Office Policies

Parent Guidelines – What to Know Before Your Child’s Visit

Supporting Your Child’s Positive Experience at Columbus Pediatric Dentistry

Dear Parents,

At Columbus Pediatric Dentistry, we want every visit to be a comfortable, positive experience for your child—and for you. As your partner in pediatric dental care, we welcome your involvement and want to offer some guidance to help ensure the most successful and stress-free treatment possible.

Initial Exams:

Parents are always welcome to accompany their child during the first visit. This gives you a chance to meet our dental team, see how we care for children, and discuss findings directly with Dr. Harvey. To help build trust between your child and our team, we kindly ask that you serve as a silent observer during the appointment. Too many voices can confuse children, so allowing our team to guide the visit helps things go more smoothly.

Regular Check-Ups:

As your child grows more confident, we encourage them to come back on their own for cleanings and check-ups. This promotes independence and helps foster a trusting relationship with our team.

Treatment Appointments:

During treatment visits (like fillings or other procedures), parents must remain in the waiting room. This allows our team to focus entirely on your child and deliver the highest quality care without the distraction of the needs or anxieties of the parent.

We understand this may be difficult for some parents, but your child’s comfort, safety, and care are always our top priorities. Our goal is to build trust and clear communication directly between your child and our team—something we’ve found is most successful when parents are not present during treatment.

Additional Siblings & Parents/Guardians:

Only one parent or legal guardian may accompany a child during their initial appointment. If you have additional adults accompanying, you they will be asked to remain in the waiting area. If have additional children with you who do not have appointments, you will need to remain in the waiting room with them unless there is another adult to stay with them.

Cell Phones

For the privacy and safety of all patients, cell phone use is only allowed in the waiting room.

Partnering with Columbus Pediatric Dentistry

• • Let us lead the way
    We’ll guide your child through what to expect and use kid-friendly language to reduce anxiety and build confidence. Allowing us to take the lead builds trust between your child and our team. We ask that you remain a quiet bystander to help maintain focus and avoid mixed signals.
  • Use our positive practice terminology
    We use special words designed to help children feel comfortable and safe. Reinforcing our language helps your child stay relaxed and confident. Please be supportive of our terminology.
  • Provide calm, quiet support
    Your quiet presence can be very comforting. To help your child stay focused on our directions, we ask that you observe silently and avoid speaking during the procedure.
    **Please note: if outside language is used, or if verbal communication interferes with care, we may respectfully ask you to step out of the room to maintain a positive and productive treatment environment.
  • Be flexible if we ask for a change
    If your child becomes upset or tries to gain control of the situation by resisting care or “acting out,” we may ask you to return to the waiting room. This allows us to redirect their attention and continue treatment in a supportive way. While occasional emotional responses are normal, it’s important that we maintain a safe and smooth visit for your child.

These are very important steps that can make a big difference in your child’s experience. We truly appreciate your partnership and trust, and we’re here to support your family every step of the way. Thank you for helping us create a positive and confident dental visit for your child!

Scheduling Appointments – What to Know Before You Book

Helping Us Provide the Best Care for Your Child

Dear Parents,

At Columbus Pediatric Dentistry, we carefully schedule each appointment to give your child the focused care they deserve. To help us stay on time and provide a calm, positive environment for every family, we’ve outlined a few important scheduling policies below.

These guidelines help us work efficiently while supporting your child’s experience—and we’re here to make the process easy and smooth for you.

Optimal Appointment Times

Young children and those needing more involved treatment often do best with morning appointments, when they are most rested and relaxed. Longer appointments, such as initial exams or restorative treatment, are often scheduled in the mornings. School absences for dental visits are considered excused, and we’re happy to provide documentation upon request.

Arrival Times

Please arrive:

• 20 minutes early for your child’s first visit
• 10 minutes early for all other appointments
  This allows time to update records and ensures your child gets their full appointment.

Late Arrivals & Cancellations

If you arrive more than 10 minutes late, your child’s appointment may need to be rescheduled, or we may not be able to complete all planned treatment during the visit. We want every child to receive the full time and attention they deserve, and accommodating late arrivals can be disrupt care for other families. Thank you for your understanding as we work to stay on schedule and provide the best experience for every child we see.

Appointment Confirmations

Please confirm your appointment at least 48 hours in advance. If we do not receive confirmation by 24 hours in advance, your appointment will be released and offered to another patient.

Missed appointments

• Appointments canceled with less than 48 hours’ notice or missed without calling are considered “no-shows.”
• Missed appointments or same-day cancellations are subject to a $50 fee.
• If your child misses their first visit or referral appointment without any notice or effort in communicating with our office, we may not be able to offer future appointments.
• After two missed or short-notice cancellations, we may be unable to offer future appointments.

Need to cancel or reschedule?

We kindly ask for at least 48 hours’ notice so we can offer that time to another family.

General Anesthesia Appointments

For children receiving treatment under general anesthesia at Columbus Community Hospital, it’s essential to follow all instructions carefully, including no food or drink (NPO) guidelines. If these are not followed or the appointment is missed, we will be unable to reschedule any care at our office.

Occasional Delays

We value your time and try hard to keep our schedule running smoothly. Occasionally, a child may need extra attention or we may handle a dental emergency—thank you for your understanding if delays occur.

By following these guidelines, we can ensure that all of our patients receive the best care possible in a timely and organized manner. We look forward to seeing your child and providing them with exceptional dental care!

PRACTICE TERMINOLOGY

Creating a Positive Experience Through Kid-Friendly Language

Dear Parents,

At Columbus Pediatric Dentistry, we believe every dental visit should be a positive and comfortable experience for your child. One of the ways we make that possible is by using friendly, non-threatening words to describe dental instruments and procedures. Many children are more relaxed and cooperative when we avoid words that may sound scary or spark anxiety from past experiences.

To help support a calm and confident visit, we kindly ask you to join us in using our child-friendly terminology whenever you’re speaking to your child about their appointment. Here are some examples of how we talk about things in our office:

• • Instead of needle or shot, we say sleepy juice
  • Instead of drill, we say whistle
  • Instead of drill on a tooth, we say clean a tooth
  • Instead of pull or yank a tooth, we say wiggle a tooth out
  • Instead of decay or cavity, we say sugar bug
  • Instead of examination, we say count teeth
  • Instead of tooth cleaning, we say tickle the teeth
  • Instead of explorer, we say toothpick
  • Instead of rubber dam, we say raincoat
  • Instead of gas or nitrous, we say magic air

These fun, gentle terms help your child feel more at ease and make their visit a little more magical. Our goal is never to mislead but rather to build trust, reduce fear, and help your child grow up with a positive attitude toward dental care.

Thank you for partnering with us in making your child’s dental visit a happy one!