We are happy to have a parent or guardian accompany children during treatment. We encourage you to join your children for the initial visit to meet the full clinical team. After the initial visit, older children and those who have been to the dentist before may prefer to come back alone and leave you in the waiting area. In these cases, we will ask you to come back at the end of the appointment to talk to the dentist about the findings of the exam and any concerns.

• All of our dentists are specially trained and prepared to comfort your children. We have a variety of techniques specialists use to comfort children when they are upset, and we understand that it can be hard for you as a parent. Depending on the child’s age and the procedures needed, we will work with you on the best way to proceed.
• For little ones scheduled for a routine check-up, we may opt to do the exam only with your help and hold off on other procedures such as a cleaning until the child is older, better able to cooperate, and hopefully more comfortable in the clinic.
• For older children, it often is helpful for them to understand why they go to the dentist and what will happen. We recommend talking to them first about the visit and what happens at the dentist.
• If the treatment of decay is needed (such as a filling or crown), we have many options available such as Nitrous Oxide, movies, headphones and a very skilled team of dentists and staff to help prepare, coax and distract your child through the appointment. We understand that child behavior is often unpredictable, and we also believe kids are teachable. Many will behave amazingly well during dental treatment – often better than adults. We love to see an apprehensive child conquer their fear and learn to love coming in to see us for their routine appointments.
• If the techniques above are unsuccessful for any reason, we offer sedation and general anesthesia to ensure our patients are always able to be comfortable and relaxed for their procedure. Please visit our  in-office sedation options, visit our page for more information.

1. Dental treatment can be transformed into a relaxing and comfortable experience, as sensation, awareness, and recall are minimized.
2. It can reduce or take away the fear and anxiety for stressed patients (and caregivers).
3. Children and others who are unable to cooperate for standard dental work are able to undergo treatment in a caring and safe manner.
4. It helps combat a hyperactive gag reflex, and can permit patients with a low pain threshold or the inability to properly numb to tolerate dental care.
5. Extensive or intensive dental work can be completed comfortably and expeditiously.
6. Patients save time and money compared to treatment in the hospital setting.
7. It reduces the stress of dental work for patients suffering from chronic illnesses such as cardiac disease, hypertension, asthma, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and autism.
8. It is safely performed in the comfort of the dental office, and the patient goes home after treatment.

If there is food or liquid in the stomach, there is a risk of aspirating (inhaling food or liquid into the lungs) while undergoing anesthesia. This can cause serious issues including lung problems and even death. The risk of aspiration is minimized by allowing the stomach enough time to empty out its contents.

They may feel slightly groggy or tired for a few hours after the procedure. Although they may feel fine, their memory and judgement may be impaired for the remainder of the day. All effects of anesthesia should be gone within 24 hours. Depending on the type of surgery completed, they will have varying amounts of discomfort associated with the procedure, not necessarily related to the anesthesia.

Each patient and their medical history is unique. We will instruct the patient to either take or withhold all or some of your medications depending on their individual situation. If instructed by the anesthesiologist, it is okay for your child to take their medications with a small sip of water in the morning before a procedure.

Side effects vary from person to person. The most common side effects are nausea/vomiting, sore throat, and short-term physical and mental impairment. These effects are usually mild and short lived.

Some medical and dental insurances will cover total or partial payment for anesthesia services. We will bill your insurance as a courtesy, however, you will be required to cover payment the day or service. If you would like to inquire about preauthorization, feel free to contact us.

• Medicaid
• CHP
• Delta Dental

Yes, Dr. Joe Guido is a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist + Dr. Ihsan Larsen is a Board Eligible Pediatric Dentist.

Yes, at each appointment your child will be seen by one of our two pediatric dentists. You will also be able to meet with them to discuss any questions, concerns or treatment plans during their visit.

Yes, we schedule appointments Monday – Friday from 8 AM – 5 PM.

Yes, we perform in-office sedation procedures through our partnership with CarePoint Anesthesia.

New patient paperwork can be downloaded here.

We see patients from any location within driving distance to the clinic. Typically our patients are from Northern Colorado:

• Fort Collins
• Loveland
• Greeley
• Windsor
• Ault
• Wellington
• Bellvue, Colorado

Foco Kids Dentistry serves patients all over Northern Colorado, or any location that is driving distance from the clinic.