- Dental ExaminationAt your child’s first visit, we will perform a comprehensive exam, record his dental and medical history, and talk to you about our findings. We will even discuss how to eat for dental health, discuss oral hygiene routines, offer tips and incentives to keep your kids brushing and flossing, and give you time for any final questions or concerns.
- X-rays
- Teeth Cleaning
- Fluoride Treatment
- Dental SealantsYou do everything to protect your kid’s teeth. You never gave him/her a bottle of juice. You started oral hygiene early. You get the right toothbrush, give them the proper amount of paste and even help them floss. And yet, they still get cavities! It isn’t really your fault. Many children just have deep grooves and fissures in their teeth and have a hard time getting them clean. That’s why we offer fluoride and dental sealants.
- Space MaintainersSometimes baby or permanent teeth are so badly damaged, decayed, or infected that they need to be removed. Removal becomes important when there is pain that can’t be stopped, an infection that is likely to spread, or damage that is too extensive to repair. It is never an ideal situation, but when it happens, we will explain everything to your child on his or her level to make him comfortable. We are here, after all, to take the fear out of dentistry and get your kiddos back to smiling as soon as possible. If it is a primary tooth, we will recommend a space maintainer to ensure the proper growth and development of the permanent tooth.
- Fillings
- VeneersThat’s right! Kids can benefit from the repairing and beautifying power of porcelain veneers just as much as adults. Not only used for cosmetic purposes, porcelain veneers can act much like crowns for front teeth to strengthen, lengthen, or fill in gaps. This helps your child speak normally, improve nutritional intake, and increase confidence. We usually use porcelain veneers on permanent teeth, but if your child has suffered severe damage to his or her baby teeth, they can be useful for function and confidence in kids under twelve as well.
- CrownsPulpotomy. It sounds complicated and scary, but really it’s a fairly simple procedure that can save your child’s tooth. Similar to a root canal, and sometimes referred to as a baby root canal, pulpotomies treat the infected or damaged pulp of a tooth. How does it work? Inside every tooth is soft tissue made up of nerves, connective tissues, and blood vessels. When these tissues become infected or inflamed, the pain can be severe and the infection can even spread to other parts of the body or lead to an abscess. To stop the pain and save that important baby tooth, we open the tooth, clear out all the infected tissue all the way down into the roots, disinfect, and fill it with a protective material. Once everything is clean and infection-free, we seal the tooth with a strong, protective dental crown. The pain usually subsides very quickly so your little one can get back to enjoying life.
- Bridges
- Dental BondingChips, cracks, breaks... almost any damage to an individual tooth or teeth can be repaired with direct dental bonding. We use a strong and long-lasting dental composite material, carefully shaded to blend in your child’s smile and apply it while you wait. Dr. Tom is very artful when it comes to dental bonding and can recreate a tooth surface that looks so natural, you may forget which tooth was repaired. Bonded teeth do need special care and can be susceptible to staining, so talk to us about foods to avoid and how to keep the repairs clean and bright!
- Restorative DentistryYes, in fact sometimes even the youngest smiles need tooth restorations. From the moment the first tiny tooth appears, your child’s dentition is at risk for damage and decay. Sugar and acids are present everywhere, even in natural, healthy foods. Add to that the active lifestyles kids love, and you can see that dental risks are all around us.
- Pulpotomy
- Root Canal TreatmentIf your child has suffered from severe decay, trauma, or has a need for a root canal, we recommend either white or stainless steel crowns for improved function and appearance. The choice between porcelain and stainless will be based on your child’s age, habits, and the extent of the repair, but our porcelain crowns blend much more naturally in the smile than traditional stainless steel crowns. Neither our porcelain nor our stainless steel crowns contain any mercury. They are strong, long-lasting, and comfortable. Crowns can also be used to attach pediatric partials, or space maintainers, to replace missing teeth, keep remaining teeth from shifting, and act as space holders for the new adult teeth. We consider children’s confidence as well as their health so our pediatric partials never look like false teeth or dentures. Instead, we make sure they blend right in so your children, no matter what their age, can enjoy smiling with confidence.
- Periodontal SurgeryDr. Jan received her dental degree from Northwestern University in 1992, and completed the periodontal surgery program in 1994. After practicing on her own for 17 years, she sold her practice to devote her time to her five children.
- Dentures
- Oral Surgery
- Tooth Extractions
- BracesWhitening is perfect after removing braces to even out color, to increase confidence for special events like the prom or graduation, and can even give your kid a little boost at a job interview. Great smiles can go a long way toward life-long success!
- Teeth WhiteningSmile whitening is a favorite with our teen and young adult patients. Everyone loves to sport a powerful, bright smile and our special professional formulations help your kids get just that – safely and comfortably. We offer ZOOM! in-office teeth whitening and Opalescence GO take-home whitening.
- General Dentistry