Office Hours
We are open to serve you, answer questions or schedule an appointment during the following hours*:
Monday – Thursday: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Open some Fridays by appointment.
(Closed daily for lunch: 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.)
Appointments
We recommend seeing your child every 6 months for cleanings. Some children may need to be seen more frequently than this. During these visits, your child will receive a tooth polishing, fluoride treatment and any necessary X-rays. Our qualified hygienists will review oral hygiene and make recommendations specifically for your child. At this visit, Dr. Scholl will provide a full extraoral and intraoral exam, as well as evaluate your child’s individual dental needs. Dr. Scholl will discuss your child’s growth and development to determine if braces are or will be needed. A full treatment plan will be created covering any necessary treatment needed until the next dental cleaning.
If you are unable to keep your appointment, please notify our office 24 hours in advance so we can offer this appointment time to another child in need of treatment. Missed appointment fees will be imposed if insufficient time notice is given. Two missed appointments can result in a dismissal from Coastal Maine Pediatric Dentistry. After two missed appointments with siblings, siblings will be scheduled separately.
Office hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the event that poor weather inhibits your ability to make it to your scheduled appointment, please call our office to cancel and reschedule.
Smoking in the building or parking lot is prohibited. Vulgar language will absolutely result in dismissal from Coastal Maine Pediatric Dentistry.
We recognize your time is valuable; therefore we will make every effort to begin appointments promptly. Please arrive on time. Please understand that the nature of a pediatric dentistry office includes emergencies that can alter our schedule. We will inform you of a wait upon your arrival. Please extend a courtesy to these families, just as you would expect if it were your child being seen emergently.
Legal guardians are required at ALL appointments. Step-parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles are not legal guardians, and therefore cannot accompany a child without a signed release from a legal guardian. Anyone accompanying the child must be 18 years of age. Court-appointed guardians must supply court-issued paperwork before the first appointment.
Emergencies
If your child is a patient of record and has a true dental emergency (swelling, trauma or uncontrolled bleeding), please call the office at 207-607-4197. We will make every accommodation to see your child in a timely manner. Please be aware that if you are calling after office hours, your call MAY not be returned until the next day. Any emergency calls after 9 p.m. will be returned after 8 a.m. the following day.
Privacy
It has been our experience that children focus better without a parent in the room. This allows the child to build a rapport with Dr. Scholl, and therefore have a more positive experience. Although we suggest allowing a child to go into the operatory alone, we do welcome a parent into the operatory. If you choose to accompany your child into the operatory, we only allow one parent with a child, and we ask that parent to be a seated, silent observer. If you plan to be with your child, please have arrangements in place for care of other children as we do not allow unattended children in the reception area. We may ask a parent to leave the operatory if we feel a child will be better able to assist us in treatment without a parent in the room.
We ask that cellular phones be silenced in the operatories as a courtesy to our doctor, staff and other patients. Food is strictly prohibited from the operatories.
Behavior Management
As you may or may not know, a pediatric dentist has undergone rigorous studies after dental school to specialize in treating children. Pediatric patients require a different treatment approach than adults, both physiologically and psychologically. It is our goal to provide safe, comprehensive treatment with the highest quality of care consistent with the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry guidelines.
Dr. Scholl has also become a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. A board certified pediatric dentist has undergone further training and testing to ensure the highest standards of care to patients.
Behavior Management Techniques
- Tell-Show-Do: This is a technique where Dr. Scholl will tell the child what she is going to do, show the child what she will do, then do the procedure. This is used at almost every appointment as it works extremely well with children… after all, seeing is believing!
- Distraction: Dr. Scholl and our assistants will use this often throughout the procedure. For example, wiggling the cheeks while we give our “sleepy drops” (Novocain) or having the television on the ceiling playing throughout the appointment. Children are encouraged to bring their own distraction techniques, like iPods or headphones.
- Non-Verbal Communication: We use friendly smiles, confident body language, and an efficient work environment to create a comfortable space for your child to have treatment.
- Positive Reinforcement: Dr. Scholl and her assistants will always tell a child when they have done something great!! We love to end our appointments with a positive note, and we are aware of how much our kids love recognition!
- Physical Restraint: As you can imagine, there are situations where a fast, sharp instrument needs to be used, and it would be unsafe unless the child was restrained. Special needs and younger children often feel safer when held. Many times, Dr. Scholl will ask the parent/guardian to hold the child on his/her lap with their arms and hands holding the child’s arms and legs. We will sometimes employ the use of a pedi-wrap to passively restrain a child’s hands and feet from the area of treatment. Any restraint will be discussed and consented to prior to its use. A mouthprop is used throughout all procedures for the safety of the patient and to assist in holding the mouth open throughout the procedure.
- Local Anesthesia: A topical anesthetic is used to locally numb the area of the injection. We would then use a local anesthetic, like Novocain, to numb a specific part of the mouth for treatment. If your child receives Novocain, it can take 2-3 hours to wear off. Please do not let your child eat during this time as they can easily bite their lip causing swelling and pain or get burned by hot foods.
- Minimal Sedation with Nitrous Oxide/Oxygen Analgesia: Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is used often for a child with mild anxiety. Perhaps the safest analgesic in dentistry, nitrous oxide/oxygen can reduce anxiety and gagging in children and make longer appointments easier. The child is fully conscious throughout the procedure, and the recovery is rapid and complete. Nitrous oxide/oxygen is not effective for children who cannot breathe through their nose or who are very uncooperative.
- Minimal Sedation with Oral Sedatives: We use three different medications by mouth to help children relax through their dental appointment. We use a mixture of valium and hydroxyzine or versed alone. These medications help to minimally sedate your child while doing dental work. Your child will not be asleep and will continue to have all normal protective reflexes. We will often use this in conjunction with nitrous oxide/oxygen. It is imperative that your child not eat or drink at least 6 hours prior to any sedation appointments.
- General Anesthesia: General anesthesia is an induced state of unconsciousness. In practical terms, the patient is asleep and unable to responds to touch, voices or painful stimuli. We recommend this often for various reasons, including young children, children with extensive decay requiring several in-office appointments, and children without the ability to cooperate or communicate. Highly qualified anesthesiologists and registered nurse anesthetists provide general anesthesia in a hospital setting. Dr. Scholl will provide a cleaning, X-rays, and all treatment necessary in one visit under general anesthesia. Parents should feel free to talk openly about this treatment option with Dr. Scholl.
Dr. Scholl will answer any questions and recommend particular behavior modification techniques with you at your initial exam.