Pediatric Dentistry

At our office, we treat people from 2 to 102!

We see many children in our office and have vast experience in meeting our younger patients’ needs. We have a new aquarium and kid’s area with video games and magazines to keep children entertained and happy. Also, they are able to chose a prize at the end of their visit!

Parents can help their children understand oral hygiene and develop a healthy attitude about the need for dentistry by engaging the children in pediatric dentistry at early ages – usually no later than age 2 or 3.

During the first few visits for children, we will try to alleviate any fears about going to the dentist. The goal of these visits is to give the parents a good assessment of short-term care and longer term problems that may surface.

Most likely, there will be some parental precautions for children that have transitioned from bottle to cup. Warnings about snacking or drinking during the night, two high-risk cavity producing activities, will certainly be presented.

We rarely resort to any invasive practices with young children. These visits are mostly about oral hygiene. At ages between 4 and 6, we will deploy the first x-rays. We will be primarily looking for cavities usually found between the teeth, along with any potential tooth development issues.

Additionally, we recommend the first orthodontic evaluation around the age of 7. It is no longer common practice to wait until age 12 or 13 when the permanent teeth are already in place.

The most important point about pediatric dentistry in these early years is that going to the dentist should be viewed as a positive appointment where the child sees a health benefit.