Welcome to our Children's Dental Practice

Our new practice is built upon Dr. Annie Pham-Cheng’s 14 years of experience treating children, 10 years in the Boston area, 4 years in the Santa Barbara area.  It will strive to provide South Coast children with specialized dental prevention and treatment coupled with the sensitivity of a mother’s touch.

Our office features:

•   State-of-the-art equipment and sterilization
•   Computer-assisted charting and records
•   Digital intraoral and panoramic radiography
•   Fun, nurturing, and educational environment for children
•   OSHA (infection control) and HIPAA (protection of information) compliant
•   Welcoming and warm staff

Dr. Annie Pham-Cheng

• Baccalauréat diploma in Mathematics and Physics, Paris, France, 1986.
• B.S. in Chemistry and Biochemistry. University of Alaska Fairbanks. Graduated Magna Cum Laude, 1989.
• D.M.D., Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Graduated Magna Cum Laude, 1994.
• Pediatric Dentistry residency and fellowship. Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard. Chief resident, 1996.
• Clinical instructor at Boston Children’s Hospital, supervised the conscious sedation clinic and trained pediatric dental residents, 1996-1999.
• Principal pediatric dentist. Practice limited to Pediatric Dentistry at Dedham Medical Associates in the suburb of Boston. Cared for over 3000 children ages 6 months to 18 years, 1996-2004.
• Published in the Journal of Implantology, the Journal of Pediatric Dentistry, and contributor to the book Pediatric Procedural Sedation and Analgesia. Recipient of the 1994 American Society of Dentistry for Children merit award.
• Active member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Dental Association, California Dental Association, California Society of Pediatric Dentists, SBVC Dental Society, Harvard Alumni Association.
• Board member Santa Barbara/ Ventura County Dental Care Foundation 2009.
• Mother of Alex (10.5) and Camille (6).

Our Team

Meet members of our team: Dr. Jennifer Koumaras, Yvonne Goodwin, our front desk coordinator, and Selina Zaragoza, our dental assistant.

Dr. Jennifer Koumaras is originally from Philadelphia and moved to California in August 2007. She earned her bachelor degree from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. She completed dental school at New York University, and continued on to do a Pediatric Dentistry Residency at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. Dr. Jennifer is a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Dental Association, the California Dental Association, and the Santa Barbara-Ventura County Dental Society. In her spare time, she enjoys knitting, going to the beach, reading, bike riding, and playing with her cat. We are delighted to have Dr. Jennifer join our team. She will be available to see new patients, and will also provide check ups and all phases of pediatric dentistry to existing patients. Please come by and say hello to Dr. Jennifer.

Yvonne Goodwin is a mother of three grown children. Being a mom and a grand mother of 6 years old Azure Blue is one of her proudest achievements. She has been in the dental field for 22 years in offices in Oregon, Maui, and California. She graduated from Chemeteka Community College Accredited Dental Assisting Program in Salem, Oregon. She is a registered dental assistant in the state of California but prefers the front desk so she can be the first to meet and greet patients and make them feel comfortable and cared for when they come to our practice. Yvonne has been practicing yoga for 32 years and taught at one time. She enjoys reading, taking long walks in nature, writing an avocation, and spending as much time as possible with her extended family. Her philosophy is that creating a positive experience for a child in dentistry is a priority as it sets the tone for a lifetime. She loves to see little ones proudly looking forward to a return visit. Yvonne strongly feels that children are not only our gifts, but our future. "We are so fortunate at Dr. Annie's practice to have the opportunity to spend time with these precious little people educating them, and giving them the understanding and techniques to care for their teeth that they will in turn share with their families."

A third-generation Santa Barbaran, Selina Zaragoza graduated from Santa Barbara High School and completed 2 years at Santa Barbara City College. Having worked in a few dental offices, Selina has found her calling in working with children, and can always be found in a cheery and enthusiastic mood. When not at work, Selina spends all her time doting on her boys Raymond (6) and Jason (3).

Our Mission

Education
To educate children that oral health is part of their overall well being. To help children grow into happy and confident dental patients who will be cavity-free and proud of their smile. To provide a dental home to all children, starting at 6-months of age, including children with special needs.

Partnership with parents
To create a long-term relationship based on understanding and trust. To involve parents in the preventive efforts, at home and at the office. To provide evidence-based information and support to help them make educated decisions about their children’s dental care.

