The Importance of a Family Dentist       

If you’re as busy as we know you are, you may not be prioritizing dental appointments the way you’d previously intended. Meetings, homework, book reports, hockey tournaments, and ballet keep so many of our patient families busy – sound familiar? If it’s been a while since you’ve seen your dentist in West Edmonton, we recommend not putting it off any […]

If you’re as busy as we know you are, you may not be prioritizing dental appointments the way you’d previously intended. Meetings, homework, book reports, hockey tournaments, and ballet keep so many of our patient families busy – sound familiar?

If it’s been a while since you’ve seen your dentist in West Edmonton, we recommend not putting it off any further. Even if you feel like your teeth are in great shape and your gums are happy and healthy, there are good reasons for seeing an Edmonton dentist for dental checkups.  If you are a Lotus Dental Wellness patient, or you’d like to be, contact our front desk about availability. If you are a new patient to our clinic, we recommend booking a consultation with our dentist prior to booking procedures other than cleaning. This provides you with the opportunity to discuss your oral health and medical history with your dentist and to begin building a foundation of rapport. The best dental clinic for you will be one that you feel comfortable and confident working with. Similarly, you can ask friends who they recommend as the best dentist in Edmonton – but, until you meet them you won’t know whether they’re right for you.  There are many dental clinics in West Edmonton, typically operating as either general dentists or family dentists.

Do you need a West Edmonton family dentist?

Knowing what kind of dentist you need typically comes down to whether you have dependents living with you for whom you are responsible. That means that whether you are a parent or a legal guardian of minors, or if you are caring for aging parents, you would be a good fit for a family dentist.

Family dentists in West Edmonton are the same as all family dentists in Edmonton. That means that they are general dentists who chose to tailor their clinic toward the needs of families, rather than the more clinical/traditional setting of a general clinic. This means that kids are distracted as soon as they walk in with fun décor, distraction screens, toys or even screens while they wait. This can reduce the stress a parent feels when bringing an anxious and protesting child to see the dentist.

Family dentists pride themselves on being able to confidently serve the needs of patients of all ages and all abilities. That means that they are comfortable working with patients who have mobility challenges, sensory disorders, or dementia as well as young children.

Because of their large scope of practice, family dentists often continue to see their young patients into adulthood and beyond. Your family dentist in Edmonton wants to maintain your patronage for the coming decades and that comes with some advantages.

Family dentists are committed to creating lasting relationships with their patients families, and that is best to start young. Even if your small child isn’t old enough to need dental procedures, it is a good idea to have them observe your hygiene appointments. This familiarizes them with the environment and allows them to get comfortable with the idea of a clinical setting.

Family dentists want children to feel as comfortable as possible since it is better both for the patient and the dentist when oral work can be done quickly and effectively rather than interrupting the process. We often take time to acclimate our young patients by letting them check out some of the tools and get familiar with the chair. When it is your child’s first time, we book an extended appointment to allow your child not to feel rushed. We recommend that your child begins seeing a dentist for checkups prior to undergoing a procedure, but where that is not possible, our team of caring assistants is ready to reassure and calm your child as needed. If your child suffers from severe dental anxiety, talk to your dentist in westside Edmonton about how oral sedation may be able to assist your child/dependent in alleviating their fear. Oral sedatives are safe when administered by a dentist and have an extended history of use.

Working with a family dentist in Edmonton is likely to provide more flexible opportunities to access appointment, too. Our clinics tend to be open earlier and later than general clinics, depending upon the day. Your dentist may also offer weekend appointments which many families prefer. Some families even book a group appointment in advance to have the whole family’s dental cleanings and checkups done in one day. For many, this kind of extended appointment is preferable to adjusting their complex schedules for each child’s appointment. A family dentist is also a real asset to those families who suffer from genetic conditions that need to be monitored. Their experience with one family member often allows them to predict and prevent the onset of similar problems in other family members.