tobacco, also called spit, snuff, or chew, is just as addictive as cigarettes and may be harder to quit?

One can of snuff per day delivers as much nicotine as 60 cigarettes. In as little as three to four months, smokeless tobacco use can cause periodontal disease and produce precancerous lesions called leukoplakias.

If your child is a tobacco user, you should watch for the following that could be early signs of oral cancer:

  • A sore that won’t heal.
  • White/red leathery patches on the lips, on, or under the tongue.
  • Pain, tenderness, or numbness in the mouth or lips.
  • Difficulty chewing, swallowing, or speaking.
  • Difficulty moving the jaw or tongue.
  • Changes in the way the teeth fit together.

If not caught early, oral cancer can require extensive, sometimes disfiguring, surgery. Even worse, it can kill.

Help your child avoid tobacco in any form. By doing so, they will avoid bringing cancer-causing chemicals in direct contact with their tongue, gums, and cheek.

When should your child wear a mouthguard?

SPORTS

A properly fitted mouthguard can protect your child’s smile when they begin to participate in recreational sports or activities. They can prevent broken teeth and injuries to the tongue, lips, or jaw.

TEETH GRINDING

Nocturnal teeth grinding, otherwise known as bruxism, can occur in children and can be caused by stress or inner ear pressure.

Worn-down teeth and grinding noises are the most obvious signs of pediatric bruxism. Children can also experience:

  • Headaches
  • Jaw pain
  • Tooth sensitivity

Most children outgrow bruxism by early adolescence.

Reach out to our offices in Colorado Springs!

Colorado Springs Pediatric Dentistry North
9480 Briar Village Point #301
Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Phone: 719-522-0123
Fax: 719-266-6614

Business Hours:

Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

(Please call our office to check which office is open on Mondays & Fridays)

Saturday & Sunday: Closed

contact@cspdentist.com

Colorado Springs Pediatric Dentistry South
660 Southpointe Ct #100
Colorado Springs, CO 80906

Phone: 719-522-0123
Fax: 719-375-8556