Treatment
To provide comprehensive and excellent dental treatment in a state of the art and safe environment. To care for each child with compassion and sensitivity, using the treatment plan that is tailored to his/her individual needs. To place an emphasis on sedation-free behavioral management techniques.

The First Dental Visit ... and Beyond

The Santa Barbara Children’s Dental Practice is the realized dream of Dr. Annie Pham-Cheng (or Dr. Annie), who has had a long history of providing comprehensive and expert dental care to children in the southwestern suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Annie has designed the office here, in Goleta, with the children’s safety and comfort in mind. You will find the office inviting, comfortable, and relaxing. Besides the flying clowns and cheery walls, you will also find state of the art equipment including digital radiography, OSHA-approved sterilization system, and computerized records.

Dr. Annie has long been a firm believer that dentistry is an integral part of medical care, and that a child’s oral health is of paramount importance to his/her overall well-being. She will spend the time to know the child not just as a dental patient, but also as a person with a specific medical history. With two children in Montessori school and having learned more about the Montessori methodology, Dr. Annie also firmly believes in the fact that children can and will learn anything given some freedom, patience, and a “prepared environment”. This includes learning about the dental office and procedures.

Our primary goal is to give each child an enjoyable experience in the dental office. To increase your child’s understanding and relieve any anxiety, Dr. Annie uses the “tell-show-do” method of behavioral management. She will explain what will be done and demonstrate it outside the mouth (or on a sibling or a doll) before beginning the procedure on the child. Click here for a slide show. Young children and children who have had an unfavorable experience with a previous dentist will be apprehensive and may cry. Please do not let the crying upset you as it is a child’s normal reaction to a strange environment, and Dr. Annie will know how to console them. Older children and those who have had some experience with the dentist also benefit from the “tell-show-do” method as Dr. Annie uses the process to build communication and trust.

Before your child's first visit, you can order through Dr. Annie's office a customized Dentasaurus book. The book is illustrated and customized with the child's name and serves as a fun and non-threatening introduction to the dentist. Please read the book together often and try to familiarize him/her with the few ideas mentioned in the book. Feel free to relate your own positive dental stories, however leaving out as much detail as possible as this will unnecessarily worry the child.  For older children, please explain to him/her that Dr. Annie will have her own unique way of doing dentistry, and that they should ask Dr. Annie in person when they come to the office. Dr. Annie’s treatment plan and clinical approach to each child is different, tailored to the child’s dental needs, as well as their emotional and physical maturity. On the first visit, you will be requested to complete a medical and dental health history for your child. Click here to view or download this form.

Over time, Dr. Annie strives to establish rapport with your child by developing a friendly and trusting relationship with him/her. Because of this, parents are encouraged to let the child come down to the treatment room without parental escort (except for parents of an infant or toddler). If parents do accompany the child to the treatment room, please watch for cues from Dr. Annie as sometimes she will need you to be a “silent partner” so that she may get all of the child’s attention. Working together, with all this preparation, we can succeed in providing your child with feelings of comfort and trust.

If there are specific concerns or a special need, please do not hesitate to call prior to the appointment so that we may address these issues accordingly. The Santa Barbara Children’s Dental Practice would like to warmly welcome you and your child and looks forward to providing many years of healthy, happy, and confident smiles.

Contact Us

Our office address is 6134 Calle Real, Suite B, Goleta, CA 93117

     Phone: 805-681-7301, Fax: 805-681-7302, E-mail: kidsmile@gmail.com

Our office is located in Plaza Real, at the corner of Calle Real and Vega Drive, opposite Spectrum Health Clubs. The parking entrance is on Vega Drive. If you come by Highway 101, take the Fairview Avenue exit, turn onto North Fairview Avenue, turn left onto Calle Real, then turn right onto Vega Drive.

Click here for Mapquest driving directions.

Our Policy

We encourage all children under age 6, or children who will receive extensive dental treatment, to be seen in the morning hours as this will maximize their comfort and cooperation.

Kindly provide us with a 48-hour notice if you need to cancel the appointment. This will allow us enough time to schedule another patient who is in need of an appointment time. Failure to show at a previously scheduled appointment will incur a no-show fee. Please call and advise us that you can't make it to an appointment to avoid that fee.

Please call ahead if you will be late to the appointment so we may advise you of the doctor’s schedule, and possibly reschedule if needed.

While you are in the office, please observe the rule of “only one family member in the treatment room”. Please take extra care to watch other siblings, especially the younger ones, and prevent them from wandering around the treatment area. Please refrain from feeding accompanying siblings while you are in the treatment room. Also please keep cell-phone usage to a minimum while you are in the treatment room.

