Patient Education

• In the morning before eating,
• After lunch or right after school,
• After dinner,
• At bedtime

There is a genetic component to a child's teeth; a child's facial and jaw growth often resembles that of one or both parents. Dental injuries or early loss of primary teeth before they would normally fall out may contribute to tooth crowding. Habits such as thumb sucking may add to the problem.

Depending upon the type and severity of your child's bite problem, your child may benefit from early orthodontic treatment. We can discuss your child's orthodontic problems with you and help you decide if early orthodontic treatment would be beneficial.

Facial injuries resulting in loosened, broken or knocked out teeth should receive prompt dental care. A significant time delay between injury and treatment may lead to a less favorable treatment outcome. A knocked out permanent tooth should be gently rinsed with water to remove any dirt and placed back in the socket. If you cannot reinsert the tooth, place it in a glass of milk or contact lens solution, and take the tooth with your child to the dentist as soon as possible.

Call our office at any time with any concerns or questions regarding your child's injury. We provide 24-hour emergency care for our patients.

You should begin flossing your child's teeth whenever a tooth has contact with the one next to it. A brush cannot clean this area between the teeth.

Pull a small length of floss from the dispenser.  Wrap the ends of the floss tightly around your middle fingers using a "sawing" motion to get floss between the teeth, never "snap" it into the gums. Press against the side of the tooth and scrape the floss up and down to remove the plaque.

Floss at night to make sure your child's teeth are squeaky clean before they go to bed.  When you first begin flossing, your child's gums may bleed a little.  If the bleeding does not go away after the first few times, let us know at your next appointment.

As the parent, you should take the responsibility for flossing until your child is 8-9 years old. After this age, the child should have primary responsibility, while the parent is a supervisor.

Fluoride is the single most effective measure we have to prevent tooth decay and improve oral health for a lifetime. When children are young and their teeth are still forming, fluoride is absorbed in the tooth enamel making it harder and more resistant to the acid that causes tooth decay. There are two types of fluoride, they are systemic and topical.

Systemic fluoride is swallowed and incorporated into forming teeth. This is the fluoride found in community water supplies which are fluoridated and in fluoride tablets or drops. It is recommended that your child have systemic fluoride from 6 months of age until all the permanent teeth have erupted. Too much systemic fluoride results in fluorosis seen as discoloration or mottling/pitting of teeth.

Topical fluoride is applied to the outer surfaces of teeth.  Topical fluoride strengthens the tooth enamel and can reverse cavities in the earliest stages of formation. Topical fluoride is in toothpastes, fluoride mouth rinses and the fluoride "treatments" done in dental offices. The difference in these fluoride-containing products is in the amount (concentration) of fluoride. A child cannot get too much topical fluoride as long as it is not swallowed.

Your child's health is our primary concern. We work very hard to provide a healthy environment for your child's dental treatment. We use state-of-the-art disinfectant/sterilization procedures and adhere to the strictest OSHA and CDC guidelines and recommendations.  Many of our instruments are single-use and disposable. Our staff members regularly receive updated information and training about infection control procedures so that we can provide your child's care as safely as possible.

Sucking is a natural and normal desire and need for the infant. Considerable satisfaction is derived from sucking a thumb, finger or pacifier during the first year of life, and should not be discouraged. If the habit persists past 4 or 5 years of age you should consult your dentist for advice regarding its effect on oral development, if any, and recommendation for management. If a pacifier is offered, avoid putting sweets, honey, etc. on the pacifier. Controversy exists concerning whether a thumb or a pacifier is best. The decision is up to the parents, or in most cases, the infant.

Dental sealants for your child are an important part of our preventive program. The biting surfaces of permanent teeth often have deep, narrow pits and grooves which make these teeth susceptible to decay. Sealants can be applied to prevent decay in these pits and grooves. Sealants are effective for many years and are routinely evaluated at your child's regular dental visits.

