Pediatric patients are special. Unique. It is not the same job to perform dental treatments on people who are grown and able to tolerate sitting for long periods and sometimes undergoing uncomfortable dental work verses, pediatric dental patients.
Children, especially those who are very young or who have special needs, do not have that type of restraint that’s needed to easily sit still and tolerate dental work. From our sedation dentistry services to our TVs in the treatment rooms equipped with headphones and all, we go the extra mile to take the stress out of the dental experience for children.
All our dentists have earned special certification for working with only children. Come visit any of our locations to find the following types of pediatric dental services:
Routine Checkups
We believe that healthy lifelong dental habits start in childhood. In a routine checkup, we conduct examinations of the teeth and gums with gentleness and do cleaning when deemed necessary. We will discuss with you and your child how to properly brush and floss at home and explain it in an age-appropriate way to ensure success. We will make a recommendation on the frequency of checkups needed, tailored specific to each child.
Radiographs
Radiographs are commonly referred to as X-Rays. Radiographs of your children’s’ mouths are just as important as they are for adults. A growing child doesn’t only mean larger shirts, pants, and shoes. It also means a growing and changing mouth. Radiographs are a valuable tool in evaluating tooth health that may not be visible by our eyes alone. We will discuss whether there is a need to perform radiographs with you, based on your child’s unique needs.
Fluoride Varnishes
Fluoride is known to work in strengthening tooth enamel. Tooth enamel is assaulted daily by the sugars and acids in the foods and drinks that we consume. That is why we recommend using a fluoride toothpaste, drinking water that has fluoride, and fluoride varnishes. We can provide this dental treatment two to four times a year, depending on the needs of your child’s teeth. Go here for more information about fluoride varnishes and for a video of our Dr. Jason Horgesheimer as he discusses the benefits of this dental treatment.
Our teeth have natural grooves and valleys on their surfaces. These spots are attractive places for sugars and acids to hide from toothbrushes. Dental sealants are a common procedure we perform, and are prevention focused. A sealant is applied to cover these deep groves and valleys to prevent tooth decay in these hard-to-reach places on teeth. They will not be noticeable to anyone because the sealant matches the color of the tooth. The process of application of the sealants is also pain-free.
Mouthguards
Grinding teeth can be a normal part of the process as new molars are preparing to push through in your child’s mouth. If you have concerns let us know. We can assess for damage or wear and tear on the teeth. Typically, only in severe cases do we recommend a mouthguard.
Cavities happen despite our best efforts sometimes. When they do, we’re here for you. For small to medium sized cavities, we can repair the tooth, after removing the cavity, with a composite filling. For our composite fillings, we use a composite resins mixture. These resins are a combination of plastics and silica. Our composite fillings are discreet because they will match the color of the tooth.
When cavities or tooth decay have been left too long untreated, they may penetrate through the enamel and into the “pulp” of the tooth. This is the part of the tooth where the nerves are clustered. It is not uncommon for cavities in primary teeth to reach the pulp of the tooth, when this happens your child will report a tooth ache. It is important to get in to see us if your child reports a tooth ache, because when a cavity reaches the pulp, the tooth can die if left untreated too long.
The pulpotomy involves making a hole in the enamel of the tooth to remove the infected pulp. A protective cap is then applied to protect whatever healthy pulp remains.
Dental Crowns
In cases where your child’s tooth is more badly damaged than a filling or pulpotomy can repair, we may decide a dental crown is the best dental treatment. A dental crown is a cap that has been formed into the shape of the tooth and placed over the tooth to prevent any further decay or damage to it. We typically recommend a porcelain crown if a front tooth is involved to make it less noticeable. We will often recommend a stainless-steel crown if capping a molar.
Frenectomies are also called the tongue tie release or lip tie release. The maxillary frenectomy is where a piece of the tissue connecting the upper gums to the front teeth is removed. The Lingual frenectomy is where a piece of the tissue that connects the mouth floor to the underside of the tongue is removed. Frenectomies are often confused with frenotomies. Frenotomies are typically performed on newborn babies in cases of problems with latching for breastfeeding and involve a “snip” of the frenum. For more information on this topic, watch our video here.
An extraction may be warranted if a primary tooth cannot fall out as it naturally should due to curved or over long roots. Additionally, extractions may be performed if a tooth is so decayed that it risks spreading the decay to the surrounding teeth.
In-Office Sedation
We take your child’s comfort and dental health seriously and pride ourselves on our ability to provide your children with a positive dental experience. Sometimes, a dental treatment may require in office sedation. Anxiety, or your child’s age may be a factor in determining whether they can cooperate for the treatment required. We offer four different sedation options to meet your child’s needs.
A pediatric specialist must complete an additional two-to-three years of training on top of the thorough training already completed in dental school. Yearly continuing education courses are also a requirement to ensure our specialists are up to date on the techniques and processes involved with sedation dentistry.
You can place your confidence in us because of our experience. We have collectively performed over 25,000 in office sedations in all our time as pediatric dentists serving the Salt Lake City area. In fact, we span far and wide with different locations in Bountiful, Taylorsville, Herriman, and Stansbury Park. Call us to learn more or schedule an appointment at one of these offices.