First Visit

You and your child are welome to visit our office ahead of their appointment to familiarize yourselves with our space, our team, particularly on days Dr. Ledenyi is out of the office.  If possible though not necessary, please call ahead to make sure we are open and not too busy to give you our attention. Kids come to play, look around and may even get an all natural, xylitol cavity-fighter lollipop!

Your first visit is all about your child – their comfort, happiness, and health - and establishing a dental home. 

We strongly encourage both parents to come to all visits, but especially the first new patient visit.  Because we are so comprehensive, your child's visit will be packed with information.  It can be very tough to bring all that home and answer questions that inevitably arise.  For your child's health, and sometimes parental harmony, having both parents receive the same information at the same time is crucial.  Without both parents helping to develop the treatment plan, it can be difficult to carry it out.  Sometimes other caregivers, like grandparents, come to these visits as well so they are also kept on the same page and informed about the latest in children's oral health.

Aside from the so important clinical reasons, legal parents/guardians must accompany their child to visits as only they can sign documents, approve treatment plans.

If your child had a previous dental visit at another office, please have the records, particularly the x-rays, emailed to us at

healthysmiles@claytonkidsdentist.com

as soon as your child's appointment is made.  This gives Dr. Ledenyi time to get to know your child and prepare for your child's visit.  Your child's care will be reviewed in our team huddles prior to their appointment to assure comprehensive and tailored services.

Bring your smile, but also remember to bring these with you to your child's first appointment:

• Your completed forms
• Your insurance card and picture ID
• X-rays or images from previous dental providers if not emailed already.
• Legal documents that may affect your child's care like those that establish guardianship, special custody arrangements.

To help keep us all on time, please arrive 15 minutes ahead of the appointment time for front office-related tasks necessary for the visit, including entering your child's information, gathering and reviewing documents, images, x-rays.  We also need time to check insurance or discuss financial issues that may arise.  Spending  your child's valuable appointment time on paperwork can be stressful for everyone.

We understand that your family has a busy schedule, so when you're preparing for a dental visit, please know that an appointment itself can last between 30 and 60 minutes.  Siblings are welcome.  Please be mindful of how thorough our visits are when considering their ability and willingness to be with us this long, particularly if more than one child has a visit. 

Remember, children need to be accompanied by a legal parent or guardian at all times.  It may be helpful to bring a supportive family member or friend.  We love to share!