GENERAL DENTISTRY
Family & Children's Dentistry
Family & Children's Services
Pediatric Dentistry
Specialized dental care designed for infants, children, and teens.
Dental Sealants
Protective coatings that shield children's teeth from cavities.
Fluoride Treatments
Strengthen developing teeth and prevent early childhood decay.
Gentle & Anxiety-Free Dentistry
Comfort-focused care for patients of all ages who feel nervous.
Nitrous Oxide Sedation
Safe, gentle sedation that helps children relax during treatment.
Dental Checkups & Exams
Age-appropriate exams to monitor growth and development.
One Office for the Whole Family — Toddlers Through Grandparents
Dental needs change a lot across a lifetime. A two-year-old's first visit looks nothing like a teen getting Invisalign, which looks nothing like a parent in their forties needing a crown, which looks nothing like a grandparent considering dental implants. At Glendale Dental Wellness, your family doesn't need to drive between offices to handle all of that. Dr. Ivan Chan and our in-house specialists see every generation, on the same day if it's helpful, in one office at 435 Arden Avenue.
Choosing a family dentist means real convenience: one set of records, one front desk that knows you, and one care team that tracks how everyone's oral health changes over time. When your child's permanent molars come in, when a parent's filling from college needs replacing, when a grandparent's bridge starts to loosen — the same office that already knows your history handles it.
What Family Dentistry Looks Like at Each Life Stage
Care at every age has a different focus. Here's what we typically handle for each generation in a family:
- Infants & toddlers (ages 1–4) — first dental visit, monitoring tooth eruption, parent coaching on home care, and gentle "tell-show-do" introductions that build positive associations from day one. See our first dental visit guide.
- Children (ages 5–12) — dental sealants on the back molars, fluoride treatments, cavity care, and orthodontic screening. Our pediatric dentistry program covers this age range in depth.
- Teens (ages 13–18) — Invisalign and clear aligners with Dr. Gao, sports mouthguards, wisdom tooth evaluation, and habits coaching as caffeine and snacking patterns shift.
- Adults (20s–50s) — comprehensive preventive care, tooth-colored fillings, cosmetic dentistry (veneers, whitening, smile makeovers), early intervention on grinding or TMJ, and restorative work on aging fillings or crowns.
- Seniors (60+) — dental implants, dentures and partials, LANAP gum treatment for receding gums, and coordinating with primary care physicians on medications that affect oral health.
Scheduling for Busy Families
Most families don't have time to drive across town three times in a month. A few ways we make multi-person scheduling easier:
- Back-to-back appointments. Schedule the whole household consecutively so one parent's trip handles everyone's six-month cleaning.
- Morning or after-school slots. School-aged kids often do best on the early morning end of the day; teens and working parents often prefer the post-school window.
- Pre-booking the next visit. Many of our families leave with their next two appointments already on the calendar so the rhythm of preventive care just becomes part of the year.
- Coordinated emergencies. If a kid takes a fall at Verdugo Park or a parent cracks a tooth on Saturday, we hold time in every working day for same-day emergency appointments.
Anxious Patients of Any Age
Dental anxiety isn't just a kid thing — plenty of adults walk in with the same wariness they had as children. Whether it's a four-year-old's first visit or a fifty-year-old who's been avoiding the dentist for a decade, our approach is the same: explain every step before it happens, move at your pace, and don't rush. For patients who need extra help we offer nitrous oxide sedation for both kids and adults, plus a deliberately gentle approach built around comfort and trust.
Oral Health Tips by Life Stage
Brief, practical guidance for each generation in your household. Click through to the related service page for more depth.
Clean gums with a soft cloth before teeth appear. Once teeth come in, brush twice daily with a rice-grain amount of fluoride toothpaste. Schedule the first dental visit by age one and avoid putting babies to bed with a bottle.
Supervise brushing until around age 7-8. Use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste and begin flossing when teeth touch. Ask about sealants for back teeth and limit sugary snacks and drinks between meals.
Teens face unique challenges — wisdom tooth eruption, orthodontic decisions, and sports. Encourage consistent brushing and flossing, watch sugary energy drinks closely, and consider sports mouthguards for athletes. This is also the most common time to start Invisalign treatment.
Twice-yearly checkups catch problems early. Watch for grinding (a nightguard is often the answer), don't ignore receding gums (early LANAP treatment is far less invasive than late-stage surgery), and consider replacing old metal fillings with tooth-colored composite as they age out.
Watch for dry mouth (a side effect of many medications), monitor existing crowns and bridges as they age, address missing teeth promptly to protect adjacent ones, and don't let fear of cost delay treatment — many seniors are surprised at how affordable a single implant becomes when phased over a year.
Brush together as a family to model good habits. Let kids pick their own toothbrush. Limit sugary drinks for everyone — they don't get healthier just because the drinker is older. Limit juice, soda, and sticky snacks; offer water, cheese, and crunchy vegetables as tooth-friendly alternatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the whole family really see the same dentist?
Yes. Dr. Chan sees patients from age one through their senior years, which means parents, kids, teens, and grandparents can all be seen at our Glendale office. For pediatric-specific care we have a dedicated pediatric dentistry program; for orthodontics we have Dr. Jonathan Gao (Invisalign Gold Provider) in-house, and complex endodontic cases stay with our endodontist Dr. Moji Ghalambor — so referrals out of the practice are rare.
Can you schedule everyone in our family back-to-back?
We do this all the time. Families often book back-to-back appointments so the parent who drives only needs to make one trip. Tell our front desk how many people and what types of visits when you call, and we'll group the appointments together.
When should my child have their first dental visit?
We recommend the first visit around age one, or within six months of the first tooth erupting. Early visits help establish healthy habits, let us monitor development, and prevent problems before they start. We make first visits low-pressure and fun to build positive associations with dental care.
My child is anxious about the dentist. What can we do?
Dental anxiety is common at every age. Our team is experienced with anxious children and uses gentle techniques, simple language, and never rushes. Nitrous oxide sedation is available for kids and adults who need a little extra help to relax. We also encourage parents to bring kids along to their own appointments first so the office feels familiar.
Do you treat older adults and seniors?
Yes. Seniors in the Glendale area trust us with more complex needs — implants, dentures and partials, LANAP laser gum treatment for receding gums, and saving teeth with root canal therapy rather than extracting. We coordinate with primary care physicians when needed and take time to explain options without rushing.
Are baby teeth important if they're going to fall out anyway?
Yes. Baby teeth are crucial for chewing, speech development, and guiding permanent teeth into their proper positions. Untreated cavities in baby teeth can cause pain, infection, and even affect the developing permanent teeth underneath. We take children's care just as seriously as adult care.
How can we keep dental costs manageable for a family?
A few ways stack well for families. Most PPO dental plans cover preventive care for every household member at high percentages — so back-to-back family cleanings are usually well-covered. For families without coverage, the in-house membership plan is structured to make routine care predictable at a flat annual cost, the $199 new patient special can apply to each new family member separately, and CareCredit financing is available for larger work.
