Dental Care for Infants, Toddlers, Adolescents & Children With Special Needs
General Info
Our specialty is pediatric dentistry. Our plan is to introduce dentistry in a pleasant atmosphere. We are prepared to care for your child with a wide range of dental services from birth through the teen years. Children with special needs comprise a special distinction within our practice. With the assistance of dental hygienists, a great portion of our emphasis is on preventive dentistry. We believe preventive dentistry will eliminate or minimize dental problems. Our goal is to see that your child receives the best dental care available. We encourage active participation between parent, doctor, and child - before, during and after treatment sessions. This provides you with the best possible answers and provides us with information specific to your child.
The dental hygienist will begin your child’s cleaning by exploring the surface of the teeth to determine if there are any cavities, and to examine the quality of existing fillings. The hygienist will perform a periodontal exam to make sure your little one’s gums adhere tightly to the teeth, and no periodontal disease or bone loss is present.
X-rays
Because we care about your little one’s bodily health and well-being, we believe that reducing the amount of radiation exposure is extremely important. Although the amount of radiation used in dental X-rays is very small, the effect is cumulative, so all radiation counts. Digital X-rays can reduce your son or daughter’s exposure to radiation by up to 80 percent!
The American Dental Association recommends that children visit the dentist every six months for regular checkups and routine teeth cleanings to keep their teeth and gums healthy.
Fluoride Treatment
A fluoride treatment in our office office takes just a few minutes. After the treatment, patients will be asked to not eat crunchy or (steamy) hot things for six hours to allow the teeth to absorb the fluoride.
Dental Sealants
Sometimes brushing is not enough, especially when it comes to those hard-to-reach spots in your child’s mouth. It is difficult for a toothbrush to reach between the small cracks and grooves on teeth. If left alone, those tiny areas can develop tooth decay. Sealants give your youngster’s teeth extra protection against decay and help prevent cavities.
Space Maintainers
Without the use of a space maintainer, the teeth that surround the open space can shift, and impede the permanent tooth’s eruption. When that happens, the need for orthodontic treatment may become greater.
Newer dental fillings include ceramic and resin compounds that mimic the appearance of natural teeth. These compounds, often called composite resins, are usually used on the front teeth where a natural appearance is important, as well as on the back teeth, depending on the location and extent of the tooth decay.
Veneers
Indirect fillings generally require two or more visits. They include inlays, onlays, veneers, crowns, and bridges fabricated with gold, base metal alloys, ceramics, or composites. During the first visit, a dentist prepares the tooth and makes an impression of the area to be restored. Then the dentist places a temporary covering over the prepared tooth. The impression is sent to a dental laboratory that creates the dental restoration. At the next appointment, the dentist cements the restoration into the prepared cavity and adjusts it as needed.
Crowns
If the infection involves tissue in both the tooth crown and the tooth root, a pulpectomy may be the best option. In a pulpectomy, the entire pulp material is removed from both the crown and the roots. After numbing your child’s tooth, Dr. Voss will remove the pulp and nerve tissue from the crown and the canals of the roots.
Bridges
Restorative Dentistry
Treatment with SDF does not eliminate the need for restorative dentistry (fillings, crowns, etc.) to repair function or aesthetics, but it’s effective at preventing further decay.
If your child’s primary tooth has extensive decay, or has been damaged by trauma, action may be needed to restore the integrity of the tooth and prevent infection from spreading to surrounding teeth. After a set of X-rays are taken, Dr. Voss will be able to assess the extent of the infection and recommend one of two options: a pulpotomy or a pulpectomy.
Root Canal Treatment
Then the pulp chamber and root canals will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Next, he will fill the tooth and tooth roots with a dental cement, and finish with a stainless steel crown.
Solea® laser procedures such as soft-tissue (tooth exposure, gingivectomy, labial/lingual frenotomy) and hard-tissue (some types of dental restorations)
When choosing a mouthguard, be sure to pick one that is tear-resistant, comfortable and well fitted to your child’s mouth, easy to keep clean, and does not prevent proper breathing. If the athlete wears braces or a retainer, it is imperative to wear a mouthguard.