Your kids are our number one priority! At Eastside Pediatric Dental Group, we are committed to supporting you and your child with the kind of warmth, compassion, and expert care that helps your child achieve a lifetime of excellent oral health! As the Eastside’s largest practice, we can accommodate families with multiple children for an all-in-one visit!
When you visit us, you’ll notice right away that everything we do is aimed at creating a positive dental visit for your child and you. Our practice specializes in dentistry for patients from infancy through adolescence. Your child will quickly discover that visiting our dental office can be a lot of fun. And, you can relax knowing your child is in expert hands.
From the first day your child joins our office, we will work to take care of their dental needs. Prior to your child’s first visit with us, you will need to log in and fill out a comprehensive medical and dental history form. These forms are important as they help us get acquainted with your child and determine the proper course of treatment.
We ask that all forms be filled out ahead of time so we can review and be prepared for your childs visit.
Explaining the dental experience to your child begins at home, with encouragement and reassurances. Here are a few suggestions to help prepare your child for his or her first visit to our office:
At your child’s first office visits, you are able to comfortably ask us questions and gather all the information you need about how to care for your child’s teeth, how to prevent cavities, teething, oral habits, and the role of diet and hygiene in cavity development. The examination allows for our pediatric dentists to evaluate your child’s medical history, dental development, and identify potential problems at an early stage. Most importantly, an age-one visit allows your child to be introduced to dental care in a personalized and gentle way. This helps your child feel comfortable and helps the visit become a successful experience.
Many times, the very young patient can be slow to warm up to the idea of being in the dental environment. We may ask that your child remain in your lap during the examination and while additional care and conversation takes place. When the examination is complete, it’s time for your child to pick a prize!
As pediatric dentists, we know that many young children may have opinions about their first dental visit. Our additional training and experience have made us quite comfortable with young dental patients. The first visit at age one allows for you and your child to develop a relationship with us. You will have a place to turn to if you have a question or if your child should suffer a dental trauma.
We have training that allows us to evaluate the oral health and development of the mouth and face for children of all ages. We will make recommendations regarding timing for orthodontic care and for other appropriate intervention, establish relationships, provide education, and identify problems.
Both the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Academy of Pediatrics recognize early childhood cavities as a health problem affecting a significant number of children. We recommend that a child see a dentist at one year of age or six months after the first tooth comes into the mouth. Establishing a relationship with a pediatric dentist, or a dental home, allows for parental education and early identification and treatment of tooth related problems, which will minimize the potential for lengthy and costly treatment in the future.
If your child is older than one year of age, this is a great time to schedule the first dental visit. We will often recommend that your child have dental check-ups every six months, but we will tailor this time frame based on your child’s specific needs.
Your child’s first dental visit with our office will be an experience that we tailor to your child’s needs. If it is their first ever dental visit at a young age, the visit typically consists of an examination, discussion of findings and any treatment needs, demonstration of proper hygiene techniques and education for the parent regarding proper oral health and hygiene.
If you feel that your child will do better with preparation prior to the visit, please call our office at (425) 392-4048 for the most age-appropriate guidance.
If your child has been a patient at another office and this is the first visit with us, we will plan on cleaning the teeth, discussing hygiene, and doing an examination. When necessary, we will provide tips on how to improve hygiene, take X-rays, and discuss our findings and any treatment needs.
We invite parents into the treatment area. If you would prefer to stay in the reception area, we will take great care of your child.
To help make your child comfortable, we will first use a ‘tell-show-do’ technique, which helps us introduce your child to the dental tools.
If treatment is necessary, we can utilize this same technique and when appropriate and necessary consider sedation or hospital dentistry.
Dr. Cody Mast earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree from Nova Southeastern University’s dental program in Florida, followed by a two-year pediatric dentistry residency at Indiana University, which he completed in 2004. Prior to dental school, he attended Willamette University in Oregon, graduating with a major in German and a minor in Economics. During his junior year, he studied abroad at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, Germany, where he met his wife, Kelley. He later completed a fifth year of coursework at the University of Washington to meet the prerequisites for dental school.
Outside the office, Dr. Cody enjoys mountain biking, skiing, and photography. His favorite part of working with children is that “they are hilarious and extremely honest!
Our office is kid-friendly! Between the prize tower and popsicles, your child will feel safe and comfortable.
If your little one gets a tooth pulled, we give them a mini treasure chest to keep the tooth safe!
At Eastside Pediatric Dental Group, our entire staff is dedicated to giving back to our community.
