A board-certified pediatric dentist like Dr. Ian is specifically trained to care for your child’s growing smile. With two additional years of training beyond dental school, pediatric dentists are fully focused on restoring smiles and encouraging thriving oral health for kids of all ages. Taking the extra step of earning a board certification shows a pediatric dentist's dedication to excellence and their sincere commitment to little patients’ and their parents’ trust.
Infants can benefit from oral exams within the first six months to check their oral development and overall dental health. This preventive stage can establish a lifelong healthy smile.
During early and middle childhood, kids begin to learn and maintain healthy dental habits while taking some ownership and responsibility for their oral health.
From pre-teens to young adults, the dental hygiene habits that were established in a teenager’s youth are the ones that they’ll carry very soon into adulthood.
Creating a positive experience for children during first-time dental appointments will have a lasting impact on their dental health and overall general attitude about oral care. Regular six-month visits, routine appointments, and focusing on preventive care will get your child comfortable with the process and ensure that any dental health issues are caught in their early stages. Our empowering and educational approach will also help decrease any dental anxieties, and increase their chances of being proactive throughout adulthood when it comes to establishing healthy dental habits.
A kid’s dentist sees nothing but kids! That means the entire office is designed to do just that. Our office is set up for children, and our doctors have special training to provide the best care for kids!
They are baby teeth, but not just. Baby teeth serve several important roles, and cavities can cause pain, infection, and damage to permanent teeth if they aren’t well taken care of.
Sealants are a treatment we provide to healthy teeth to help keep them that way. Sealants are a protective layer that stops food from getting stuck in the top of teeth, which can lead to cavities.
A first dental visit is recommended between the time the first tooth erupts and a child’s first birthday - but it is never too early to bring a child to the dentist.
We will do a brief exam of your child's mouth and any teeth (if they have them). The most important thing we will do though is talking to you about how best to take care of your child's teeth.
Although they are nearly the same, baby teeth have some small differences in how they are made which means they look very white. Permanent teeth look a bit darker - and its more noticeable when your child has both baby teeth and permanent teeth in their mouth. This definitely looks better when all of the baby teeth have fallen out.
Children generally get evaluated for orthodontic treatment two times when they are growing up. Once at around 6 years old, and again at around 12 years old. There are some problems that are much easier to fix when they are treated early - so we check for those around 6. Most kids who need braces will get them around 12 when they have all of their permanent teeth.
Usually no! There is a huge range of normal for when teeth are lost and come into the mouth - the most important thing is that they come in the right order and right place. A kid’s dentist can definitely help figure out if there are any problems with how the teeth are coming in.
As soon as you see your child’s first tooth. It’s great to start early because your child will get used to the feeling of the toothbrush, and it's much easier when there are only 1 or 2 teeth you have to get to! By the time all of the teeth are in you will both be brushing experts!
As soon as it looks like teeth are touching. For most kids, this is around 2 years old, but it could be earlier or later.
One of the worst is any beverage sweetened with sugar - soda, sports drinks, and even juice usually have tons of sugar. Because they are liquids - even a little sip gets all over your child’s teeth. Be extra careful with what your child drinks.
Cheeses, leafy green vegetables, and protein-rich foods are great choices.
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