Dr. Jim Mason grew up in Gloucester, Virginia and Newport News, attending Peninsular Catholic High School in Newport News. He then studied physics during his undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia on an Air Force ROTC scholarship. During his undergraduate studies he became interested in piloting, along with medicine & dentistry. Upon graduation, he became an active duty officer in the Air Force and began his studies at Medical College of Virginia School of Dentistry. Dr. Jim was the Chief Resident while getting his Advanced Education in General Dentistry Certificate. It is during this time that he became interested in Pediatrics.
Dr. Jim served overseas at RAF Upwood as Chief of Dental Support and specialized in treating the children of the military. He also served at Osan Air Force Base in South Korea before being accepted for specialty pediatric dental training at University of Alabama where he also received additional training for special needs patients.
After studying in Alabama for two years, he again served overseas at RAF Lakenheath where he concentrated again on pediatric dental care for military families. Dr Jim was recently deployed to the Middle East from 2011-2012 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in a joint-forces operation before returning back to private practice.
Our pediatric dental office has the latest state-of-the-art equipment to make sure your child has access to everything he or she needs at their visits. We have built our office with children in mind- offering a fun, comfortable environment which helps ensure a fun and easy visit.
We pride ourselves in practicing ethically and honestly, always taking the time to explain our findings. We always consider all appropriate treatment options and try to present the most conservative plans, when possible. It is important for us to be helpful to our patients and answer any questions you might have regarding your childs dental care.
Starting early with prevention and good habits will help build a life-long smile and relationship with your pediatric dentist. Thank you for trusting us with one of the most joyful gifts a child has to offer, their smile!
Dental care for children is an important part of their total health program. We believe that caring for your child's teeth should not become a financial burden for you. In the event that full payment is not possible at the time services are rendered, we have some payment methods that may assist you.
We are happy that you have dental insurance for your child. Since there are many insurance companies and they all cover at different rates, it is very confusing for the dental office and the parent to know what insurance will actually pay.
The ideal time as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Dental Association and the Academy of General Dentistry is at approximately one year of age. This is an ideal time for Dr. Jim to carefully examine the development of your child's mouth. Because dental problems often start early, the sooner the visit the better. To safeguard against problems such as baby bottle tooth decay, teething irritations, gum disease, and prolonged thumb-sucking, the dentist can provide or recommend special preventive care.
We understand that your child may be anxious and our experienced staff will help your child every step of the way. Talk to your child in a positive way about what to expect, and build excitement as well as understanding about the upcoming visit.
For very young children, often our first visit is an introductory ice-breakers to acquaint your child with Dr. Jim and his staff. We have found that our calm, warm and fun environment is the key to a successful first visit. Short, successive visits are meant to build the child's trust in Dr. Jim and his staff and can prove invaluable if your child needs to be treated later for any dental problem.
Dr. Jim is a board certified pediatric dentist, he specializes in the treatment and prevention of dental disease, as well as the overall oral health of children. Through extra years of schooling, training, experience, and certification, a pediatric dentist like Dr. Jim is uniquely qualified to treat the dental needs of infants, children, and adolescents.
A pediatric patient not only has a different dentition than adults but he/she may have specific dental and behavioral needs that are unique to a child. These needs may include orthodontics, dental sealants, fluoride applications or home treatments, or just simply education in oral hygiene. In addition to treating existing dental problems, our office focuses on prevention through patient and parent education. We like to feel that you and your child do not come to our office to have their cavities fixed but rather to prevent them. Our mission is to provide all of the educational tools necessary for our patients to enjoy a cavity-free future.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry encourages parents and other care providers to help every child establish a dental home by 12 months of age. Establishing a dental home provides some key components to dental care for your child including...
As a Pediatric Dental Specialist, much time has been devoted to the studying of growth and development of our little ones. We are strong supporters of breastfeeding or allowing mothers to have the opportunity to breast feed if they so desire. We work with many pediatricians and lactation consultants in and around the state to facilitate this.
If a mother is having breastfeeding trouble and/or pain, the baby should be properly evaluated to rule out tongue/lip ties. Many doctors are only trained to look for an anterior tongue-tie that creates a heart shaped tongue (a very obvious one). There are actually four types of tongue-ties and are USUALLY found in combination with a significant upper lip tie that can also affect the latch.
To correct lip/tongue ties, there are several options to perform a frenectomy. We have found that a cauterizer (like a laser) works extremely well at reducing these attachments. Other options are blunt-nosed scissors (we do not perform these anymore), diode lasers (takes longer but otherwise very effective), or no treatment.
