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OUR SERVICES

Prevention

 

Examinations, x-rays, tooth cleanings, fluoride treatment, sealants, silver diamine fluoride

Preventive dental checkups have many benefits for children. Here are a few of them:

  • Minimize the risk of tooth decay: Cavities are small holes in teeth caused by tooth decay. As the bacteria in plaque accumulate on your child’s teeth, the bacteria secrete an acid that degrades the tooth enamel, which can lead to cavities. Preventive dental care helps remove this harmful bacteria to lower your child’s chance of getting cavities.

  • Preserve tooth enamel: Healthy enamel is important for protecting your teeth. Enamel is a thin layer that surrounds one’s teeth, and it is the hardest tissue produced by the human body. Preventive dental care will ensure your enamel stays clean and strong, protecting your teeth from bacteria, plaque and cavities.

  • Fight gum disease: Plaque is a root cause of many dental issues, including gingivitis, which is an early form of gum disease. Gum disease can occur when plaque gets under the gumline, leading to several adverse side effects like gum inflammation, bleeding, and receding gums. Pediatric dentists have the skills and tools necessary to clean below your child’s gum line, which can help prevent gum disease from occurring.

Restorative

 

White fillings, White crowns, Silver crowns

Fillings

  • Cavities come in all shapes and sizes, and the need for a filling will vary depending on your child’s age, the location of the cavity, and how much longer the tooth is going to be in the mouth.

  • Fillings restore a tooth that has been penetrated by infection, which has then caused a cavity. Sometimes infections can grow to a more systemic problem: penetrating and harming the bone, gum tissue, or developing permanent teeth. The child may find it difficult to eat, concentrate, or do their schoolwork.

​​Crowns

  • Crowns preserve the integrity of a tooth damaged by a cavity that’s too large to be remedied with a filling. When a cavity is on multiple surfaces of a tooth or encompasses a large portion of it, a filling has a very high chance of breaking. In that case, a crown is needed. We primarily utilize stainless steel crowns because they are the most effective way to treat a large cavity in a tooth, though we do offer both stainless steel and ceramic variations.

  • Keep in mind that baby teeth eventually fall out–usually by age 12–making the crown’s effectiveness our primary consideration.

Pulpotomy

  • As cavities grow, they can start to infiltrate the inner layers of the teeth. Depending on how deep the cavity has reached, the method necessary to treat the cavity may change. If the cavity is only in the outermost or dentin layer, a restoration filling is usually the treatment of choice. If the cavity is larger or covers more surface area, a crown may be needed. If the cavity penetrates the nerve layer, a pulpotomy, or sometimes a pulpectomy, is required to clean the nerve out and remove the bacteria.

Behavior Management

 

Positive reinforcement, tell-show-do, Ask-tell-ask, non-verbal communication, distraction

Behavior Management

  • Behavior management in pediatric dentistry is necessary to carry out a successful dental treatment.

  • Without a doubt, behaviour management in pediatric dentistry is one of the most important aspects that any pediatric dentist must face before his patient. Therefore, without the use of these techniques, cooperation from the child will not be obtained.

  • For this reason, the techniques for managing the behaviour of the pediatric dental patient, will create a positive attitude towards dentistry in the long run, having the child wanting to come back to future appointments. Consequently, the child will have an adequate oral health throughout his or her life. 

  • Behavior management in pediatric dentistry consists of psychological techniques that help the pediatric dentist to manage the child. At the same time, these techniques reduces fear of dentist  and the child’s anxiety.

  • With saying that the Dentists are at the mercy of the child, without child’s cooperation, it is not possible to carry out treatment successfully. Here at Southwest Pediatric Dental we pride ourselves on working with the child to create a cooperative environment.

  • We are not the type of office that will hold down, or papoose a child to complete treatment. The only reason we over do that is for safety reasoning with infants.

  • Positive appointment experiences in the short and long term, will help promote a positive attitude towards dentistry as a whole, as well as adequate dental health.

  • In addition, pediatric dentistry is a specialty related to the age of the patients: infants, children, teenagers and young adults.  It provides integrated preventive and therapeutic care of all dental and oral aspects. In particular, pediatric dentistry patients have unique needs that the professionals learn to attend  through their primary and ongoing training, as well as their constant experience of practicing.

  • At Southwest Pediatric Dentistry we work in conjunction with both the parents and the children to utilize all behavior techniques to give the utmost care for the appointment. 

Surgical Procedures

 

Tooth extractions, frenectomies

Extractions

  • The most common reasons why children need tooth extractions is because their teeth are victims of tooth decay, trauma or injury, gum disease, impacted wisdom teeth, and the requirement for orthodontic treatment.

  • Cavities are a chronic problem with children because their tooth enamel is fragile. Children are not diligent with dental hygiene practices making their teeth prone to decay. Untreated tooth decay in primary teeth can lead to severe oral health conditions and infections. When primary teeth are extracted due to severe tooth decay, the permanent teeth move into the blank space causing crooked or crowded teeth.

  • Trauma or injuries are common for children from playtime accidents and falls. In many cases we restore the tooth by performing pediatric pulp treatment or providing a dental crown. Sometimes the tooth needs extraction and replacement with a space maintainer until the permanent tooth emerges.

  • Gum disease or gingivitis is another infection affecting children causing inflammation in the gingival tissues. Gum disease results in bleeding, swelling, and redness of the gum tissue. When left untreated, gingivitis develops into pediatric periodontal disease to affect the gums and jawbone. Severe infections can loosen the child’s teeth and cause severe bleeding besides receding gums. 

Frenectomy
Emergency Dentistry

 

Trauma, infection, pain

Traumatized, Broken, Chipped, or Fractured Tooth

  • If your child has chipped or broken a piece off of their tooth, have them rinse their mouth with warm water, then use a cold compress to reduce swelling. Try to locate and save the tooth fragment that broke off. Call us immediately.

Knocked Out Tooth

  • If your child’s tooth has been knocked out of the mouth, find the tooth and rinse it with water (no soap), taking care to only touch the crown of the tooth (the part you can see when it’s in place). Place the tooth in a clean container with milk. Call us immediately and/or head to the hospital. If you act quickly it's possible to save the tooth.

Infection

  • Periapical abscesses are caused by bacterial infections in the dental pulp. When a bacterial infection causes a child’s dental pulp to become severely inflamed, the child may develop an abscess around the infected tooth’s apex.

  • An abscess is a pocket of pus. Abscesses can form in many areas of the body, including around the teeth and gums. Perhaps the most common type of abscess that pediatric dentists see are periapical abscesses.

  • Periapical abscesses are abscesses that form around the apex of a tooth – that is, the tip of the tooth’s roots. 

Sedation

Nitrous Oxide, Oral Conscious Sedation, IV General Anesthesia
Nitrous oxide
​Oral Conscious Sedation

  •  Oral sedatives come in many different forms (usually tablets, pills, and liquids), and may make the child feel drowsy.  If oral sedatives are to be used, the pediatric dentist may require parents to prepare the child before the appointment.  Some common preparatory measures may include: limiting food and fluid intake prior to the appointment, having the child wear comfortable clothing to the appointment, and preparing to stay with the child for several hours after the appointment.  Oral sedatives rarely produce serious side effects – nausea is among the most common.

General Anesthesia

  • may be required for young children who cannot comfortably complete care in the dental office or for children with special health needs. This method is often used in cases where an extended procedure needs to be performed or the child simply cannot relax for treatment.

  • When general anesthesia is performed the patient will not be responsive to sounds, smells, or touch. It is best to discuss the risks, benefits and alternatives to treatment with your dentist, pediatrician and anesthesiologist.

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