Accepting New Patients at Mini Miners Pediatric Dentistry

Welcome to Mini Miners Pediatric Dentistry!

We believe every child should look forward to going to the dentist. As a trusted pediatric dentist in Lafayette, CO and the surrounding Erie area, we create positive experiences from your child's very first visit, as early as age one, that build confidence and help establish healthy dental habits for life.

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Start here, in this order

1. Call (303) 500-3202 or send the form below. Tell us your child's age and whether anything about the mouth worries you right now. If your child has already had a hard visit somewhere else, say so on this call. It changes how we schedule.

2. Give us your insurance details. We verify coverage before you arrive so nobody finds out about a balance in the chair.

3. Fill out the new patient form. Do it at home, so your child is not sitting in the waiting room while you type.

New Patient Forms

After you've contacted our office to book your appointment as a new patient, you can fill out our New Patient Form below. Completing the form ahead of time helps us prepare for your child's first visit so we can focus on making it a great experience.

English Forms

Spanish Forms

At Mini Miners, we turn dental appointments into experiences your child will actually enjoy!

What your child gets to choose

3 things: the flavor of the cleaning paste, the flavor of the fluoride, and a movie from a library of more than 70.

Small choices give a child some control over an appointment they did not schedule. Control is what most dental fear comes down to. No other practice in this corridor publishes a choice menu, which tells you how most offices think about it.

X-rays without leaving the chair

X-rays are taken in the treatment room with a handheld unit that works like a camera. Your child stays in the chair and keeps watching their movie. There is no separate X-ray room, no walk down a hallway, and no repositioning.

The sensors are sized for a child's mouth, not an adult's. That is the difference between a 4-year-old who tolerates a bitewing and one who gags.

We do not typically take X-rays under age 4. From 4 up, once a year, and only if your child is comfortable that day.

When to bring your child in the first time

At age 1, or 6 months after the first tooth comes in, whichever happens first.

That is the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry standard, not a house rule. Their periodicity schedule puts it plainly: "First examination at the eruption of the first tooth and no later than 12 months."

We also see newborns before any teeth arrive, for tongue tie and lip tie evaluation. If a release is needed, it is done with a soft tissue laser. You do not get sent to a second office for it.

Why every 6 months, and not once a year

The AAPD recommendation is to "repeat every 6 months or as indicated by child's risk status."

The mechanism behind that interval is worth knowing, because a lot of pages state the interval and skip the reason. Decay moves faster through a baby tooth than an adult tooth, since primary enamel is thinner. A radiographic study in the Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry tracked lesions in the primary teeth of 95 children over at least 3 years. A cavity took about 10 months to travel from the outer enamel to the dentin junction, then roughly another 17 months to reach the inner dentin. Those children were aged 5 to 12 and from low-income households, and the authors call their progression rate faster than earlier research found.

So a 6-month visit is set to catch a lesion while it is still in enamel, when it can be arrested and does not need a drill. A 12-month visit means the first look at a new lesion happens closer to the point where it has already entered dentin.

If your child is nervous, or has special needs

Ask for a Happy Visit when you call. Your child comes in, plays in the waiting room, walks the office, meets the team, gets a prize, and leaves. No treatment, none.

The accommodation most parents want and almost nobody asks about: every chair reclines only partially. A child who will not lie flat still gets a cleaning and X-rays sitting up.

Beyond that:

Appointments kept short and ended on a good note on purpose, so your child is willing to come back
Every instrument and sensor sized for a child
No scary words. Our team does not say shot, hurt, or pain
Screens and flavor choices used as real distraction, not decoration
Nitrous oxide plumbed into every treatment room, plus other sedation depths when a child needs them

Dr. Grover starts from the position that these kids can handle more than adults expect, given enough explanation and enough patience. More on dental care for kids with special needs and on dental anxiety.

Office Photo Tour

Parents stay in the room

Yes, you can come back with your child. For all of it, with no conditions attached.

You can also wait out front if that works better for your family. Most kids settle faster with a parent in the room, so that is what we suggest for a first visit.

Healty Teeth Tips

What it costs

We accept all major private dental insurance and our team verifies your benefits before the appointment, so we can tell you what is due before you are sitting in the chair.

Families without dental coverage use the Mini Miners Membership Plan, which keeps visit costs predictable. Without insurance and not on the plan, payment is due at the time of service. Emergency appointments carry a $50 deductible.

Billing gets stated plainly up front. No charge shows up afterward that nobody mentioned. More detail on billing and insurance.

Contact Us

About Dr. Alison Grover

Dr. Alison Grover owns Mini Miners and opened it in 2017 with 4 patients.

She earned her DDS at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, completed a general practice residency, then completed a 2-year pediatric dental residency at UCLA. She is a board-certified Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, which takes a 4-hour written qualifying examination and a 2-hour oral clinical examination beyond the residency itself.

She is also a parent, which is not a credential, though it does change how an appointment feels to the family in the room.

NEW PATIENT FAQS

How long will the appointment be? It depends on your child's age. For children under 4, the visit usually lasts about 30 minutes. For children 4 and older, please plan for about an hour, as we will likely take xrays and do a more thorough examination.

Which dentist will my child see? YYour child will see either Dr. Alison or Dr. Ross, both board certified pediatric dental diplomates. Please let us know if you have a preference when you make your appointment and we will do our best to accommodate your request.

Is anything going to be owed today? It depends on your insurance coverage. If we have verified your insurance before your visit, we can tell you what, if anything, will be due at the appointment. We accept all major private insurance plans and also offer a Mini Miners Membership Plan for families without dental coverage. For patients without insurance, payment is due at the time of service. We do collect a $50 deductible for emergency appointments.

How should I talk to my child about their first dental visit? Keep it simple and positive! Tell them the dentist will count their teeth, take pictures, and clean their smile. Avoid using words like "hurt," "pain," "shot," or "I don't like going to the dentist." Our team is trained to use kid friendly language that helps prevent anxiety. You can also prepare your child by showing them our Office Tour photos.

Can you see multiple children at once? You can choose what works best for you and your kids. For little kids, we typically have siblings take turns in the same room. For older children, kids can go into separate rooms and be seen at the same time for easier scheduling.

Will my child get x-rays at their first appointment? We do not typically take xrays for kids under 4. For kids 4 and older, they should get xrays once a year, so if they are due, we may take them at the first visit if your child is comfortable and cooperative. Our xrays are taken right in the treatment room using a camera style xray machine so kids can keep watching their movie. Modern dental xrays have very low radiation and are safe even for young children.

Is anything going to be owed today? It depends on your insurance coverage. If we have verified your insurance before your visit, we can tell you what, if anything, will be due at the appointment. We accept all major private insurance plans and also offer a Mini Miners Membership Plan for families without dental coverage. For patients without insurance, payment is due at the time of service. We do collect a $50 deductible for emergency appointments.