We provide a full range of pediatric dental services for infants through the early college years. We are trained and very happy to see children with special needs or with complicated medical histories. Services provided at Dr. Smith’s office include:
Examinations
- New patient exams for infants through adolescents
- Regular recall exams
- Consultations
- Second opinions
Preventive Care
- Home care instruction for children and their parents
- Nutrition counseling
- Cavity risk assessment
- Cleanings
- Fluoride treatments
- Home fluoride program
- Protective sealants to prevent decay
- Sports mouth guards
- Night guards to protect against damage from grinding
Emergency Care
- For pain
- For infections
- For trauma — including splinting of seriously loosened teeth and reimplanting of teeth that have been avulsed
Behavior Management
- Tell-Show-Do
- Behavior modification and modeling
- Voice control and positive reinforcement
- Parental presence or absence after discussion
- Light sedative gas in specifically indicated situations
Restorative Treatment
- Tooth-colored fillings
- Special crowns for baby teeth when needed for trauma or severe decay
- Repairs of fractures
Cosmetic Procedures
- Reshaping of unusually shaped teeth
- Repairs of chips and fractures
- Whitening of teeth
- Microabrasion of enamel to reduce irregular colors or stains
Nerve Treatments
- Partial root canal treatments (pulpotomies) for severe, deep cavities
- Full root canal treatments (endodontics) for infected teeth
- Treatments to induce full maturation (apexification) of a tooth that has been avulsed (knocked out) at a young age
Orthodontics
- Minor tooth movements
- Habit cessation appliances
- Space maintenance after tooth loss to prevent shifting
- Treatment recommended by a cleft palate team
Oral Surgery
- Extractions because of severe decay or trauma
- Extractions for orthodontic purposes
- Biopsies of oral soft tissue lesions
Treatment For Children With Special Needs Or With Complicated Medical Histories
- Congenital problems such as cerebral palsy, cleft palate, congenital heart disease or hemangiomas
- Acquired problems like asthma, seizures or diabetes
- Autism
- ADHD
- Intellectual disability and developmental delay
Concern For Patient Protection
- Infection control guidelines that are recommended by government agencies and by professional health associations are diligently followed. This includes careful attention to sterilization, disinfection and barrier controls.
- Digital x-rays are used to minimize exposure. They are taken only when needed and never routinely. We follow American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry guidelines on the frequency and the types of x-rays we recommend.
- Patient confidentiality is observed. We follow government HIPAA regulations.
