Dentistry for Children & Adults Too! Benjamin Cho D.D.S.
Bay Area Kids Dentist-San Jose General Dentistry for Children and Adults-Milpitas Dental Office
Do you accept my dental insurance plan?
We accept any insurance that allows you to choose your dentist! Which means we accept a wide variety of insurance plans! If you don't know, you can just ask your dental insurance company "can I go to any dentist that I want?". Most PPO plans allow you to choose an "in network" or "out of network" dentist and often your benefits and coverage are the same or very similar in network or out of network. Most dental insurances have your benefit information available to you online, or you can contact your insurance company directly.
We are a Delta Dental Premier Provider!
We are proud to be contracted with, and an "in-network" provider for the Delta Dental Premier Plan. For all other PPO dental insurance carriers we would be an "out of network" provider. "What does that mean exactly?" That means that you may use your dental insurance benefits anywhere you like as long as your insurance carrier allows you to choose either one of their contracted "in network" providers, or an "out of network" provider. Most PPO insurances allow you to choose any dentist you wish.
"Will my benefits be the same or different depending on who I choose?" Many times your insurance benefits and coverage are the same whether you choose an "in-network" provider" or an "out of network" provider, and sometimes they are slightly different. Your benefits are determined by the dental insurance plan that you have selected either through yourself or through your employer. Your dental insurance company or employer human resources department for employer sponsored plans can help you determine your benefits and coverage. There are many different insurance plans and levels of coverage so if you are unsure, contact your insurance company directly and ask them if you can go to any dentist you choose and what your benefits will be. They will have the most current and accurate benefit information for you and your family. This information is usually available online with your dental insurance company.
We provide detailed treatment plans with all the information necessary for you to work with your insurance should you wish to inquire about your coverage and benefits.
We do not participate in "DMO", Dental Maintenance Organizations, or Medi-Cal dental plans. You can contact your insurance directly for assistance locating a provider for these plans.
At what age should I bring my baby, or my child, to see the dentist? The answer may surprise you!
This is our most common question. The American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends the first dental visit to be when a child has their first tooth or by one year old, whichever comes first. Early dental appointments are very important to provide education on early dental development and hygiene as well as to help young children become familiar with the doctor and dental office. With regular visits starting at this age, children have a better foundation of trust with positive experiences and much better future dental visits. Our patient's comfort is our priority along with providing education to help avoid preventable dental problems.
Make oral care a part of a daily routine
Getting into a routine early can help establish good oral hygiene habits and will increase the chances that these healthy practices will continue when the responsibility gets passed onto your child. These practices can start before teeth erupt by using a washcloth to gently wipe the gums, especially as part of a bedtime routine.
Use the correct toothbrush
Your baby’s teeth will start to arrive around 6 months (but this can vary greatly from child to child). Use a toothbrush specifically designed for babies. These brushes have smaller heads for smaller mouths with extra soft bristles that are gentle on young sensitive gums. We recommend that you brush your child’s teeth until he or she is able to brush properly themselves. Training toothpaste does not have fluoride. We recommend the use of fluoride toothpaste start only when your child can spit and not swallow the paste to alleviate the concern of ingesting excess fluoride. Use only a tiny amount for very young children who are still swallowing the toothpaste and a pea sized amount of toothpaste as they grow older and learn to spit it out. There is fluoride in most city water Talk to your dentist about sources of fluoride intake should you have any concerns.
Know what tooth decay looks like
Be aware of the signs of baby tooth decay (white spots on front teeth, stains in pits on back teeth) and stay up to date on dental exams.
Be consistent with dental check ups
Dental check ups should occur every 6 months starting when your child gets their first tooth, and no later than one year of age. Every 6 months your child will have a dental check up until dental cleanings start, generally around 3 years of age. This is the best way to help your child begin a lifetime of healthy dental care!
My child is just a baby, what kind of problems could he/she possibly have at this age?