Occasionally, due to an unscheduled emergency visit, or a child needing extra attention, we may run late and ask you to wait. We appreciate your understanding and assure you that your child will receive the same attention and care when his/her time comes.

Please be sure to update our secretary or clinical staff if there are any changes to your child’s health, diet, or allergies at each visit.

Financial Policy

Payment in full is due at the time dental treatment is provided unless previous arrangements have been made. We accept cash, personal check, MasterCard, and Visa. If your child’s treatment requires several visits, you will be given an estimate of our fees, and our staff will discuss and make financial arrangements prior to the appointments.

For Patients with Dental Insurance

If we have received all of your insurance information prior to or on the day of the appointment, and we are able to confirm your eligibility, we will be happy to file claims on your behalf.

Payment of your estimated portion of the fees not covered by insurance is due at the time dental treatment is provided.

If your insurance company does not pay the full balance within 45 days, you will be billed the remaining balance. However, if your insurance company pays more than the balance due, we will immediately issue a refund to you.

The accuracy of your insurance information we receive is essential for proper claim filing. We will assist you in estimating your portion of the fees for dental services; however, we can not guarantee what your insurance company will pay on a claim. Please understand that filing your claims is a courtesy our office provides to our patients, but it does not guarantee payment to us. Therefore, you are ultimately responsible for payment of our fees.

Facts Concerning Dental Insurance

No insurance pays 100% of dental care.

Dental insurance is meant to be an aid in receiving dental care. Many patients believe that their insurance pays 90%-100% of all dental fees. In reality, most plans only pay between 50%-80% of the insurance company’s predetermined fee schedule. Some pay more, some pay less. Both the fee schedule and the percentage paid is usually determined by how much you or your employer has paid for coverage or the type of contract your employer has set up with the insurance company.

Benefits are not determined by the dentist.

You may have noticed that your dental insurer generally reimburses you or the dentist at a lower rate than the dentist's actual fee. Frequently, insurance companies state that the reimbursement was reduced because your dentist's fee has exceeded the usual, customary, or reasonable fee ("UCR") used by the company. A statement such as this gives the impression that any fee greater than the amount paid by the insurance company is unreasonable or well above what most dentists in the area charge for a certain service. This can be very misleading and simply is not accurate. Again, insurance companies set their own fee schedules they consider allowable for the various products (e.g. PMI, Delta DPO, Delta Premier, etc) they provide.

These allowable fees may vary widely among companies and between products within the same company. Generally the higher end insurance products set allowable fee schedules which are more in line with the actual UCR. Unfortunately, for lower end products, insurance companies imply that your dentist is "overcharging" rather than say that they are "underpaying" or that their benefits are low. In general, the less expensive insurance policy will use a lower UCR figure.

Most importantly, please keep us informed of any insurance changes such as policy name, insurance company address, or a change of employment.

Useful Links Policy

Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Dentistry
www.childrenshospital.org

Harvard School of Dental Medicine
www.hsdm.harvard.edu/asp-html

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
www.aapd.org

California Dental Association
www.cda.org

California Society of Pediatric Dentists
www.cspd.org

Santa Barbara Montessori Center School
www.mcssb.org

Reviews

YES! My favorite place
     Alexander Osborne (6 years old) when mom told him that he was going to see Dr. Annie for a check-up.

To Dr. Annie from the parents of K.S.
Before we came to Dr. Annie we came to another dentist who didn't try to make our chid welcome and did not want to cooperate with our plan on how to cure our daughter's teeth. He did not give us any options, the only thing he offered was sedation which was not what we wanted to do. But when we came to Dr. Annie she looked over our daughter's teeth and offered to cure them in a regular way, not sedation. Dr. Annie made our daughter feel secure. When fixing her teeth Dr. Annie sings children's songs and tell stories to distract our daughter. This makes our daughter think of something else and forget about what Dr. Annie is doing. Our daughter even sings along sometimes. This is good because the songs and stories are a good distraction. We are very happy that we found Dr. Annie and we are also very happy with the service and care she provides.
Mother of K.S.   7/19/2009

Hello Dr. Annie,
I just wanted to send you a message to tell you how grateful I am for you! I came out of the office today so proud of my little one, and it is really thanks to you and your gracious approach - your gentle and patient communication with James.
As you probably guessed, the history of dentists in my own life has until now been quite difficult, and I am just so honored that James is having such a happy experience with you! Thank you thank you thank you!!
Again, we are so blessed to have you and are so deeply grateful!!,br> Warm warm regars,
J.L., James mama.   8/13/2009

