Our office, as well as the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, recommends that your child visit the Dentist by his/her 1st birthday. All children 12 years and under are treated in a separate area of the office designed to see our little patients. Children, adolescents with special needs (medical, physical or intellectual disability) are seen in our office.

Routine dental check-ups and professional cleanings are just as important for a child as they are for the parent, if not more so. As pediatric dentists, our priority is preventive care to avoid the need for your child to have extensive dental treatments. We strongly believe that the foundation of good oral health begins during childhood.

Even when your child has just a few teeth, dental exams can be beneficial. We recommend that our patients first visit our office before they turn a year old. Not only will this provide an early opportunity to begin establishing a relationship with the dentist, it will also allow the dentist to examine your child thoroughly to determine if there are any symptoms of concern. In-addition your child will become accustomed to visiting a dentist at an early age.

After that initial appointment, your child should return to the office every six months or so for follow-up visits and additional cleanings. When our dentists are able to examine the child regularly, it’s easier for them to spot signs of trouble that indicate that some sort of treatment may be needed. Most routine visits will involve at least a cleaning and exam.

A pediatric dentist or a skilled hygienist who is experienced and knowledgeable in working with children performs cleanings, also known as prophylaxis. The purpose is to remove any plaque or tartar that has accumulated along the teeth or the gumline to reduce the presence of cavity-causing oral bacteria. If your child has some anxiety about this process, you may opt for sedation to put your child at ease.

In the dental exam, the dentist will thoroughly examine your child’s teeth and gums, looking for any signs of tooth decay or other issues. If the dentist identifies any problematic symptoms, certain interventions may be recommended. Your child’s dentist can also review home oral hygiene routines with you as part of the dental exam.

Because we specialize in treating children, our dentist and dental hygienists use age-appropriate techniques and terminology when providing this care to our patients. We also take care to minimize any discomfort and to avoid provoking anxiety in our patients.

When your child comes into our office for regular dental check-ups and cleanings, it helps let him or her know that going to the dentist doesn’t have to be a scary thing. It also helps your child get into a lifelong pattern of semiannual dental visits. If you are behind on these appointments, call our office today to schedule an exam and cleaning and get back on track.

Dental Caries or Cavities are common in children. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood health problem. When children do develop cavities, they must be treated, even in primary teeth.

Although primary teeth do eventually fall out, it’s important that they stay in place until the permanent teeth underneath are ready to erupt. They will help your child to chew food thoroughly and develop proper speech patterns, and they serve as placeholders for the permanent teeth. When a tooth is lost prematurely, the permanent tooth may come in too soon, potentially causing a problem with the alignment of those permanent teeth.

An untreated cavity is also likely to progress, and it can reach the tooth’s inner core, exposing the nerve and causing pain for your child. We prefer to take every step possible to save a primary tooth that has experienced decay rather than removing it. Often, this requires the dentist to place a filling in the tooth.

The process of filling a cavity in a pediatric patient is similar to the same treatment in an adult. Our dentist may have to remove some surrounding tooth material to make room for the filling. Rest assured that our experienced and knowledgeable dentists use a gentle touch while completing this part of the procedure.

Your child should not experience much discomfort while having a cavity filled, but if the patient has any fear about the procedure, sedation may be recommended to make it a more comfortable experience for child and parent alike.

If your child is diagnosed with a cavity, it also presents a good opportunity for you to discuss preventive care with the dentist so that you can continue to take steps to reduce your child’s risk of tooth decay. Parents should take tooth decay in a child’s primary teeth quite seriously. Have your child examined every six months for signs of decay, and talk to your dentist about a filling if your child is diagnosed with a cavity.

Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, helps patients relax during their dental visits. It is given through a small breathing mask, which is placed over the child’s nose. The gas has a sweet scent and it is quickly eliminated from the body at the completion of treatment. While inhaling nitrous oxide, your child retains fully conscious and keeps all natural reflexes. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recognizes this technique as a safe, effective relaxation technique used when treating children’s dental needs.