Some preventable dental problems can begin very early in life. A primary concern is baby bottle tooth decay, a serious dental condition caused by prolonged and frequent exposure to drinks that contain sugar such as milk, formula and fruit juices. The earlier the dental visit, the better the chances are of preventing tooth decay and other problems.
They are just “baby” teeth, aren’t they going to just fall out anyway?
Baby teeth (primary teeth) are very important to your child’s future dental health because they help with proper chewing, eating and aid in speech development. Primary teeth facilitate normal development of the jaw bones and muscles and also help make sure their adult teeth come in correctly. Your child’s general health can also be affected if diseased baby teeth are not treated.
How do I prepare my child for their dental visit?
Play dentist at home with them. Role play with your child and let them pretend to clean and “count your teeth” and vice versa. They can also pretend to clean and “count teeth” of a favorite stuffed animal. Use a chair and a mirror to pretend play going to visit to the dentist.
Read dental storybooks to them. There are many available online that you can read together about going to the dentist. We will give your child a special dental coloring book to take home on their first visit as well.
Talk to them about going to the dentist. Use the word dentist instead of doctor if possible. Keep it very simple and talk to them about how the dentist will “count” your teeth to make sure their teeth are strong and healthy. Tell your child that they will get a new toothbrush on their visit.
When talking to your child avoid using phrases like “everything is going to be fine” as it may make your child think that there “might” be something to worry about. Our staff has child friendly words that we will use to describe any treatment that may be needed.
Avoid using words like “hurt, shots, painful, drill, etc.” Only use positive and comforting words like “check your smile” and “count your teeth.” These and other words can be scary for kids and instill fear. Our staff has child friendly words that we will use to describe any treatment that may be needed.
Occasionally parents will have had a negative experience as a child, or a dental phobia that sometimes gets passed along to their child by describing a negative experience or talking about when they got a shot, etc. Please avoid any negative words about dental experiences if possible and talk to you child using only simple and positive words about “checking your smile” and “counting your teeth” to keep them strong and healthy.
Bring a favorite toy to their first visit. You can take pictures as well of their “first trip to the dentist”.
What should I expect at the first visit?
For children, after you share your child’s medical history with us, Dr. Cho will do a comprehensive examination of your child’s teeth and gums. If your child is very young and is unable to sit in a chair on their own, we may ask that your child sit knee to knee with Dr. Cho with your child on your lap for the examination. Dr. Cho will "count teeth" which will be a comprehensive examination to evaluate development, detect dental disease, check hygiene and discuss any concerns you have. Depending on your child’s age and individual needs, radiographic images may be necessary to discover hidden decay or abnormalities. Their teeth may be professionally cleaned, and topical fluoride applied to help prevent cavities. Dr. Cho will also discuss how to clean and care for your child’s teeth. During the examination we use very child friendly terminology such as “counting teeth”. Rest assured that we are assessing every aspect of your child’s dental health as we “count teeth”!
Can you treat my child that who is fussy, anxious, squirmy, wiggly, or uncooperative?
Yes! The first thing you need to know is that it is completely normal for children to put up a fuss when introduced to something new like a dental visit. While most children do extremely well with dental visits, some children are either fearful or anxious. We understand that some parents avoid taking their child to the dentist because feel their child will be uncooperative and sometimes parents are also fearful or even embarrassed. Please don’t be. We have been seeing children for 45 years and have been able to form enjoyable, trusting, and rewarding relationships with children whose parents likely felt the same way. Avoiding dental visits can make it more difficult for your child later on and we want the very best dental care for your child. Everyone deserves excellent quality dental care and we excel at providing a high level of personalized service to meet the unique needs of each patient.
Do you offer Silver Diamine Fluoride? (SDF)
A new way to treat cavities with no drills, no injections, no risks of sedation or anesthesia? Yes!
We are excited to announce that Dentistry for Children & Adults Too! offers a new treatment to manage cavities for children and patients with special needs. Nobody looks forward to having a cavity drilled and filled by a dentist, but now there’s an alternative! A liquid that can be brushed on cavities to stop tooth decay painlessly with no injections, no drills, and is less expensive than fillings.
Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) is a non-invasive FDA-approved cavity fighting liquid medication that can be used to halt the progression of cavities. Originally approved by the FDA for tooth sensitivity, (SDF) is also useful for the treatment of tooth decay. Silver Diamine Fluoride is composed of two primary components, silver and fluoride. Silver acts as an anti-microbial agent that kills the bacteria that causes tooth decay and simultaneously strengthens your teeth. Fluoride is the active ingredient that helps prevent additional decay from appearing. While the ideal way to treat teeth with decay is by removing the decay and placing a restoration, this alternative treatment allows us to stop decay with a noninvasive method. This is particularly useful with young children and children with special needs. Treatment with SDF may not eliminate the need for restorative dentistry to repair function or aesthetics, but has been effective at prevention of further decay. According to the Center for Disease Control almost 20% of children aged 2-19 have untreated cavities. Children who are on the younger end of that spectrum may not be mature enough to handle routine restorative dental care.
Silver Diamine Fluoride treatment is a simple process and is applied to the teeth with a brush. The application takes only minutes. There is no noise, drilling, or numbing. This makes it an excellent choice for very small or anxious children and patients with special needs.
The tooth will be cleaned and dried
Using a micro brush, we apply a small amount of 38% Silver Diamine Fluoride to any teeth with visible cavities
A second application may increase the efficacy of the treatment.
These procedures may be followed up with a home fluoride rinse.
Using Silver Diamine Fluoride to treat tooth decay will result in a dark discoloration of the decayed area whether it was previously visible or not. Healthy tooth surfaces remain unchanged, but the tooth decay will turn very dark after application. In some cases, we can use SDF when children are very young, and then focus on restoring the teeth with more conventional treatment when children are older and better able to tolerate procedures. The use of SDF may also be used to buy time for some patients who have baby teeth that will be lost avoiding the need for fillings and sparing the patient more invasive dental treatment while still protecting the teeth from harmful bacteria. The use of SDF does not eliminate the need for dental fillings or crowns in order to restore function or appearance.
At Dentistry for Children & Adults Too! we advocate prevention! The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that each child should have their first dental visit by his/her first birthday or with the appearance of a child’s first tooth. With visits to the dentist at regular intervals beginning at this age we can establish trust and teach a child that visits to the dentist are not only fun, but also provide proper preventive care and dental education which are the key to a lifetime of positive dental experiences. Keeping smiles healthy and beautiful, it’s what we do!
I am an adult, do I have to have a child in order to see Dr. Cho?
You do not have to have a child who is a patient in order to see Dr. Cho. We offer the same exceptional and personalized dental care for adults as well! We provide a wide variety of dental services for adult patients including cleanings, restorative fillings, crowns, teeth whitening, and more. Looking for a particular service, just ask!
Can I get a same-day appointment?
In most cases we can accommodate same day appointment requests depending on the type of appointment.
Call us at 408-263-6331 Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and we will happy to assist you!
What are sealants?
Sealants are thin coatings applied to help protect the chewing surfaces of back teeth where many cavities in children are found. Sealants are applied on the grooves and depressions in the molars. They “seal out” food and plaque to help reduce the risk of decay. Sealants are a preventative measure and are very effective in the prevention of tooth decay, however they are only as good as your child’s brushing and diet. If your child doesn’t brush well or has a poor diet, they can still get cavities in teeth that were sealed.
Help! Do you take emergency dental patients?
We want to help! Dr. Cho is available 24 hours a day for our patients who are already established with our office and currently under Dr. Cho’s care. For new patients with emergency or urgent dental concerns after hours, please contact your most recent dentist or nearest emergency room first! Do not delay getting urgent care! For medical emergencies dial 911.
During regular business hours, new patients with concerns may contact our office at 408-263-6331 and Dr. Cho will make every effort to help you.