- X-rays
- Teeth CleaningDr. Shea and the staff are all the best! My kids don't have any complaints to go to get their dental cleaning, treatment or even an extraction. Always a great experience! The best pediatric dentist you can take your kids to!
- Fluoride TreatmentUsed in topical over-the-counter dental products and professional treatments, fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that can help prevent tooth decay and strengthen and repair tooth enamel. Professional fluoride treatments deliver a concentrated dose of fluoride directly to your child’s teeth, as a fast, safe, simple, and pain-free cavity prevention treatment. Depending on your child’s age and cavity risk, Dr. Shea may recommend applying professional fluoride varnish or rinse two to four times a year, in conjunction with daily oral hygiene habits and routine dental visits.
- Dental SealantsDental sealants are a safe, simple, fast, and pain-free dental treatment that help prevent tooth decay in your child’s back teeth (premolars and molars). A thin coating of clear, body-safe plastic, sealants coat and protect the textured and grooved chewing surface of your child’s back teeth, where food and bacteria can get trapped and cause cavities. When combined with routine dental visits and daily brushing and flossing, dental sealants can prevent up to 80% of cavities in your child’s back teeth.
- Space MaintainersThough they’ll eventually fall out, your child’s baby teeth play an essential role in guiding the alignment of your child’s permanent adult teeth. If one or more baby teeth are missing congenitally (from birth) or lost due to tooth damage or decay, your child’s adult teeth may shift into a space intended for another permanent tooth, which can cause or exacerbate crowded, crooked, or misaligned adult teeth. With an early intervention orthodontic appliance, called a space maintainer, Dr. Shea can help your child prevent or reduce orthodontic issues in the future.
- FillingsAlso known as tooth-colored fillings, composite fillings are a durable and aesthetically pleasing cavity repair treatment option that ensure your child’s smile stays strong and healthy. In the past, cavity treatment used to be finalized with a silver-colored amalgam filling, which requires more healthy tooth structure to be removed to accommodate the filling and didn’t blend with the appearance of natural teeth. Along with seamlessly matching with the color of your child’s natural primary or permanent teeth, composite fillings actually bond with your child’s tooth structure, meaning less tooth healthy structure needs to be removed to seal out harmful bacteria, prevent tooth decay from getting worse, and keep your child’s smile beautifully strong and healthy.
- CrownsThough they’ll eventually fall out, your child’s primary (baby) teeth play an important role in their oral and overall development and should ideally fall out naturally. If your child’s tooth has been compromised due to severe tooth damage or decay, a stainless steel crown can restore function and promote the tooth’s natural longevity.
- PulpotomyLike your own adult teeth, your child’s primary (baby) teeth contain delicate living tissues (known as pulp) that can become infected, inflamed, and painful when affected by deep tooth decay. Along with compromising the health and integrity of your child’s baby teeth, diseased tooth pulp can make it difficult for your child to comfortably chew, speak, and stay asleep. When left untreated, diseased tooth pulp can also cause your child to lose a compromised baby tooth prematurely, which can negatively impact the development of your child’s smile alignment, bite, and speech.
- Root Canal TreatmentAlso known as a “baby root canal,” a pulpotomy is a common dental treatment that removes damaged pulp tissue to relieve uncomfortable oral symptoms and preserve your child’s baby teeth until they’re ready to fall out naturally. Unlike a full root canal (pulpectomy) that removes tooth pulp in its entirety, a pulpotomy only removes pulp from the crown of the tooth (called coronal pulp) and leaves the healthy roots of the tooth intact, preventing your child from losing their baby teeth too early.
- Tooth Extractions
- OrthodonticsTo best support your child’s healthy orofacial development and reduce the need for more extensive orthodontic intervention later, the American Association of Orthodontics recommends that every child have an orthodontic evaluation by age 7, which is usually around the time that your child’s two front bottom adult teeth have come in. An active member of Space Maintainers and Gnathos and Gnathos South Orthodontic Consulting since 2008, Dr. Shea has taken numerous continuing education courses on orthodontics and provides age-appropriate early intervention orthodontic care right in her office.
- BracesTraditional braces are a highly personalized orthodontic treatment that addresses malocclusion, which means “bad bite.” Along with describing upper and lower jaws that don’t properly meet, malocclusion also describes crooked, crowded, overlapped, misaligned, or protruded teeth.
- General DentistryA registered dental assistant since 1999 and a graduate of the University of Buffalo’s Dental Assistant Licensure program, Carrie has been a proud member of our practice since 2011. Carrie previously worked in general dentistry, though found her true passion and niche in pediatric dentistry, and loves supporting patients and families through the treatment planning process. Outside the office, you can find Carrie and her husband, Todd, cheering on their two daughters at the soccer field and on the golf course.