Sedation dentistry is the use of a mild sedative (calming drugs) to manage special needs or anxiety while your child receives dental care. Sedation may be used when several procedures need to be done at the same time, when the safety of a child may be compromised, or if your child has a strong “gag” reflex. Your child’s dentist will give the sedation.

It is important to note that the sedation medication does not control pain or discomfort. Once your child has received sedation, the dentist will give him or her an injection (shot) or injections in the treatment area to keep it pain-free during and after the procedure. The sedation medicine may last up to 6 hours after the treatment is done.

Pediatric dental patients are no different from adults in that many of them have some level of fear or anxiety around dental appointments. If that dental fear is so severe that it presents an obstacle to getting your child to appointments in our office, IV sedation or general anesthesia may help.

There was a time when IV sedation or general anesthesia was only administered in a hospital setting. With today’s ultra-compact anesthesia equipment, the pediatric anesthesiologists can create a convenient and safe surgery center setting for IV Sedation or general anesthesia right here in our office. With IV sedation or general anesthesia, our pediatric anesthesiologists will administer carefully measured doses of anti-anxiety drugs intended to help put your child at ease for the treatment. Because the doses are determined on a patient-by-patient basis, this can be a safe option for children who are apprehensive about seeing the dentist.

IV sedation or general anesthesia is also beneficial because your child will have no recollection of the procedure after the fact, which means that there are no bad memories to exacerbate fears that may make the child resistant to future appointments and treatments.

Children’s hands and mouths are different than adults. They need to use toothbrushes designed for children. Both adults and children should use brushes with soft, rounded bristles for gentle cleaning. Change to a new brush about every three months.

Wipe infant’s teeth gently with a moist, soft cloth, gauze square, or a finger brush. As babies grow, use a child’s toothbrush with a small, pea-sized dab of toothpaste. By age two or three begin to teach your child to brush. They will not be totally effective at that age so you will still need to brush for them as well. By allowing them to brush themselves daily, you will help them create the daily habits and patterns of brushing and eventually flossing.

Children should use a gentle, short, back and forth motion to remove plaque. This is an effective technique for their level of dexterity.

When kids are older they can switch to the method below: Hold the brush at a 45 degrees angle towards teeth and gums. Move brush back and forth with short strokes, about a half tooth wide.

Brush the inside and outside surfaces of each tooth, top and bottom. Hold the brush flat on top of the teeth and brush the chewing surfaces. Gently brush the tongue to remove debris. Floss between teeth daily.

Once your child’s teeth begin erupting, you should begin cleaning them by wiping them with a moist washcloth, gauze, or finger brush. As your child gets more teeth, you can begin to use a soft child’s toothbrush. You should use just a pea-sized amount of toothpaste (such as Baby OraGel) until your child is able to spit it out (too much fluoride can stain their teeth).

For most toddlers, getting them to brush their teeth can be quite a challenge. Some suggestions for making tooth brushing less of a battle include:

• Let your child brush your teeth at the same time.
• Let your child pick out a few toothbrushes with his favorite characters and giving him a choice of which one he wants to use each time (this will give him some feeling of control over the situation).
• Let your child brush his own teeth first (you will likely have to “help out”).
• Get your child some children’s books about tooth brushing.
• Have everyone brush their teeth at the same time.
• To help your child understand the importance of brushing, it can be sometimes fun and helpful to let them eat or drink something that will “stain” their teeth temporarily (called disclosing solution) and then brush them clean.

It can also be a good idea to create a “tooth brushing routine,” and stick to the same routine each day.

The first baby teeth that usually come into the mouth are the two bottom front teeth. On average you will notice this when your baby is about six to eight months old.

What Causes Tooth Decay?

Several specific types of bacteria that live on the teeth cause decay. When sugar is consumed, the bacteria normally found in the mouth uses the sugar and then manufacture acids that dissolve the teeth.