At Trinity Medical and Dental Pediatric Centers, we believe that promoting a healthy smile starts in childhood. We combine our skills and expertise in providing you and your child with the best dental experience possible.

Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will attend to all of your dental needs. We are committed to providing you with the highest excellence of care using the latest technology.

Our main focus is to ensure quality dental services in a comfortable and child friendly atmosphere. Our dentist has been diligently treating children throughout the area for over 17 years. We want to assist you and your child in achieving and maintaining a healthy smile for life.  Your child will thank you later for providing them a healthy smile.

If you’re looking for a dental home, we can help!  We are currently accepting new patient’s ages 6 months to 18 years.

The First Dental Visit

Your child should visit the dentist by his or her 1^st birthday. You can make the first visit to the dentist enjoyable and positive. Your child should be informed of the visit and that the dentist and her staff will explain all procedures and answer any questions. Please convey good feelings to your child about the dental visit and remind him or her it is an important part of growing up.

It is best if you refrain from using words around your child that might cause unnecessary fear, such as: needle, pull, drill, or hurt. Our staff makes a practice of using different words that convey the same message, but are pleasant and non-frightening to your child. Do not bribe your child our use the dental visit as a form of punishment.

Please arrive at least 15 minutes early if you need to fill out the paperwork. The forms can be downloaded from this site. Our staff will review your child’s health history with you at this visit. Then, they will explain the benefits of good oral health and the importance of preventing tooth decay-using language that children can comprehend. Each child will learn the advantages of proper diet and the correct way to brush and floss. The dentist will then complete a dental exam and cleaning on your child. Radiographs (x-rays) may be taken according to your child’s age.  This first appointment usually takes about an hour, including the parent consultation with the dentist.  Please feel free to ask questions concerning your child’s dental treatment at any time.

After the dental exam, if any dental treatment is needed, it will be scheduled for a later appointment. If your child was referred to our office we will still need to perform an initial exam prior to any dental procedures. This is mandatory to thoroughly assess and discuss treatment options and obtain any additional information that may better serve your child.

We welcome parents back into the treatment area for their child’s first visit to see our dental facility and treatment procedures. However, in order to establish a trusting relationship with your child, we ask that parents remain in the waiting room during future visits.  Our staff is highly experienced in helping children overcome anxiety.  Separation anxiety is not uncommon in children, so please try not to be concerned if your child exhibits some negative behavior. This is normal and will soon diminish. Studies and experience have shown that most children over the age of three react more positively when permitted to experience the dental visit on their own. Nevertheless, if it is apparent that your child is too young or to anxious to tolerate separation, parental assistance is welcomed and encouraged at our discretion.

Scheduled Appointments

The office attempts to schedule appointments at your convenience and when time is available. We like to schedule preschool children in the morning because they are fresher and we can work more slowly with your child for their comfort. School aged children with a lot of treatment to be done should be seen in the morning for the same reason. We are aware of school policies that make it difficult for children to be out of school for any reason. However, please, remind the schools that medical and dental appointments are excused absences.

• Arriving 15 minutes late or more for any appointment may require rescheduling so other patients are not kept waiting. This is considered a broken appointment.

Since appointed times are reserved exclusively for each patient, we ask that you please notify our office 24 hours in advance of your scheduled appointment time if you are unable to keep it. Another patient who needs our care could be scheduled if we have sufficient time to notify them. We realize that unexpected things can happen, but we ask for your assistance in this regard.

• If for any reason you fail to come or cancel an after school appointment, the missed appointment will be rescheduled during school time.
• We reserve the right to charge a missed appointment fee for excessive broken or missed appointments. Please remember that a broken appointment affect many people not just you.

We make every effort to maintain our appointment schedule, and generally do. Occasionally, we treat emergencies (such as traumatic injuries) which demand immediate attention. Please understand that you would wish us to treat your child immediately in a similar situation.

Dental Emergencies

Who do I contact in case of an emergency?

Appointment times are available everyday during normal business hours for both new and existing patients with dental emergencies.

Only our established patients who experience an after hours or weekend dental emergency involving trauma, swelling, infection, pus and/or pain should contact the doctor. Only true dental emergencies will be attended after hours.  All after hours treatment is subject to an after hours fee.

In the event of an emergency for an established patient, Dr. Harris-Echols, or the dentist on call may be reached at any time, 24 hours a day, at the following telephone number (770) 288-5848 .

My child is not a patient with your office, but he or she has a dental emergency after hours. What should I Do?

After hours and weekend dental emergency treatments are only for established patients. If your emergency occurs after our office hours and your child is not an existing patient, we advise that you go to an emergency room to be examined. Dental and facial infections can be serious and sometimes life threatening if left untreated. When in doubt, go to the ER.

What is considered an after-hours emergency?

If your child experiences severe trauma, pain, pus or swelling, it is considered a true dental emergency. Unless causing one of the previously mentioned symptoms: chipped teeth, fillings that fall out, broken retainers, or crowns that come off may be inconvenient, but do not require emergency after hours treatment. Contact our office during regular hours for an evaluation.

My child knocked out a tooth. What do I do?

