Your child's safety is our #1 priority.

Children are not just small adults.  Ensuring a positive experience from a child's first visit can have lasting, monumental effects on their comfort in a dental office for years to come.  It is recommended to have your child's first dental visit by their first birthday.  Our goal is to provide individualized care to meet the needs of your child in a warm, fun, and positive environment.  Call to schedule your child's first dental visit and let our office become his or her dental home. 

Hygiene

Laying the foundation for a lifetime of good oral hygiene begins as a child.  Children should be brushing for 2 minutes, 2 times each day, and flossing regularly.  The AAPD (American Academy of Pediatric Dentists) recommends routine check-ups two times per year to evaluate the teeth, gums and overall systemic health beginning at age one.  Our goal is to make the dentist's office a fun, friendly environment and to ensure their first visit is not for discomfort or emergency treatment.

Sealants

As part of a comprehensive prevention plan, sealants may be recommended for your child based on their caries risk.   Sealants are a painless, protective covering that is placed over the deep grooves of teeth to prevent sticky, chewy foods from getting stuck in areas that cannot be reached with a toothbrush.   The purpose of sealants is to decrease the development of cavities on the biting surfaces of teeth.   When rendering this treatment, there is no need for local anesthetic (numbing the tooth is not required),  as it is a completely pain free, preventative procedure. 

Fillings

Sometimes children already have cavities by their first dental visit.   Often times caregivers question why cavities on baby teeth are treated, since these teeth will eventually be lost.  Dental decay, whether on baby or adult teeth, is an active disease process and should be treated in a timely fashion to avoid pain or more complicated treatment in the future.   Leaving untreated decay can lead to pain, discomfort and possibly swelling in your child's mouth.  Untreated caries will increase bacterial loads present in the oral cavity which may cause further decay in other teeth. 

For both children and adults, we do not use amalgam (silver) fillings in our office.  Our philosophy is to use a minimally invasive technique to preserve as much healthy tooth structure as possible.  We use only white filling materials.

Fluoride

Fluoride application is shown through 70 years of clinical research to decrease the risk of decay in children (and adults).  As dentists, we recognize the concerns people may have with the use of topical and/or systemic fluoride.  All providers at Polished Dental Care will be happy to discuss the risks, benefits, and alternatives to fluoride application to determine if this treatment meets your child's needs.   

Advanced Pediatric Cases

Children sometimes require extensive work that goes beyond prevention and small filings.  Services that may be rendered in our office with or without the use of laughing gas (nitrous oxide) include:

• Baby root canals (pulpotomies)
• Crowns (metal or white)
• Extractions
• Space maintainers

If your child's needs cannot be safely addressed in our office, we can discuss other treatment options during the consultation.