- Dental ExaminationFluoride helps protect teeth from decay. Fluoride treatments are given twice a year during their regularly scheduled exam and cleaning. The fluoride is either a foam or gel placed in trays set over the child's teeth.
- X-rays
- Teeth Cleaning
- Fluoride TreatmentYour pediatric dentist may also recommend protective sealants or home fluoride treatments for your child. Sealants can be applied to your child’s molars to prevent decay on hard to clean surfaces.
- Dental SealantsDental sealants are a tooth colored plastic material applied to the chewing surfaces of the teeth to "seal out" plaque and food to prevent cavities. The sealant material is simply painted onto the chewing surface of the back teeth where it bonds and hardens in seconds. Sealants are commonly placed on the permanent 6 year and 12 year molars because decay is more likely to develop on these back teeth.
- Space MaintainersSpace maintainers hold the place of a tooth that has prematurely fallen out of a child's mouth due to decay or injury. A space maintainer can be a band or crown attached to another tooth. The dentist will remove the space maintainer once the permanent tooth starts to grow in. If a space maintainer is not put in the vacant space the surrounding teeth can crowd and take over that space. This makes the permanent tooth come in crooked or crowded which leads to difficulties in chewing and talking.
- Fillings
- CrownsKnocked Out Permanent Tooth: If possible, find the tooth. Handle it by the crown, not by the root. You may rinse the tooth with water only. DO NOT clean with soap, scrub or handle the tooth unnecessarily. Inspect the tooth for fractures. If it is sound, try to reinsert it in the socket. Have the patient hold the tooth in place by biting on a gauze or clean cloth. If you cannot reinsert the tooth, transport the tooth in a cup containing the patient’s saliva or milk, NOT water. If the patient is old enough, the tooth may also be carried in the patient’s mouth (beside the cheek). The patient must see a dentist IMMEDIATELY! Time is a critical factor in saving the tooth.
- PulpotomyDental caries (cavities) and traumatic injury are the main reasons for a tooth to require pulp therapy. Pulp therapy is often referred to as a "nerve treatment", "children's root canal", "pulpectomy" or "pulpotomy". The two common forms of pulp therapy in children's teeth are the pulpotomy and pulpectomy.
- Root Canal TreatmentA pulpectomy is required when the entire pulp is involved (into the root canal(s) of the tooth). During this treatment, the diseased pulp tissue is completely removed from both the crown and root. The canals are cleansed, disinfected and, in the case of primary teeth, filled with a resorbable material. Then, a final restoration is placed. A permanent tooth would be filled with a non-resorbing material.
- Oral Surgery
- OrthodonticsDr. Greg will evaluate your child at each cleaning appointment and will advise you when it is time to have an orthodontic consultation. Back to Top
- General DentistryBe aware that pediatric dentists are both teeth and fear experts in children. Also be aware that to be called a pediatric dentist one has to have had completed a residency program to be specialized in the dental treatment of children. There are a number of dentists that treat exclusively children who have general dentistry training only. Many folks are unaware of that.