Pediatric Dental Care
Pediatric dental care
Dr. Nicole offers dental care for children from infancy through adolescence.
Cavities are the most common and preventable childhood disease, which is why Dr. Nicole focuses on creating lasting healthy smile habits with children. As your child grows, we focus on prevention and education to ensure their smile remains healthy. Our goal is to help children learn and develop consistent oral hygiene habits.
Growing Big Healthy smiles
Maintaining your child's dental health now will provide health benefits well into adulthood, as primary (baby) teeth serve some extremely important functions.
Primary teeth guide the eruption of permanent (adult) teeth, holding the space into which these new teeth will erupt. The crowns (tops) of the permanent teeth actually push against the roots of the baby teeth, causing them to resorb, or melt away. In this way, the adult teeth can take their proper place.
For about the first six years, primary teeth help with biting, chewing and speaking. Until around age 12, your child will have a mix of primary and permanent teeth. You will want to make sure those teeth stay healthy and are lost naturally — when it's time.
Your Child's First Teeth
Your child's 20 baby teeth will begin to appear usually between six and nine months, though in some cases it may start as early as three months or as late as fourteen months. The two lower front teeth tend to erupt first, followed by the two upper ones. The first molars come in next, followed by the canines (eyeteeth). To help with teething discomfort, wipe your child’s gums and newly erupting teeth with a water-soaked gauze, freeze-cooled damp washcloth, or simply chew on a soft-bristle toothbrush.
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Your Child's First Dental Appointment
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children see a dentist by their first birthday to ensure all is progressing well. Early childhood caries (tooth decay) can develop rapidly, progressing from the hard, outer enamel layer of a tooth into the softer, inner dentin in six months or less.
Daily Brushing Routine
As soon as the first tooth comes in, we encourage you to establish a daily brushing routine with a small, soft-bristled toothbrush and no more than a thin smear of fluoridated toothpaste. Your child may need your help with this important task until about the age of 6.
pediatric dental treatments
Topical Fluoride
Fluoride makes teeth harder and more resistant to decay. Although there is a small amount of fluoride in toothpastes and in some drinking water, a higher concentration can be applied professionally to your child's teeth for maximum protection. For parents who aren't comfortable with fluoride usage, we are happy to discuss fluoride alternatives!
Dental Sealants
A protective coating can be professionally applied to prevent cavities by sealing the grooves of the chewing surfaces. Dental sealants are easy to apply and provide years of protection.
Root Canal or Nerve Treatment
Sometimes children need root canals to save an injured or severely decayed tooth. In the primary dentition, nerve treatments are less invasive and can provide the best chance for the tooth to survive and hold the place for the permanent tooth.
Cosmetic Procedures
Chips and minor fractures to front teeth are common childhood occurrences and can be repaired with state-of-the-art tooth-colored bonding materials.
Prophylaxis (Teeth Cleaning)
During their initial six month appointment, your child will experience a gentle and thorough cleaning to help prevent cavities and promote overall oral health.
Tooth Colored Fillings
Our tooth-colored filling materials have no BPA and are technologically advanced in that they are bioactive and mimic natural properties of the tooth. As a result, fillings blend in and function naturally.
Tooth Extractions
When a tooth has decay, disease, trauma, or may impede normal oral development, we take our time to gently remove the tooth. Many patients have expressed they didn't even know the extraction happened!
Dental Emergencies
We take dental emergencies seriously, if a dental emergency is to occur, Dr. Nicole will see your child on the weekend or after hours. We are here for you!
Orthodontic evaluation
Dr. Nicole has been trained with an immense amount of orthodontic exposure as it pertains to predicting future growth and development. She works closely with trusted orthodontists and as your child grows, continues to assess any need they may have for orthodontic intervention.
Child-friendly Sedation
Based on your child’s specific needs and treatment, we offer sedation options to help your child feel relaxed and at ease. Every child is different and we acknowledge that every appointment can be different as well. At times, sedation may be needed to make your child's visit more comfortable. Based on your child's individualized needs and treatment, we offer a variety of sedation options that include nitrous oxide and general anesthesia.
Space Maintenance and Pediatric Dentures
In circumstances of severe crowding or when a tooth needs to be extracted before it is ready to fall out a space maintainer may be needed. A space maintainer helps hold the space so that a developing permanent tooth has enough room to erupt and properly develop. We offer a variety of space maintainer options.
Desensitization Visits
These preliminary visits to our pediatric dental office help your child get to know us and the environment in a presser-free setting. Call or text us to get more info! (614) 602-5004
Special Needs
We treat every child equally. Dr. Nicole is specialized in treating special needs patients, including sensory disorders, of all ages due to extensive training. We can tailor each visit to allow for a spacious and calm environment with dimmed lights and noise-canceling headphones to assist with any appointment.
Frenectomy | Tongue-Tie
Children may be born with a combination of conditions called a tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) and/or a lip-tie. These may cause restrictions in movement that can lead to difficulty with breastfeeding, and in some instances, other health problems like dental decay or spacing, speech and airway difficulties, and digestive issues.
We Can't Wait To Meet You And Your Child
We look forward to meeting you. Call or text (614) 602-5004 or request an appointment online to set up your first visit. We’ll be in touch soon.
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