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Frequently Asked Questions

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Here at Pediatric Dental Associates, PC, we are committed to providing you with the resources and answers you need regarding your child’s dental care. We encourage you to read through the questions below to gain insight into our services.

Have additional questions? Please reach out to us today at 260-459-0903. We look forward to hearing from you.

Are you accepting new patients?

YES! We specialize in helping children from birth to high school graduation maintain a healthy smile. We can do the same routine cleanings, fillings, and other treatments as a family dentist. We simply do it for children!

Are you in network with my insurance?

Keep in mind that every insurance company exists to make a profit. Thus no insurance has 100% coverage. We will work with any insurance company to help maximize your dental benefits. We do not however sign contracts with any insurance companies. This allows the parent, patient, and doctor to decide the best course of treatment, not the insurance company.

Do you take Medicaid?

We are not a Medicaid Provider. We can still treat you as a cash customer if there is no form of secondary insurance. We do offer cash discounts as well!

How much will my appointment cost?

We are blessed to receive referrals from many of the best dentists in the tri-state area. As excellent as we know these dentists are, it is extremely difficult to accurately estimate treatment costs without a proper dental exam and possibly X-rays.

We encourage everyone to schedule a simple consultation visit to review all aspects of the treatment, not simply the cost, to determine the best course of action for your child.

What age should my child have their first dental appointment?

Early education is the key to prevention! All Pediatric Dentists agree the first visit should be at age 1. This visit is more about education, questions and answers, than it is examining your child. Don’t worry, we will definitely take a very quick peek to make sure all is well!

How long can my child stay with the Pediatric Dentist?

We treat all children from birth to high school graduation. You are welcome to join at any age!

Will I be in the exam treatment room with my child?

Our ultimate goal is to reach a point of comfort where the patient can be back on their own, however there are a multitude of developmental and environmental factors that weigh into this decision. We find that the vast majority of children, especially those who are school age, do just fine on their own.

Parents and/or guardians are still involved in all aspects of their child’s treatment, even if they aren’t sitting right next to them the entire time. This is just another reason why we encourage everyone to schedule a simple consultation visit so we can decide together the best course of action.

Why do I need to fix baby teeth?

Beyond the most obvious reason that you love your child and don’t want to see them experience unnecessary pain, baby teeth are extremely important to growth, speech, and self esteem. If caught early with routine dental exams and X-rays, cavities on baby teeth are often small and easy to fix.

The smaller they are, the quicker, easier, and less expensive the treatment will be. Like rust on your car, cavities are slow growing but constant. Once its there, no amount of cleaning will make them go away. They will continue to grow larger. The end result is a more expensive treatment, pain, and possible tooth loss. Something none of us want. Which brings us back to that age one dental visit – early education is the key to prevention!

Do you use sedation?

We offer two forms of in office sedation should your child benefit from it. Nitrous Oxide sedation, a.k.a. Laughing Gas, is a simple, safe, and effective way to complete many simple dental fillings without the dreaded needle! It does not put your child to sleep. It simply numbs their mouth and teeth enough to keep them comfortable for their procedure and also reduces any nervousness they may have while doing it.

We also offer prescription medication for those children who may benefit from a little stress relief before they even leave home. We would be happy to discuss which option may be best for your child at a consultation visit.

Do you put children to sleep to fix their teeth?

Yes! Often times patients with severe apprehension and/or a large amount of treatment needed will have a much better experience by having their work completed in the Operating Room. In this scenario, all treatment will be completed in one trip, usually in about a third of the time it would take to complete in the office.

Treatment is completed in an operating room setting, with a professional anesthesiologist to assure the safest environment. All procedures are first thing in the morning. By early evening most children are playing as if they hadn’t had treatment that same morning! There is no better way to have dentistry done, after all you don’t even know your doing it!