Our sealant material is free of Bisphenol-A (BPA).  We use UltraSeal XT plus, made by Ultradent - for more information please visit this link:

http://www.ultradent.com/bpa-free/

We will want to see your child at regular and frequent intervals for several reasons:

1. If decay or other dental defect has occurred, it will be detected in the early stages when it is easier and less costly to treat. We will take appropriate preventive measures such as regular applications of fluoride on the tooth surfaces, placement of sealants on newly erupted teeth, and reinforcement of good daily habits such as flossing, brushing, and dietary advice.
2. Regular visits keep the child familiar with us and our staff and encourage a pleasant, confident attitude in the child regarding the dental office.
3. As the child develops and grows, we will want to be certain that tooth eruption and proper jaw development are progressing normally and to take corrective measures if needed.

Tooth-colored fillings are made from plastic-like material called composite resin. Similar in color to natural teeth, the fillings are less noticeable than other types of fillings.

The primary advantage is appearance or color. Because resins are tooth colored, they look more natural than other materials. Also, resins are bonded (glued) to the tooth and in some instances work better than a metal filling. Resins can be combined with sealants allowing the dentist to place a much more conservative filling.

The disadvantages of tooth-colored fillings are that they are not for every tooth. They work best in small restorations and low stress areas. Second, the fees for tooth-colored fillings are slightly higher since the material is more expensive and the fillings take more time to place.

The choice to have tooth-colored fillings depends on the location and size of the cavity and your personal preference. Discuss the options with us and together we can decide what type of filling is best for your child.

X-rays allow us to diagnose conditions that cannot be determined during clinical examination. Also, x-ray films detect more than cavities. For example, x-rays are used to assess tooth development, to diagnose bone disease, to evaluate injuries and to plan orthodontic treatment.

We meet and exceed all recommendations for radiation safety. We suggest only x-rays that are vital to each patient’s health.

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY. THE PRIVACY OF YOUR CHILD’S HEALTH INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT TO US.

OUR LEGAL DUTY: We are required by applicable federal and state law to maintain the privacy of your child’s health information. We are also required to give you this Notice about our privacy practices, our legal duties, and your rights concerning your child’s health information. We must follow the privacy practices that are described in this Notice while it is in effect. This Notice takes effect April 14, 2003, and will remain in effect until we replace it. We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this Notice at any time, provided such changes are permitted by applicable law. We reserve the right to make the changes in our privacy practices and the new terms of our Notice effective for all health information that we maintain, including health information we created or received before we made the changes. Before we make a significant change in our privacy practices, we will change this Notice and make the new Notice available upon request. You may request a copy of our Notice at any time. For more information about our privacy practices, or for additional copies of this Notice, please contact our office.

USES AND DISCLOSURES OF HEALTH INFORMATION
We use and disclose health information about your child for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. For example:

Treatment: We may use or disclose your child’s health information to a physician or other healthcare provider providing treatment to your child.

Payment: We may use and disclose your child’s health information to obtain payment for services we provide to them.

Healthcare Operations: We may use and disclose your child’s health information in connection with our healthcare operations. Healthcare operations include quality assessment and improvement activities, reviewing the competence or qualifications of healthcare professionals, evaluating practitioner and provider performance, conducting training programs, accreditation, certification, licensing or credentialing activities.

Your Authorization: In addition to our use of your child’s health information for treatment, payment or healthcare operations, you may give us written authorization to use your child’s health information or to disclose it to anyone for any purpose. If you give us an authorization, you may revoke it in writing at any time. Your revocation will not affect any use or disclosures permitted by your authorization while it was in effect. Unless you give us a written authorization, we cannot use or disclose your health information for any reason except those described in this Notice.

To Your Family and Friends: We must disclose your child’s health information to you, as described in the Patient Rights section of this Notice. We may disclose your child’s health information to a family member, friend or other person to the extent necessary to help with your healthcare or with payment for your healthcare, but only if you agree that we may do so.

