Pediatric Dentistry
We welcome you to our Phoenix-area dentist offices which specialize in children’s dental care up to the age of 18. Listed below are some of the services we provide for your children!
Dental Cleanings
Dental cleanings help keep your child’s teeth and body healthy. We recommend professional dental cleaning for your child every 6-8 months. Make it a routine to look after your child’s teeth from the time they are babies. Dirty teeth are a breeding ground for bacteria and acids that cause plaque and lead to infections, infections that can harm their body.
We make dental cleanings serious fun!
There’s no need to be scared of the dentist! At your child’s first visit to our office we will explain all cleaning procedures to him or her so they will know what to expect. Before we start, one of our specially trained pediatric dentists will look inside your child’s mouth to make sure that the teeth are growing properly and the gums are healthy.
Next, a hygienist will clean and polish the teeth using special dental tools like a tooth scraper, mirror, and toothbrush. The tooth scraper removes plaque from the teeth. This is a very important step, because if plaque is not removed from the teeth, it can cause decay, or even a cavity. Plaque is a thin and sticky layer that covers the teeth and contains bacteria that grow on teeth over time.
The next step is brushing and flossing. For the brushing, we use special toothbrush which has a round tip that moves around to clean the teeth. The toothpaste we use might taste like toothpaste at home, but it feels almost gritty like sand. This will make sure we get each tooth nice and clean, and help kick cavities out!
Finally, we floss your child’s teeth. We show him or her how to use a piece of waxy string (dental floss) to get in between the teeth and remove food particles that the brush can’t reach.
Fluoride Treatments
Fluoride is a natural mineral that makes teeth strong and helps prevent cavities. Our Avondale, Gilbert, and Mesa pediatric team offers fluoride treatments with different flavorings. The treatment takes about 4 minutes. Please make sure that your child does not to eat or drink anything for 30 minutes after a fluoride treatment.
What is a Cavity?
A cavity develops when part of a tooth starts to decay. It is a hole that can grow bigger and deeper over time and is often brought on by sugary foods or bad oral hygiene. If your child has a cavity, it is important to get it repaired right away, even if it’s a baby tooth! We offer sedation options if your child has anxiety about giving a cavity filled, so that they may relax and let the dentists work their magic!
When Does a Tooth Develop a Hole?
The reason we get cavities is due to plaque! Plaque is a sticky material, which is formed by germs and coats the teeth like a film. This bad bacteria in the mouth creates harmful acids which can damage the outermost layer of the tooth, which is called enamel.
If one of our dentists discovers a hole, he starts repairing it by removing the damaged part of the tooth with a special drill. He then fills the hole in the tooth with a specific material, a filling. Sometimes the procedure hurts a little, but our team can numb the area around the damaged tooth while your child is getting the filling. In any case, your child will feel safe and comfortable.
Yes, cavities can be repaired, BUT everybody should try to avoid them by taking care of their teeth.
What Every Child Needs to Know
• to brush his/her teeth in a circular movement with fluoride toothpaste after every meal or at least twice a day. Bedtime is an especially important time to brush the teeth.
• to gently brush gums to keep them healthy, too.
• to floss the teeth once a day to remove plaque and food that is stuck between the teeth.
Please try to avoid sweets and sugary drinks, like soda!
Our doctors recommend to see your dentist twice a year for regular checkups.
Esthetic Pediatric Crowns
Our practice offers esthetic dentistry in case your child has chipped, broken or missing teeth. Pediatric Crowns are a nice solution for discolored, chipped, or broken teeth. We can either bond tooth-colored plastic to the damaged tooth or cement tooth-colored crowns. Both options not only restore the appearance of discolored teeth, but restore the original shape of chipped or broken teeth as well.
But please keep in mind: Bonded teeth and pediatric crowns are simply not as strong as the original tooth structure. They can be damaged by nail biting, hard foods, and sports accidents. Try to maintain them with excellent oral hygiene and regular dental visits.
Discolored Teeth
It’s true, children can be susceptible to yellow stains or streaks, but what are the causes of discolored teeth? Trauma to the mouth can cause discoloration or severe illness during tooth development. Also, a tooth might discolor if exposed to certain medicines or minerals during development. Many parents are concerned with the color of the first permanent teeth, because they are naturally not as white as primary teeth and may appear yellow or discolored. This coloring usually becomes less noticeable as your child has more of their permanent teeth erupt.
How to Improve the Appearance of Discolored Teeth
To improve the appearance of discolored teeth, each dentist offers bleaching as one appropriate treatment choice to older patients. It requires no anesthetic, and it removes no tooth structure.The good thing about it: One or more teeth can be bleached in a series of visits. We may even recommend a bleaching program, which you can use at home under our guidance.
Another technique called ‘microabrasion’ can also improve the appearance of discolored teeth. Here, our dentists will remove microscopic bits of discolored tooth enamel with an abrasive and mild acid. The treatment is usually comfortable for the patient. It works best on surface discoloration.