Pediatric dentists specialize in the oral health needs of infants, children, and adolescents. They're specialists your child will see on a regular basis from birth to age 18 to manage their dental care as they grow.

Pediatric dental specialists are dentists who go through 2 extra years of dental training. They focus on the unique needs of growing children. Only a small percentage of dentists are board-certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.

When should kids see a pediatric dentist?

Your child’s journey to good oral health starts when their first tooth appears. They should have their first visit with a pediatric dentist as soon as that first tooth appears or by their first birthday at the latest. That’s the recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Even baby teeth need care. Problems in baby teeth can cause pain, lead to infection, and affect both oral health and overall health.

Your child should see a pediatric dentist for check-ups twice a year. This helps them maintain good oral health. It also helps us make sure their teeth are growing the right way and they don’t have any problems.

Our pediatric dentists treat a variety of dental health issues. This includes: 

• Early childhood cavities
• Spacing issues
• Missing teeth
• Misaligned teeth and bite problems
• Cleft lip or palate deformities 
• Tooth and gum infection
• Dental injuries, such as knocked out teeth from an accident or sports injury

At our Kids’ Dental and Orthodontic Care and Family Dental Care practices we offer the full-range of dental care services.

• Preventive care: Through routine dental checkups, we help protect your child’s oral and dental health as they grow. This includes dental exams, cleanings, and X-rays. Preventive treatments also include tooth sealants, fluoride varnish, and silver diamine fluoride.
• Restorative dental care: Sometimes dental problems happen. We provide care to repair tooth and gum problems. This includes tooth extractions, fillings, crowns, root canals, space maintenance, and tooth replacements.
• Trauma care: When you need a children's emergency dentist, we treat dental injuries from accidents or sports.
• Orthodontic care: Your child may need orthodontia if they have problems with how their teeth grow. Their teeth may not grow straight or they have problems with dental gaps, alignment, or bite. Care includes:
  • Children’s orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics
  • Traditional braces
  • Clear braces
  • Clear aligners
  • Craniofacial orthodontics
  • Pre-surgical and pre-prosthetic orthodontics
• Dental care for kids with special needs: This includes care for children with health and medical issues, physical or developmental disabilities, and cleft lip and palate deformities.
• Sedation: For kids who have a hard time with dental care we can provide sedation to help them relax or numb any pain from treatment. This includes nitrous oxide gas (laughing gas) or general anesthesia.