Persons Involved In Care: We may use or disclose health information to notify, or assist in the notification of (including identifying or locating) a family member, a personal representative or another person responsible for your child’s care, of your child’s location, your child’s general condition, or death. If you are present, then prior to use or disclosure of your child’s health information, we will provide you with an opportunity to object to such uses or disclosures. In the event of your incapacity or emergency circumstances, we will disclose health information based on a determination using our professional judgment disclosing only health information that is directly relevant to the person’s involvement in your child’s healthcare. We will also use our professional judgment and our experience with common practice to make reasonable inferences of your child’s best interest in allowing a person to pick up filled prescriptions, medical supplies, x-rays, or other similar forms of health information.

Marketing Health-Related Services: We will not use your child’s health information for marketing communications without your written authorization.

Required by Law: We may use or disclose your child’s health information when we are required to do so by law.

Abuse or Neglect: We may disclose your child’s health information to appropriate authorities if we reasonably believe that your child is a possible victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence or the possible victim of other crimes. We may disclose your child’s health information to the extent necessary to avert a serious threat to your child’s health or safety or the health or safety of others.

National Security: We may disclose to military authorities the health information of Armed Forces personnel under certain circumstances. We may disclose to authorized federal officials health information required for lawful intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities. We may disclose to correctional institution or law enforcement official having lawful custody of protected health information of inmate or patient under certain circumstances.

Appointment Reminders: We may use or disclose your child’s health information to provide you with appointment reminders (such as voicemail messages, postcards, or letters).

PATIENT RIGHTS

Access: You have the right to look at or get copies of your child’s health information, with limited exceptions. You must make a request in writing to obtain access to your child’s health information. You may obtain a form to request access by contacting our office. You may also request access by sending us a letter to the address at the end of this Notice.

Disclosure Accounting: You have the right to receive a list of instances in which we or our business associates disclosed your health information for purposes, other than treatment, payment, healthcare operations and certain other activities, for the last 6 years, but not before April 14, 2003. If you request this accounting more than once in a 12-month period, we may charge you a reasonable, cost-based fee for responding to these additional requests.

Restriction: You have the right to request that we place additional restrictions on our use or disclosure of your child’s health information. We are not required to agree to these additional restrictions, but if we do, we will abide by our agreement (except in an emergency or as required by law).

Alternative Communication: You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your child’s health information by alternative means or to alternative locations. {You must make your request in writing.} Your request must specify the alternative means or location, and provide satisfactory explanation how payments will be handled under the alternative means or location you request.

Amendment: You have the right to request that we amend your child’s health information. (Your request must be in writing, and it must explain why the information should be amended.) We may deny your request under certain circumstances.

Electronic Notice: If you read this Notice on our Web site, you are entitled to receive this Notice in written form. Please contact our office for a copy of the Notice.

QUESTIONS AND COMPLAINTS

If you want more information about our privacy practices or have questions or concerns, please contact us.

If you are concerned that we may have violated your privacy rights, or you disagree with a decision we made about access to your child’s health information or in response to a request you made to amend or restrict the use or disclosure of your child’s health information or to have us communicate with you by alternative means or at alternative locations, you may complain to us using the contact information listed at the end of this Notice. You also may submit a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201. Phone: (202) 619-0257, Toll Free: 1-877-696-6775. We support your right to the privacy of your child’s health information. We will not retaliate in any way if you choose to file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Dentistry for Children & Adolescent’s Contact Information:
Lisa Gromacki, Administrator, 7373 France Avenue South, #402 Edina, MN 55435 Phone Number: 952-921-9305 Fax Number: 952-893-3041, lisa@childrensdent.com

© 2002 American Dental Association All Rights Reserved Reproduction and use of this form by dentists and their staff is permitted. Any other use, duplication or distribution of this form by any other party requires the prior written approval of the American Dental Association.