Children’s Dentistry in Grande Prairie

Children form their impression of the world from their first experiences; our goals are to make those first impressions great ones and establish a love of coming to the dentist. At West GP Dental we pride ourselves on our ability to form lasting bonds with your family, making children feel comfortable and confident during every dental appointment.

Our primary areas of focuses for your kiddo(s) are:

• Education
• Monitoring Growth
• Prevention
• Intervention

We make our pediatric patients feel comfortable with great video games in the waiting room, iPad’s and tablets in the dental rooms, nitrous sedation to relax the children for procedures and hundreds of awesome prizes for after the appointment.

How can I prepare for my Child’s First Visit to the Dentist?

It can be scary for a child to visit a dentist for the first time, our goal will always be to make sure your child feels welcome and comfortable during all visits.

Before and during your child’s dental appointment there are a few things you can do to make your visit memorable in a good way:

1-on-1 with your child for the first visit – If possible, leave other siblings at home, it allows you to have your complete focus on the one child

Avoid negative terms – Scary terms like drills, needles, injections, and bleeding, and pain – even using the phrase ‘it will only hurt for a minute’ can cause serious anxiety for a younger new patient

Explaining the process – Anxiety can be vastly reduced if the child knows what to expect. Reading materials that children can relate to their favourite characters can be helpful in helping children understand their upcoming dental appointment. Here are a few of our favourite books about dental:

• The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist – by Stan and Jan Berenstain
• Show Me Your Smile: A Visit to the Dentist – Part of the “Dora the Explorer” Series
• Going to the Dentist – by Anne Civardi
• Elmo Visits the Dentist – Part of the “Sesame Street” Series

If you have questions or concerns about your child’s first dental visit, please contact our office by calling 780-833-8600 or by e-mail at contact@westgpdental.com.

Bite Assessment at 7

When should your child come in for their first bite assessment to determine if they potentially could need orthodontics? Well, you may think you should wait until your child reaches their teen years before meeting with WGPD about orthodontic services however, the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends that you begin when they are 7 years old.

Your child’s orthodontic consult offers many benefits and may even help improve your child’s oral health and wellness. A few reasons why getting a bite assessment done at age seven are:

• Preventing problems instead of treating problems – Why wait until problems start to treat them? If we can be preventative, we can often save time and money for parents, while avoiding more complex, invasive procedures.
• Maintain the space from baby teeth – One of the most effective ways we can prevent the need for dental extractions of adult teeth is to make sure that the back-adult molars don’t move forward in the mouth. Why do the molars come forward? Baby teeth are wider than the adult teeth underneath them. This means that when the baby teeth are lost the adult teeth have extra space around them. If we can use that space for the crowded teeth in the front. Early orthodontic treatment means less aggressive treatment, with fewer extractions.

We understand that your child may still have plenty of baby teeth, that ‘look’ perfectly straight nevertheless there still could be developmental growth issues lurking behind that adorable smile.

If an early evaluation does reveal some potential problems, then those issues can be addressed as your child grows. – dealing with any orthodontic concerns while your child is still experiencing rapid growth can prevent them from having more severe problems later in life.s

That early visit to West GP Dental for an orthodontic consult can improve and safeguard your child’s health in a variety of ways, such as:

• Identify protruded front teeth and reduce the risk of trauma
• Correct oral habits that may be impacting your child’s teeth and/or jaw
• Guide jaw growth
• Optimize facial appearance later in life
• Assist permanent, adult teeth into a better position
• Improve bite and the way lips meet
• Improve speech
• Eliminate or reduce the need for corrective surgery as a teen or adult
• Shorten the length of any treatment needed as a teen or adult

Dr. Stephen Schalk has been of Grande Prairie’s leading Invisalign treatment providers and a fan favourite among all our little patients! Dr. Schalk will alleviate both parent and child concerns, creating a detailed treatment plan that is specialized just for your child.

Contact West Grande Prairie Dental to schedule your free orthodontic consultation and become part of our Magic 7 Club – we are here to ensure that your family and children will love to show off their smiles for years to come.