- Dental ExaminationThe Doctors at The Center for Pediatric Dental Care and Orthodontics have converted the routine dental x-rays to digital X-rays. Dental radiographs or x-rays are an important part of a complete dental exam. Two to four check-up x-rays called "bite-wings" are standard of care, and necessary every 12-18 months, depending on each individual child's needs. As pediatric dentists, Drs. Barton, Krausz, Bramblia and Taylor are very concerned about minimizing the amount of radiation a patient receives at the dental office. That’s why they used high-speed film, and cover all patients with a lead apron during x-ray procedures, and have converted to digital. You should know that 2 dental x-rays deliver 5,600 times less radiation to an unborn child than an upper GI series, 80 times less radiation than a chest x-ray, and 4 times less radiation than a normal day of background radiation playing in the sun. Dental x-rays are necessary and both safe and effective.
- X-raysThese dental x-rays are taken using electronic sensors that send the image directly to a computer. This image is displayed on a LCD monitor, can be enlarged, and can help the patient visualize and understand the doctor's treatment recommendations more easily. It also faciliates the doctor's diagnostic ability in "zooming in" and enlarging a specific area of the x-ray. The digital image only takes 10-15 seconds to appear on the monitor. A side benefit ia that digital X-ray is also environmentally friendly. The sensors used do not contain lead foil, like conventional dental film, that needs to be recycled or disposed of as hazardous waste. Also, there are no chemicals or water involved in generating an image, reducing pollution and water consumption.
- Fluoride TreatmentYour pediatric dentist may also recommend protective sealants or home fluoride treatments for your child. Sealants can be applied to your child's molars to prevent decay on hard to clean surfaces.
- Dental SealantsA sealant is a protective coating that is applied to the chewing surfaces (grooves) of the back teeth (premolars and molars), where four out of five cavities in children are found. This sealant acts as a barrier to food, plaque and acid, thus protecting the decay-prone areas of the teeth.
- Space MaintainersA lower lingual arch is a space maintainer for the lower teeth. It maintains the molars where they are, it does not move them. This is fabricated by placing bands on the molars and connecting them to a wire that fits up against the inside of the lower teeth. It keeps the molars from migrating forward and prevents them from blocking off the space of teeth that develop later. This is used when you have the early loss of baby teeth or when you have lower teeth that are slightly crowded in a growing child and you do not want to remove any permanent teeth to correct the crowding.
- Fillings
- CrownsKnocked Out Permanent Tooth: If possible, find the tooth. Handle it by the crown, not by the root. You may rinse the tooth with water only. DO NOT clean with soap, scrub or handle the tooth unnecessarily. Inspect the tooth for fractures. If it is sound, try to reinsert it in the socket. Have the patient hold the tooth in place by biting on a gauze. If you cannot reinsert the tooth, transport the tooth in a cup containing the patient's saliva or milk. If the patient is old enough, the tooth may also be carried in the patient's mouth (beside the cheek). The patient must see a dentist IMMEDIATELY! Time is a critical factor in saving the tooth.
- PulpotomyDental caries (cavities) and traumatic injury are the main reasons for a tooth to require pulp therapy. Pulp therapy is often referred to as a "nerve treatment", "children's root canal", "pulpectomy" or "pulpotomy". The two common forms of pulp therapy in children's teeth are the pulpotomy and pulpectomy.
- Root Canal TreatmentA pulpectomy is required when the entire pulp is involved (into the root canal(s) of the tooth). During this treatment, the diseased pulp tissue is completely removed from both the crown and root. The canals are cleansed, disinfected and, in the case of primary teeth, filled with a resorbable material. Then, a final restoration is placed. A permanent tooth would be filled with a non-resorbing material.
- Oral Surgery
- Jaw SurgeryDoing orthodontic treatments in two steps provides excellent results often allowing the doctor to avoid removal of permanent teeth and jaw surgery. The treatment done when some of the baby teeth are still present is called Phase-1. The last part of treatment after all the permanent teeth have erupted is called Phase-2.
- Maxillofacial SurgeryDr. Brett Paredes was born and raised outside of Boston, Massachusetts. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in 1993 from Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, he returned to his hometown to pursue the same career path as his father. He studied dentistry at Tufts University, where he earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree in 1997. Dr. Paredes then moved to South Florida where over the next six years, he would complete his internship and residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital and the University of Miami. During this time, he concurrently attended the University of Miami School of Medicine, where he earned his Doctor of Medicine degree in 2001. Once completing his surgical residency in 2003, Dr. Paredes furthered his training with an additional one-year fellowship in the Department of Anesthesiology at UM/Jackson Memorial Hospital.
- Tooth Extractions
- OrthodonticsDrs. Barton, Krausz, Brambila, Clancy, Weiss, Roger Taylor and our team at The Center for Pediatric Dental Care & Orthodontics specialize in pediatric dentistry, and we understand that children can be…
- Invisalign OrthodonticsInvisalign is a revolutionary method of straightening teeth. It looks like a simple thin plastic mouthguard, but it is a custom made aligner that is fabricated by advanced computer technology, that anticipates the movements from aligner to aligner, and fabricates the next one with no or minimal additional impressions in the dental office. At times a mid treatment correction may be needed and an additional impression will be taken. Over each period, each tooth moves and the dentist decides when and what aligners to give for the next period. By the end, one has the smile they have wanted for a long time. A final retainer is given at the end of treatment.
- BracesResearch has shown that serious orthodontic problems can be more easily corrected when the patient’s skeleton is still growing and flexible. By correcting the skeletal problems at a younger age we can prepare the mouth for the eventual eruption of the permanent teeth. If the permanent teeth have adequate space to erupt they will come in fairly straight. If the teeth erupt fairly straight their tendency to get crooked again after the braces come off is diminished significantly. After the permanent teeth have erupted, usually from age 12-14, complete braces are placed for final alignment and detailing of the bite. Thus the final stage of treatment is quicker and easier on the patient. This phase of treatment usually lasts from 12 - 18 month and is not started until all of the permanent teeth are erupted.
- Teeth Whitening