Step by Step First Visit
At Smiles For Kids we are extremely excited about our New Patients. We want these
little ones and their parents to get to know us in a personal and exciting way.
Our goal is to make our patients good dental patients for life. So we would like
to walk you through this virtual “New Patient Experience” so you know what to expect
when you come to our office.
We are located on 8800 Katy Freeway Suite 220 which is on the south side of I-10
between Campbell and Voss. It is a 2 story off-white building with Collina’s, Avalon
Deli and Oral Surgeons of Houston as some other tenants. Parking is easy right on
the feeder road and the central staircase or the elevator will take you straight
to our suite. As you walk in, you will see our amazing “Travel The World” mural
that will welcome you to our office. When you walk in Carrie will welcome you and
lead you through the “Self Check-In” process. This computerized health history form
as well as series of consent forms will allow us to get to know you and your child
better. We realize that some of the questions will not pertain to your little one,
but it encompasses a variety of patients so please bear with it In all the subsequent
visits the information will already be in the system so you will only need to update
changes and go through it briefly. Thank you so much for taking the time to share
your family’s health history with us!
In the meantime your little one, no matter what age he or she might be, will find
something fun to do in our waiting room. He or she might want to play with our toddler
tower or toys or maybe read some books or play with blocks… Or watch a kids’ friendly
movie on our 40 inch TV. Or better yet play Wii or X-box to his or her heart’s desire!
When you are finished with the forms we will take you back to our New Patient Room.
There you will spend time with our assistant or hygienist (depending on how old
your little one is as we start hygiene cleanings at 3 years of age) talking about
oral hygiene, brushing, healthy dental diet, any habits your child might have such
as pacifier or thumb/finger sucking etc. After all your questions have been answered
and dental cleaning was done if your child is more than three years old, Dr. Lindhorst
will come in to chat and do the dental exam. Meantime kids have plenty of toys to
keep entertained in our New Patient Room. They can play with dinosaurs, read books,
play with trucks or stuffed animals or watch the latest movie. When Dr. Lindhorst
comes in, she will first spend time reviewing medical history and x-rays (depending
on the age) with the parents. She will address any dental or developmental concerns
you might have and then she will do a thorough exam of your child’s dentition.
If your child is over three years of age Dr. Lindhorst will examine the xrays, which
we do digitally, (http://www.schicktech.com/items.php?catid=700) , the bite and
the teeth themselves with aid of some diagnostic tools such as diagnodent (http://www.smilecary.com/diagnodent-faqs.php)
that will aid in detecting any possible cavities on the teeth. However if your little
one is under three years of age Dr. Lindhorst will do a “knee-to-knee” exam which
involves parents holding the child and leaning them gently into Dr. Lindhorst’s
lap. The doctor brushes with the toothbrush and examines the bite as well as individual
teeth that have erupted.
Our main objective of New Patient visit is to make sure that the children feel comfortable
in our office, that they have been taken care of with love and tenderness and that
the parents come out more educated about oral hygiene and dental development of
teeth. We are excited about each and every new patient that comes to see us and
we try our best to make them the best dental patient they can be as they come to
see us every 6 months.
Please call our office to get any clarification on this “New Patient Experience”
and we hope to see you soon! Our front desk staff with walk through your insurance
benefits with you and schedule you appropriately. We are looking forward to your
visit!