Dr. Annie,
Thank you for your help and understanding with our little girl. The journey that we are in has been tough at times but then we meet someone like you who is not "freaking out" about what is not there. But instead you are (to our surpise) understanding and treat us like any other parent with an independent 2 year old toddler.
Thank you for your gentle hands and sharing your knowledge. My husband and I look forward to working with you on this journey.
Thank you.
J.R. and L.R.   10/6/2009

For Dr. Annie and her team ...
I visited your office on Tuesday with my daughters Grace and Mary. And we just wanted to say thank you for a wonderfully pleasant and informative visit. The girls rave to their classmates about their experience, and I, myself, raved about it to my husband. The girls can't wait for their next visit. I appreciated all my questions being answered so thoroughly and thoughtfully. No need to respond to my email; just wanted to say thanks.
Warmly,
E.J.   10/21/2009

Ask Mr. Toothy

This column will appear biweekly on www.sbkidsmile.com. Submit your questions to Mr.Toothy by writing to kidsmile@gmail.com

Q    Dear Mr. Toothy,
What are cavities and why is there such a big hoopla about them?
Alex, age 7.

A    Dear Alex,
Cavities are unwanted holes in teeth that will sooner or later cause the teeth to breakdown and become useless to their owner. Can you imagine eating and smiling without teeth? Not only that, teeth with cavities in them can cause pain and keep you from going to school or doing all the fun things.

A cavity is made by plaque which is a mushy mess of left-over foods and drinks that are stuck on teeth.The germs living in our mouth (Strep. Mutans---they do sound like aliens but they are real) eat this plaque and turn it into acid, which then melt and make holes in the tooth. The germs particularly love sugary foods and drinks.

Q    Dear Mr. Toothy,
I think that cavity germs are eeky. How do I get rid of them?
Julia, age 3.

A    Dear Julia,
Here is the secret to getting rid of those cavity germs.
** Brush and floss your teeth after breakfast and before bedtime everyday. Have a grown-up help you reach those back teeth with the toothbrush and floss.
** Use a fluoride toothpaste (germs don’t like the taste of fluoride) but learn to spit it out as you brush.
** Only get sweet drinks and candies at special times like parties, then brush your teeth or drink water right after you have the sweets. Throw away candies like lollipop, gummies, fruit roll-ups, and go easy on juices and dried chewy fruits. Eat lots of crunchy veggies and fruits.
** Visit your dentist often for check-ups and to get more ideas on how to get rid of cavity germs.

Q    Dear Mr. Toothy,
My mom says water and milk are the best drinks for my body and my teeth. Is it true?
Raymond, age 2.

A    Dear Raymond,
Your mom is right. Milk gives your body lots of calcium to help your bones grow. Water does not have sugar and helps your body get rid of toxic stuff. Milk is great when you drink it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but be careful not to drink it after you have brushed or during the night when you are thirsty. At night, your mouth dries out, and the little of milk that stayed on your teeth can feed the cavity germs. If you are really thirsty, water is always great.

Q    Dear Mr. Toothy,
Halloween is coming and I love candies, can I eat all of them? Tom, age 5.

A    Dear Tom,
Happy Halloween! This is a fun time for all children and Mr. Toothy wishes you a very spooky celebration. Remember to bring a flashlight, do not go into a stranger’s house, and say thank you. Try to give all the sticky and chewy candies to your parents (they will know what to do with the candies). Keep the chocolate and other candies that can melt quickly. Make sure you floss, brush your teeth, and rinse with a fluoride rinse before bed. Your teeth will thank you for it.

Q    Dear Mr. Toothy,
Why do I need to floss? Kate, age 4.

A    Dear Kate,
As you grow, your teeth move closer together (they are a chummy bunch, aren’t they?). When teeth are tight, food and plaque can get stuck in between. Your toothbrush is too big to reach the food between the teeth and cavities can form there. Flossing every night removes the food and prevents cavities between your teeth.

Q    Dear Mr. Toothy,
Is it ok if I eat all the toothpaste? Bobby, age 3.

A    Dear Bobby,
Toothpaste is great for your teeth, but not so great for your tummy or your body. Swallowing too much toothpaste can make you sick and throw up. The fluoride in the toothpaste can cause yellow and white stains on your permanent teeth. So make sure that you learn how to spit out when you brush. Always have mom or dad give squirt out the toothpaste for you.