Most parents who come to see us have plenty of questions about their child’s dental care, and our team is always ready to answer them! If you’re looking to quickly boost your dental IQ, below, we’ve compiled answers to some of the most frequent questions we receive every day. If there is anything else you’d like to know, be sure to give us a call!
Our pediatric dentists both recommend that a child should see a dentist as soon as their first tooth appears or no later than their first birthday. This early checkup will ensure that your child’s smile has the strongest start possible, plus we’ll offer you tips on how to take care of their brand new teeth as they start to "sprout".
Yes! Our team is experienced in and happy to treat children with a wide array of physical, intellectual, and sensory special needs. Just give us a call and tell us about your child, and we’ll make any accommodations necessary to ensure both you and they have a great trip to the dentist.
In addition to asking for a current list of medical conditions, medications, and allergies, we will ask you what things make your child more comfortable, their favorite things, and things to avoid that might upset them. The more information you can provide us with, the more we can do to create a positive environment for them.
Yes! If your child is dealing with a bad toothache or has just been in an accident where their teeth were damaged, go ahead and give us a call. Our team will schedule an appointment as soon as possible so they can get the care they need. We’re often able to see patients the same day that they call in!
While regular fluoride can be used to strengthen the teeth and repair areas of minor decay, SDF is actually able to stop active cavities by killing the bacteria that is harming the enamel. It enables us to save a child’s tooth, protect the surrounding teeth, and stabilize a tooth with cavities until we can place a permanent restoration.
Thumb sucking can really mess with a child’s oral development if it continues after their teeth have started to come in, but there are a few ways you can get them to stop. Primarily, you should reward them for not sucking their thumb as opposed to punishing them when they do. Give them a little treat if they can go a day or week without doing it. Chart your child’s progress and create habit-breaking milestones to space out rewards that reinforce quitting the habit. It’s also a good idea to try and figure out when and why your child sucks their thumb. Do they do it when they are scared, nervous, or bored? If so, you can show them different ways to cope with these feelings so they naturally break the habit.
When you bring your child to see us, we’ll check the alignment of their primary teeth as well as their incoming adult teeth. If we spot any issues, we may recommend that they undergo something called Phase 1 Pediatric Orthodontics. This treatment is designed to help the adult teeth come in as straight as possible, which can minimize the need for braces or shorten the length of orthodontic treatment in the future. It typically involves monitoring or treating to help teeth fall out at the ideal timing and usually creating custom oral appliances that help protect space and guide adult teeth into more favorable positions in order to minimize the future need for tooth movement by braces. Once most or all of their adult teeth are in, then it’s time for your child to visit an orthodontist.
Yes! In fact, countless children with sleep apnea are misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD every year because the symptoms can be very similar. If your child is frequently hyper, has focus problems, or snores, our team can perform an airway assessment to see if they are at risk for sleep apnea. If they are, we can help you get the treatment they need right away.
Thanks to our Solea dental laser, we’re able to keep the needle and drill safely tucked away most of the time. The laser allows us to perform a wide array of treatments faster and more painlessly than ever. The instrument itself is extremely precise and emits almost no heat, little sound, and no vibration, making it easy for little patients to remain comfortable whether we are treating their gums or preparing a tooth for restoration. The Solea dental laser itself actually temporarily numbs the tooth as it removes decay or tissue without the need for an injection.
Sprout Dentistry for Kids is an in-network provider with many popular dental insurance plans, so in all likelihood, yes! Our team will make the process of maximizing your benefits nice and easy. In the case that we are out-of-network with your insurance, we have affordable and convenient Wellness programs custom tailored to your child’s risk level and needs, so that you can minimize your dental care costs while providing the highest quality dental care. To learn how we can use your particular policy at your child’s next visit, give us a call today.