If a permanent tooth is knocked out, find it. Handle the tooth by the crown, not the root portion.  Inspect it for root fractures. You may gently rinse, but DO NOT scrub the tooth under water. If it is sound, try to reinsert it in its socket. Have the patient hold the tooth in place by biting on gauze or washcloth.  If this is impossible, place the tooth in a glass of milk or the patient’s saliva (make sure the tooth is covered by the milk or saliva).  Contact us immediately and come to the office as soon as possible. Time is a critical factor in saving a permanent tooth.

If a baby tooth is knocked out, DO NOT reinsert the tooth into the socket.  Attempt to control the bleeding with gauze or a washcloth by placing it firmly over the site. Allow your child to bite down and hold in place for fifteen minutes. Place your child on a soft food diet and age appropriate pain medicine (i.e. Tylenol or Motrin). Contact our office for an evaluation.

My child has a toothache. What should I do?

Clean the area of the affected tooth thoroughly. Rinse the mouth vigorously with warm water or use dental floss to dislodge impacted food or debris. DO NOT place aspirin on the gum or on the aching tooth. If the face is swollen apply a cold compress and contact your dentist immediately.

My child had an accident and cut, bit, bruised; their tongue, cheek, lip, or gums?

Apply ice to bruised areas. If there is bleeding, apply firm but gentle pressure with a gauze or cloth. If bleeding does not stop after 15 minutes or it cannot be controlled by simple pressure, take your child to the hospital emergency room.

 

Post Operative Care Instructions

Care of the Mouth after Extractions

1. DO NOT scratch, chew, suck, or rub the lips, tongue, or cheek while they feel numb or asleep. The child should be watched closely so he/she does not injure his/her lip, tongue, or cheeks before the anesthesia wears off. For this reason, the child should keep the piece of cotton in his/her mouth until the numbness is gone.
2. DO NOT rinse the mouth for several hours.
3. DO NOT spit excessively.
4. DO NOT drink any carbonated beverages (Coke, Sprite, etc.) for the remainder of the day.
5. DO NOT drink through a straw.
6. KEEP FINGERS AND TOUNGE away from the extraction area.
7. BLEEDING:  Some bleeding following tooth extraction is to be expected. If unusual or sustained bleeding occurs, place gauze firmly over the area of extraction and bite down or hold in place for fifteen minutes. A WET tea bag can also be used to bite on and help stop the bleeding.  Repeat if necessary.
8. Maintain a soft diet for a day or two, or until the child feels comfortable eating normally again.
9. Avoid strenuous exercise or physical activity for several hours after the extraction.
10. PAIN:  For discomfort use Children’s Tylenol, Advil, or Motrin as directed for the age of the child. If a medicine was prescribed, then follow the directions on the bottle.

Please do not hesitate to call our office if there are any questions.

 

Care of the Mouth after Local Anesthetic

            Your child has had local anesthetic for their dental procedure:

• If the procedure was in the lower jaw (mandible)…the tongue, teeth, lip and surrounding tissue will usually be numb or asleep.
• If the procedure was in the upper jaw (maxilla)…the teeth, lip, and surrounding tissue will usually be numb or asleep.

 

1. Please monitor your child closely for approximately one to two hours following their appointment.
2. Children do not understand the feeling of local anesthesia, and may chew, scratch, suck, or play with the numb lip, tongue, or cheek. These actions can cause minor irritations or they can be severe enough to cause swelling and major abrasions to the tissue.
3. Keep your child on a liquid or soft diet (Apple Sauce, Yogurt, Smoothie, etc.) until the anesthesia has worn off and they regain feeling.
4. Please do not hesitate to contact our office if there are any questions.
5. Discomfort: For discomfort use Children’s Tylenol, Advil, or Motrin as directed for the age of the child. If a medicine was prescribed, then follow the directions on the bottle.

 

Care and Maintenance of Sealants

By forming a thin covering over the pits and fissures, sealants keep out plaque and food, thus decreasing the risk of decay. Since, the covering is only on the chewing surfaces of the tooth, you must have good brushing and flossing habits to protect the sides and areas in-between the teeth.  Healthy nutrition plays an important part as well.

Your child should refrain from:

1. Eating hard candy or ice. Large cubes, especially, can cause the sealant to chip or come off.
2. Food that is sticky or chewy, such as Carmel, Taffy, Starburst, Fruit Rolls Ups, etc. (Sugar-less gum can be chewed.)

Normal retention of a sealant is up to four years. Sealants that become displaced in the first twelve months will be replaced at no charge.  After twelve months, sealants will be replaced at 50% charge.

 

Oral Discomfort after a Cleaning

A thorough cleaning unavoidably produces some bleeding and swelling and may cause some tenderness or discomfort. This is not due to a “rough cleaning” but, to tender and inflamed gums from insufficient oral hygiene. We recommend the following for 2-3 days after the cleaning was performed:

1. A warm salt water rinse 2-3 times per day. (1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of warm water)
2. For discomfort use Children’s Tylenol, Advil, or Motrin as directed for the age of the child. Please do not hesitate to contact our office if the discomfort persists more than 7 days or if there are any questions.

 

Other Frequently Asked Questions

 

We offer General & Family Dentistry services, Cosmetic Dentistry and Dental Implants, Invisalign and Orthodontics, Porcelain Veneers and Porcelain Crowns, Teeth Whitening, and a wide variety of other dentistry services. Please call us now at (470) 278 - 2300 or Schedule An Appointment.