The Convenience of Visiting a Family Dentist

The idea of a family dentist is one that closely mimics the idea of a family general practitioner or doctor. Its success is also very similar because it relies on the same trust and relationship that family doctors and a family dentist have in common. We understand that nobody ever really wants to go in to see either a doctor or a family dentist. Humans have an intrinsic discomfort with medical procedures, especially when it involves you. On the other hand, the families who come in on a regular basis to visit the family dentist find that the procedures they need are routine, with the maintenance helping to prevent emergency dental needs. At the same time, families who come in together often hold each other more accountable to keeping their oral hygiene routines, which means they have better cared for teeth overall. There are numerous benefits to having a family dentist.

From our perspective, the trust and relationship we have with families, often generations of families, plays a tremendous role in the work we are able to do for them. Think about it from the perspective of a child. When a child goes in to see the dentist or the doctor, they are in an uncomfortable and unfamiliar environment most of the time. There are strange sounds and smells, equipment that needs to be put in their mouth, and the dreaded dentist chair. All of this can cause a child and most adults to have a level of anxiety. On the other hand, when a child is coming in to see the family dentist, it is typically someone they are familiar with, having been to the office with a family member before. The friendly face of the family dentist can help to ease some of those fears, and people instinctively trust a doctor who has already treated other family members. This easing of fears goes a long way in helping with diagnoses and getting procedures done with as little fuss as possible.

From a purely convenience standpoint, there is nothing convenient about having to take multiple members of a family to different appointments. Juggling the timing, along with work and school schedules, as well as finding the right providers can be a hassle. At the family dentist clinic, we know how hard this can be, and so have two simple ways to make your life easier. First, we can have all the major family dentist procedures done right here at our family dentist clinic. Whether you need an x-ray or an extraction, braces or dentures, whatever the needs of your family, we can do them in one place. The only exception is extremely specialized work, in which case, we will help you find the best provider. The second thing we have done is to help streamline our scheduling so we can accommodate families. If we can get the entire family in and maximize your time by combining appointments, we know that we will not only save you time and effort, but that you are far more likely to come in together.

Teeth Whitening  >  Alexandria Dentist

Why You Should Visit Our Family Dentist Office

As a local family dentist, we are committed to the overall health and wellbeing of our patients. To us, keeping teeth healthy is incredibly important, and our reward is seeing our patients with a healthy smile that they love.  As a dentist, we naturally understand how important teeth are to the enjoyment of life.  You use your teeth all throughout the day.  They are an important aspect of your glowing smile, they are the tool that allows you to speak clearly and greet your friends or neighbors, they give you the ability to taste the delicious new entrée at your favorite restaurant.  Your teeth are critical to your enjoyment of life and as long as they are healthy, they function seamlessly and without the need for you to give them much thought.
If they suddenly become infected or damaged, your teeth will stop functioning as they should and be prompt in their demand for attention.  This is why preventative dental care is so important.  We make it possible for you to live life without dental emergencies by cleaning your teeth on a regular basis and treating any signs of infection or decay when they first develop.  This way you can focus on enjoying life and all that it has to offer without a toothache.
What to Expect From Our Family Dentist Office
When you visit our family dentist office, you can expect to receive the highest level of patient care.  Our goal is to keep your teeth healthy and intact.  We do this by cleaning them and treating health issues immediately.  Simultaneously, we are also focused on the overall appearance of your smile.  We know that a gorgeous smile is a confidence booster that can influence how people perceive you.  As a skilled cosmetic dentist, we offer various solutions that can be used to keep your teeth healthy while also transforming their appearance so that you can love your smile again.
A perfect example of this is a dental crown.  The crown has developed a reputation for saving teeth that have become infected.  Most people associate a crown with the silver amalgam that has been popular for decades.  Now, however, we can place crowns that blend in with the surrounding teeth because they are made of a tooth-colored material.  This enables crowns to accomplish far more than they used to.  For example, it can be placed around a tooth that is suffering from sensitivity and at the same time, it can cover dark stains or change the overall shape and size of the tooth.  There are multiple ways that we can use solutions like this to correct anything you dislike about the way that your teeth appear.
Selecting a New Family Dentist
If you do not currently have a family dentist, we welcome you to call our office and schedule a consultation and examination.  We are conveniently located, and our patients are delighted with the care that they receive.  Give us a call, read our patient reviews, and come in for a healthy and beautiful smile.

Implant Dentist  >  Teeth Whitening

Keep Kids Healthy With the Family Dentist

What makes a family dentist unique is the role that we get to play for generations of your family’s life by influencing your oral health. For us, the ultimate goal is that our patients have strong, healthy teeth and as such very little need of medical interventions. If there were a way we could get all our families healthy enough to only visit us for annual cleanings, we would be delighted. However, we are fully aware that there are challenges with each age group in the family, and more importantly that these challenges change over the course of time. As such, for younger children, we have adopted the philosophy that the family that brushes together visits the dentist less. Perhaps it seems counterintuitive, but for us, as your family dentist, the ultimate goal is to have you with healthy enough teeth that you only come see us for routine work. 

The earlier we can become involved in your children’s oral health care, the sooner we can start to have a positive impact on their teeth. As soon as a child has the first tooth break the surface, they can come in and see a family dentist. This allows us to get ahead of the curve on any potential challenges and also allows your child to get to know us as a friend an ally. This is especially important if you, the parent, are afraid of visiting the dentist. Building that trust and relationship with your child will help us get to the root of any major problems, should they develop, and have the confidence of your child that we are going to fix it without hurting them. Early childhood visits also allow us to work with you on best practices, making sure that we are in a partnership that will build strong, long lasting teeth for your children. 

As a family dentist, we hear a lot of concerns, from both parents and children. The one that comes up most frequently is the conflict between parents, and their kids, about brushing. Many children find the idea of brushing to be a difficult routine to adapt to while parents are eager to teach their children good habits. This is especially true for younger children, when the habit is just being taught though older children have been known to be rebellious about brushing as well. Brushing twice a day is an important part of oral health and hygiene for your children so we recommend finding ways that make it more fun for your younger children. One best practice that has been shared is to incorporate elements of story time into the brushing. Children love fantasy, and the idea, of the toothbrush turning into magical dragon or mystical fairy to take out the evil plaque goblins, is sure to appeal to them. Another element that can be used is technology. Since many electric brushes are not very expensive anymore, and since this generation is fascinated by technology, this might be an easy carrot to lure your child into more frequent tooth brushing.