Dentistry for Kids – Allen, TX

Dental Checkups & Cleanings

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children should start visiting their dentist in Allen bi-annually within six months of the eruption of their first tooth or by their first birthday. While these earlier appointments won’t be as thorough as the checkups and cleanings they’ll receive in the future, they’re still crucial to forming a positive relationship with the dentist as well as making sure their smile is developing properly. Once your child feels comfortable, we’ll begin conducting more thorough checkups and cleanings to help ensure the health of their teeth and gums.

Oral Cancer Screening

Even though it’s rare for children to get oral cancer, it’s possible, and our team’s top priority is the health and safety of your little one. That’s why we conduct oral cancer screenings at each of their checkups to ensure that any signs of the disease are caught early on. We’ll examine their teeth, tongue, lips, neck, and throat for sores or abnormal growths, and if we see anything, we’ll make sure they get the care they need right away.

Dental Sealants

Dental sealants are clear barriers that we can place over the biting surface of molars to keep food debris and plaque from collecting in the crevices. After brushing on the clear coating and hardening it with a UV light, your child’s teeth will be protected from the threat of decay and their brushing routine will be more effective than ever!

Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) Treatments

Silver diamine fluoride is an FDA-approved substance that we can place on teeth that are affected by decay to stop it from spreading and fortify the enamel, preventing cavities from forming in the future. It’s applied as a liquid and quickly hardens and kills bacteria, making it an incredibly conservative way to protect teeth and treat cavities.

Nightguards/Sportsguards

Does your child play a contact sport that puts their pearly whites at risk or grind and clench their teeth at night? We offer customized acrylic nightguards and sportsguards to prevent dental damage and jaw problems by cushioning their mouth and facial muscles. Due to their customized nature, they’re more comfortable to wear as well as more effective.

Space Maintainers

Many parents wonder why it’s important that children don’t lose their temporary teeth too soon, despite the fact that they’re going to fall out anyways. The answer is, when this happens, it can lead to orthodontic problems down the road. The gap in their smile left by premature primary tooth loss can cause surrounding teeth to shift to fill it in, altering how their permanent teeth grow into their mouth. With space maintainers, we can fill the gap to allow their adult teeth to erupt in the best position possible.

Tooth-Colored Fillings

Many dentists use metal fillings to treat cavities for children. This can draw unwanted attention to damaged teeth, affecting children’s desire to socially interact or making them anxious about someone remarking on their tooth. We utilize a durable, biocompatible material that can be custom shaded to match the color of their surrounding teeth, called composite resin, to fill cavities. It’s able to chemically bond with their enamel to effectively seal the tooth off from bacteria and stop the decay from spreading, all while remaining virtually unnoticeable.

Laser Bacterial Reduction

Gum disease, which develops when bacteria buildup occurs in the mouth and infects the gums, can cause uncomfortable effects as well as jeopardize a child’s teeth. If your child has gum disease or an excessive bacteria presence in their mouth, we can help minimize it using our soft tissue laser. It’s pain-free and kills bacteria on-contact, allowing us to preserve the foundation of their smile.

Tooth Extractions

If your little one’s tooth is damaged or decayed beyond repair, putting their surrounding teeth in harm’s way, or their teeth are overcrowded, we may recommend a tooth extraction. We make this process pain-free by numbing the area before we begin, then we gently wiggle the tooth free of the gumline. If necessary, we can place a space maintainer in its place to preserve the alignment of their pearly whites.

Laser Frenuloplasties & Frenectomies

Lip and tongue-ties are common issues among infants and toddlers, often noted by digestive issues like colic, difficulty breastfeeding, and poor weight gain. When the frenulum that attaches their lip to their gums or their tongue to the floor of their mouth, is overgrown or too thick, it can limit their oral movement, making important tasks like feeding difficult. Their pediatric dentist in Allen can use a soft tissue laser to remove overgrown tissue to improve the mobility of their mouth.

Pulp Therapy

Is your child complaining of a toothache that won’t seem to go away on its own? It could be a result of a severe cavity that has inched its way to the inner chamber of their tooth and attacked the pulp, which is a collection of soft tissue and nerves within the tooth. Pulp therapy is when we access the tooth and remove the infected pulp, keeping the infection from spreading and rebuilding the structure of their tooth so they can continue enjoying their natural smile for years to come!

Non-Nutritive Habits

Does your child still suck on their thumb or items to comfort themselves even though most of their peers no longer do? When left unchecked, this habit could lead to orthodontic, speech, and jaw problems down the road. Our team can help counsel you and your child to break this habit with positive reinforcement.

Metal-Free Dental Crowns

Dental crowns are cap-like structures that we can place over damaged or treated teeth to help protect and support them. To help increase your child’s confidence as they’re developing new social skills, we craft ours from materials like ceramic and porcelain, which can be custom shaded to match the color of their natural teeth, to be virtually unnoticeable whenever they laugh or smile.

Orthodontics

We offer orthodontic appliances, like our rapid palatal expander, to address malocclusion like crossbite and improve oral function. It’s a small metal appliance held in place using loops placed around their molars to gradually shift their bite so its even. This will reduce wear-and-tear on their teeth, facial muscles, and jaw joints, preventing discomfort down the road. When these issues are corrected at an appropriate age, it can reduce the length of time they need to wear braces down the road.