Frequently Asked Questions

A pediatric dentist, like Dr. Stephanie, has an extra two years of specialized training after dental school and is dedicated to children’s oral health from infancy through the teenage years. Young pre-teens and teenagers need different approaches to dealing with behavior, guiding their growth and development, and helping them avoid future dental problems.

With additional education, pediatric dentists have the training to offer the most up-to-date and thorough treatment for various pediatric dental problems.

According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, your child should be seen by their 1st birthday or six months after the eruption of their first tooth.

Beginning dental care at an early age allows guidance for caring for your child’s teeth and opportunities to address preventive issues important for healthy teeth and a pleasing smile. Early visits also help establish a positive relationship between our office and your child.

It is imperative to maintain the health of primary teeth (baby teeth). Neglected cavities can cause pain and infection and lead to problems that affect the developing permanent teeth. Primary teeth are essential for:

• Proper chewing and eating.
• Providing space for permanent teeth and guiding them into position.
• Permitting normal development of the jaw bones and muscles.

Radiographs (x-rays) are necessary for your child’s dental diagnostic process. Without them, certain cavities will be missed. They also help survey developing teeth, evaluate the results of an injury, or plan for orthodontic treatment. If dental problems are found and treated early, dental care is more comfortable for your child and more affordable for you.

On average, our office will request bitewing radiographs approximately once a year and panoramic radiographs every 3-5 years. In children with a high risk of tooth decay, we will recommend radiographs and examinations every six months.

With contemporary safeguards, the amount of radiation received in a dental X-ray examination is minimal. The risk is negligible. Dental radiographs represent a far smaller risk than an undetected and untreated dental problem. Lead body aprons and shields will protect your child. Today’s equipment restricts the beam to the area of interest.

A sealant is a clear or shaded plastic material that is applied to the chewing surfaces (grooves) for the back teeth (premolars and molars), where most cavities in children can form. This sealant acts as a barrier to food, plaque, and acid, thus protecting the decay-prone areas of the teeth. However, cavities between the teeth are not protected by sealants. Sealants will be recommended for all children as long as there is no cavity in the tooth.

If your child has a cavity, a filling is placed after the cavity is removed. Most of the time, the filling is a tooth-colored (white) filling, but there are certain situations in which a silver filling is necessary.

In a primary tooth, if a cavity is too large to restore with a filling, a crown may be recommended, or the tooth may need to come out. If the cavity is too large and has involved the tooth’s nerve, then the nerve will be removed (pulpotomy) along with the cavity, and a crown will be placed. A crown can either be tooth-colored or stainless steel. For front teeth, white crowns are routinely used for esthetics. For back teeth, stainless steel crowns are used for their durability and longevity. The purpose of the crown is to help provide structure for the tooth, to help maintain space for permanent teeth to erupt properly, and to help protect the remaining tooth.

These procedures are associated with a certain failure rate depending on the disease’s severity, patient cooperation during treatment, and individual response to the treatment. All treatment is recommended based on scientific criteria and clinical experience in your child’s best interest. If your child needs any of the above treatments, please talk to our doctors about any questions or concerns that you may have.

Minor procedures in cooperative children can often be done under local anesthesia with or without nitrous oxide. The most common form of sedation in our office is nitrous oxide (laughing gas). This is given through a small breathing mask that is placed over the child’s nose. We monitor the children during sedation with a pulse oximeter. The AAPD recognizes this technique as a safe, effective technique to help relax your child during treatment. Slightly more involved procedures in certain children will require the use of oral medication along with nitrous oxide to help calm your child and facilitate cooperation with the procedure. These procedures are scheduled carefully, require your child to be fasting the morning of the procedure, and not have any respiratory symptoms in the two weeks preceding it. We often ask that two adults be present so one can sit in the back seat with your child on the drive home. Some children require an extensive amount of dental work. In these situations, it is difficult for a small child to cooperate fully, and often the treatment cannot be done correctly. For these children, we may recommend treating your child in the operating room under general anesthesia.

Apply ice to bruised areas. If bleeding, apply firm pressure with a clean gauze or cloth. If bleeding does not stop after 15 minutes or cannot be controlled by simple pressure, take the child to the emergency room.

An antibiotic may be necessary if the child chews their lip, tongue, or cheek area after dental treatment. Please call our office.

Clean the area around the sore tooth thoroughly. Rinse the mouth with warm salt water or use dental floss to dislodge impacted food or debris. DO NOT place aspirin on the gum or the aching tooth. If the face is swollen or the pain persists, contact our office immediately.

If the tooth is knocked out, try to place it back into the socket or have the child can hold it under their tongue until you come into our office.

Contact our office as soon as possible.

Rinse debris from the injured area with warm water. Place cold compresses over the face in the area of injury. Placement of Vaseline over the site of the broken tooth will aid in decreasing sensitivity. Locate and save any broken tooth fragments in milk.

Contact our office as soon as possible.