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.
Dr. Jim was the Chief of Pediatric Dental Services at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton where he focused on early childhood care, interceptive orthodontics and special needs patients of all ages.
Dr. Jim is a Board Certified Pediatric Dental Specialist and a member of ADA and the AAPD.
When not serving his country and the young patients around Bluffton, Dr. Jim enjoys living the adventure doing all sorts of outdoor activities
Discover our Difference.
•Dr. Mason and his team are dedicated to providing the best care for your child.
•We treat each child as if they are our own!
• An atmosphere that ensures a fun and relaxing visit for patients and parents including:
- TVs above each dental chair to watch favorite shows
- Games in the waiting area to play
- Prizes at the end of the appointment
•Provide a dental home for your child and instill good oral health habits in your child.
•Dietary Counseling.
•On-Call availability for after-hours emergencies.
Our Mission
Office Photos
Adventure Pediatric Dentistry's mission is to deliver the best possible dental care for infants, children, teens and kids with special healthcare needs.
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 child’s 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!
Our Team
Our Hours
Mondays 8-7 (convenient after-work hours!)
Tuesdays and Wednesdays 7:30-5
Thursdays 8-2
Select Fridays 10-5
Select Saturdays 8-1
For after hours emergencies, please call
and listen to our message.
Policies
Emergencies
In case of a dental emergency please call our main office number at 843-815-6000 for further instructions on how to either reach Dr. Mason or our on-call clinic staff member
if he is not available.
How are Appointments Scheduled?
The office attempts to schedule appointments at your convenience and when time is available. Preschool children should be seen in the morning because they are fresher and we can work more slowly with the child for their comfort. School children with a lot of work to be done should be seen in the morning for the same reason. Dental appointments are an excused absence. Missing school can be kept to a minimum when regular dental care is continued.
Please make every effort to keep scheduled appointments. Once an appointment is scheduled, it is considered confirmed. If an appointment needs to be rescheduled, a 48 hour notice is appreciated. There may be a missed appointment charge if 24 hour notice is not given.
Do I Stay with My Child During the Visit?
The initial appointment (at age 1-2) is always conducted with the parent present. As your child begins to be ready to separate from you as the parent (3-4 years of age), we ask that you allow your child to accompany our staff through the dental visit.
Insurance & Payment Procedures
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.
If you have dental insurance you are aware that these plans vary greatly. We will help you review your benefits. For your convenience, we also accept major credit cards.
Fee & Payment Policy
We request that account balances be cleared within 60 days of service. You may use your Visa or MasterCard. Payment arrangements are available upon special request.
Insurance
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.
When should my child first see a dentist, and why?
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.
How do I prepare my child and myself for the visit?
Before the visit, our office staff will be happy to discuss the procedures of the first appointment so there are no surprises. Our goal on the first visit is to establish a warm connection with your child and to help relieve any fears your child may have. This first visit is often referred to as HAPPY VISIT.
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.
What will happen on the first 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.
Appointments for children should always be scheduled earlier in the day, when your child is alert and fresh. For children under 2 years of age, the parent may have to sit in the dental chair and hold the child during the examination.
What is a Pediatric Dentist?
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.
Why Choose a Pediatric Dentist?
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.
Establishing Your Child’s Dental Home
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...
- Comprehensive oral health care including acute care and preventive services.
- Individualized preventive dental health program based upon a caries-risk assessment.
- Anticipatory guidance regarding growth and development.
- Plan for acute dental trauma (emergencies).
- Dietary counseling.
- Referrals to dental specialists when care cannot directly be provided within the dental home.
- Referral at an age determined by patient, parent, and pediatric dentist.
Learn more about Pediatric Dentistry:
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.
Lip/Tongue ties can also cause difficulty in moving food around in mouth, difficulty cleaning the mouth, possible tooth decay, and speech issues.
To correct lip/tongue ties, there are several options to perform a frenectomy. We have found that cold laser (Solea CO2) 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.
If you think your child may have a lip or tongue-tie, please feel free to call our office for an evaluation. We release that if a baby can not eat, this is an EMERGENCY. For this reason, we try our best to get you in for an appointment within 24 hours of your call.
Possible signs of lip/tongue-tied babies:
• Weak latch (breaks seal easily)
• Leaking milk from side of mouth when feeding
• Baby is excessively gassy due to swallowing air
• Clicking noise when breastfeeding
• Prolonged nursing session/too frequent nursing
• Excessive crying or fussiness
• Failure to gain weight
• Inability to move tongue adequately
• Heart shaped or dimpled tongue
Possible maternal signs of lip/tongue tie:
• Severe pain with latch or losing latch
• “pancaking” of nipple
• Mastitis
• Lack of emptying of breast
• Irritated/scabbed nipples
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We are so proud of what patients and
their families say about us...
"Dr Mason is amazing. He was wonderful with my son! We had a dental emergency and Dr Mason opened his office just for us on a Sunday and my son is feeling so much better! Highly recommend! The office is great, so kid friendly and
Dr. Mason was Wonderful at alleviating my sons fear!"
Amy, R., facebook
"Thank you Dr. Mason and staff for such a pleasant experience. Jared and Jaslynn had such a positive experience. I will not need to bribe them for their next appointment. The entire staff is friendly and positive environment. And we might need to go visit just for the free arcade games :-)."
-Claudia L., facebook
"My kids and I love Dr. Mason. He is so patient, kind, understanding, positive and reassuring. As the mother of a child with Autism, I can attest to the fact that he is the best when it comes to children with special needs."
Ashton M., facebook
"Thank you for being amazing and going well beyond what you had to for my son Cooper. Dr Mason did so much to help Cooper adjust and we finally had a positive dentist experience. It was amazing from the moment we stepped in the door."
Nicole S., facebook
"I took my 6 year and 1 year old here and Dr. Mason and his staff were wonderful!! I was really worried about my 1 year old because she screams just when we go near here mouth but she barely even cried with him!! He must have a magic touch or something. My 6 year old loved the photo booth and can’t wait for her next cleaning! I will definitely be recommending Adventure Pediatric Dentistry to all my friends."
Ashley D., facebook
"We had such a great experience, they got us in and out quickly, and made my daughter feel comfortable right away. Dr. Mason and team were very friendly and the office is super cute. We both recommend Adventure Pediatric Dentistry!"
Lyn K., facebook
"We are so thankful to have found your practice. After very bad experience for doing some fillings for our oldest. I was on a search to find a dentist to do the others. Dr. Mason and his staff are top notch. The best and most fun office we have ever been to. I took all 4 of our little ones in for cleanings (4 can be a little overwhelming) the staff and Dr. Mason made us all feel so comfortable and welcomed in their office. They have even helped with our little guy, who just turned 2. Thank you, to all of you!"
Kristen K., facebook
"This place is amazing, I have gone to other places and this place is by far the best. Everyone is wonderful and they make you feel comfortable. My son loves it, I will never go to another place."
Whitney H., facebook
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