There are many reasons why regular exams are critical to your child’s dental health – not just early on, but to establish healthy dental habits that last a lifetime.
Our adult daughter has cerebral palsy and requires being fully sedated when having anything done. The DAC was such a positive experience. Dr Hoffmann and his staff were kind and did great explaining things. As a mom, I had a lot of questions about how certain things would be done as usually she’s in her chair when getting examined at her local dentist and they had everything under control including transferring from her chair to the dentist chair and keeping her secured in the dentist chair as well as keeping her neck and legs comfortable. Many thanks to them!
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your kind words. We’re grateful for your trust and happy to hear that you had such a positive experience with our team. Our goal is always to provide compassionate, attentive care in a safe and comfortable environment. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.
TWENTY YEARS! That is how long our special needs son has been seeing Dr Hoffman and his dedicated team! Our son suffers from an intellectual disability, is non-verbal, and is unable to cooperate for dental cleaning, x-rays, or other routine dental work. He requires general anesthesia. It is such a blessing to avoid a hospital setting just for dental work.
The team is always well staffed, friendly, personable and very professional. Every single year we have been supported by a deeply caring team who are dedicated to patients with a very wide range of disabilities and needs. They have shared useful dental advice and tools (3 sided toothbrushes, blocks to hold open their mouth for daily at-home care, etc.) which improved our son’s daily dental care. We always receive a call back the day after to check his recovery-even on weekends!
Highly recommended and so appreciative to have this team supporting our ever long road of raising a special needs son.
Response from the owner:Wow — thank you for sharing such a heartfelt review! We are so grateful for your trust and for allowing our team to be part of your family’s journey over the years. It means so much to us to know that our care and support have made a difference. We truly appreciate your kind words and recommendation!
We've been coming to Dr.Hoffman for twenty years. There's a reason we keep coming back! He's great. His staff is great. He's double boarded as an MD (Anesthesia) and DDS!!! Our son with special needs needs sedation for even a cleaning. You get what you pay for. He's expensive and... we know he's getting the best care!
Response from the owner:Thank you for trusting our team over the years and for your kind words about Dr. Hoffmann and our staff. We truly value your confidence in the care we provide!
Omg!! This place is Amazing! The people who work here are so very nice and understanding. I love this team
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your kind words! We truly appreciate your support and are grateful to have such wonderful patients.
Searching for a new dental clinic is challenging for someone who has
dental anxiety, fear, and traumatic experiences in a dental chair. The staff and doctors at the Dental Anesthesia Center were immediately very welcoming. Dr. Thoms put together a very detailed plan to repair and replace the previous work that I had in the past that was now causing problems. Putting my faith in him was the best thing that I could have done for my situation. I am more than completely satisfied with all of the extensive dental work that I’ve had with Dr.Thoms. I had my fourth sleep dentistry experience yesterday and I’m very happy with my results. I highly recommend this practice and truly want to give them more than five stars! Thank you for giving me back my health and confidence.
Response from the owner:We know it isn’t always easy to find a dental office where you feel at ease, so your words mean the world to us. We’re so glad you feel comfortable with our team and truly appreciate your trust and recommendation!
Putting off pediatric dental visits when your children are young might be appealing. You may figure that they just have baby teeth that aren’t going to stick around very long. However, there are many reasons why regular exams are critical to your child’s dental health – not just early on, but to establish healthy dental habits at an early age.
It Diminishes Anxiety
Introducing your child to the dentist early in their life can diminish the anxiety that can otherwise come with going to the dentist for the first time. Regular dental exams that start early will ease a child into the dentist’s chair so that it becomes more a matter of routine and less anxiety-provoking. That is a major benefit for your child’s oral care. It also makes it more likely that your child will continue regular dental visits well into adulthood.
Preventative Care Can’t Be Underestimated
If they have regular exams, then your child will be less likely to develop tooth decay. Oral decay is a combination of genetics and dental hygiene; if your dentist notices that your child’s teeth have deep ridges that are more prone to bacteria and decay, then they can recommend preventative care like dental sealants or fluoride treatments. It is always better to head off a problem before it happens than to have to try to solve it once it becomes an issue.
Diagnose Issues
Your dentist may not be the one to fix orthodontic issues, but if they notice early on that a tooth needs to be extracted or that there is a problem with your child’s bite, they can recommend that you seek the experience and evaluation of an experienced orthodontist. When it comes to fixing orthodontic problems, timing can be highly critical. If your child has too narrow of a palate or a tooth that is coming through and is making everything shift, the dentist can send you to the right professional to get the correction needed.
Reinforce Good Dental Habits
When you tell your child they need to brush and floss, it might not mean as much as a dentist making them aware of the consequences of ignoring their dental health.
Seeing a pediatric dentist is not only critical to developing good oral habits but also imperative to avoid bad experiences like having a cavity that needs filling after tooth decay has set in. To make sure that kids get the dental treatment they need, to preempt any problems later on (either dental or orthodontic), and to ease the anxiety that can come from seeing the dentist, regular dental exams are an important part of developing routines and habits that will follow children well into adulthood. Regular maintenance is highly important to your child’s ultimate oral health going forward.
Pediatric Dentist St. Louis
Your child’s initial oral examination will include a visual examination, charting, diagnosis and treatment recommendations. We work hard to make your child feel at ease by providing exceptional patient care in a relaxed, convenient atmosphere. Depending on your child’s circumstances, we will discuss if sedation or anesthesia is right for your child.
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The first two board-certified Dentist Anesthesiologists in the state of Missouri.
