When it comes to the best oral practices, starting them young is always a good idea. Early detection and treatment by a League City pediatric dentist helps keep your child healthy. The recommended time for your child’s first dental checkup is 6 months after their first tooth erupts. If you are unable to visit the dentist right away, have your checkup at least 12 months after the first baby tooth.
How to Prepare for the First Visit
Before going in for your first visit, talk to your child about what they can expect. Get your child excited so they build a good early relationship with the dentist. Talk about the dental clinic in a positive way so that your kid doesn’t develop any feelings of anxiety. The best time to bring them in is in the morning when they feel fresh. Once you meet the dentist, tell them about your child’s medical history. Let them know if your kid tends to be stubborn or get scared about medical examinations. Receiving moral support from everyone involved will benefit your child in the long run.
Benefits of the First Visit
Your child’s first visit to a League City family dentist should take 30 to 45 minutes. During this time, our dentist will be able to check for the following:
- Baby tooth decay and cavities
- Teething and pacifier habits
- Full mouth examination
- Oral tissue and gums
- Growth and development of teeth
Our League City pediatric dentist may also recommend cavity fillings or a gentle cleaning. The latter involves teeth polishing as well as removing tartar, plaque, and stains. Young children usually don’t need X-rays, but our dentist will watch out for early signs of dental defects.
Another benefit of the first visit is oral health education. Your child will be taught proper brushing to prevent cavities and tooth decay. Here at Autumn Family Dentistry, we believe that good oral habits should start a young age. Our friendly Houston pediatric dentist will explain the importance of oral hygiene in a manner your child can appreciate.
What to Expect at Our Clinic
At Autumn Family Dentistry, our goal is to make the dental experience enjoyable for the whole family. We have a separate youth reception area with a TV, games, and toys to make every child comfortable. Our bright, convenient facility is perfect for all ages, from infants to the elderly. We offer mild sedation for patients who are extra anxious. Once you step into our doors, you will be treated with professionalism by highly trained and skilled dental practitioners.
Visit Our League City Pediatric Dentist Today!
Autumn Family Dentistry offers a wide range of services, from cosmetic dentistry to oral surgery. We provide special care to our pediatric patients, making sure they are on the right path to excellent oral health. When it comes to your child’s wellness, you can trust our experienced and qualified dental practitioners. Contact us today to schedule your first visit!
Regular brushing coupled with flossing, using a Fluoride-enriched toothpaste, and regular visits to your trusted dentist are the gold standard in keeping your child’s teeth clean and healthy. When overall oral hygiene is maintained it allows our kids to not only look good but feel good. They are spared from the awful pain of a tooth ache and they can smile confidently without feeling conscious. As your trusted League City Pediatric Dentist, Autumn Family Dentistry believes that a healthy smile is always in season. However, despite our best effort our children can still develop cavities. That is why your League City Family Dentist suggests regular dental check-ups every six months to detect cavities and restore them before it is too late. Cavities, if left untreated, will worsen and may eventually require root canal, not to mention the tooth ache that will follow.
Get Your Dental Check-Up from Your Trusted League City Pediatric Dentist
They say that prevention is better than cure but detection is a close second. The American Dental Association recommends having a dental check-up every six months. This is to ensure that cavities and other oral problems are prevented and detected early when they take place. Cavities usually start forming in areas that are hard to reach when brushing (thus the need for flossing). These problem areas are also hard for the patient to monitor because of their location. In Autumn Family Dentistry, we have invested in state-of-the-art dental imaging equipment such as ultra low-dose digital x-rays and intra-oral cameras, so we can detect these problems while keeping our patients comfortable.
Tooth Restoration with Fillings by Our League City Dentist
When tooth decay is detected early, it can easily be restored using tooth-colored fillings. The affected area is first cleaned by your League City Pediatric Dentist by removing decayed tooth material and applying a solution that will prevent bacterial growth. After cleaning, the gaps are then filled. Tooth-colored filling is used because it comes in different shades and blends well with the existing tooth.
Tooth Ache and Root Canal
If a patient experiences tooth ache due to a tooth decay, the decay may have progressed beyond what a filling restoration can address. Cavities, if left untreated by your League City dentist, may lead to a root canal. A root canal treatment is a procedure done on a tooth where the decay has infected its pulp. The pulp is the soft inner portion of your tooth that contains blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue. Simply put, a root canal is the removal of the pulp and the subsequent filling of the pulp chamber and root canal to decontaminate the tooth, prevent future infection, and preserve the existing tooth structure. While the pulp plays a major role to a developing tooth, a mature tooth can survive losing its pulp because it can draw nutrition from surrounding tissue.
Keep your Teeth Healthy with Regular Visits to Your Trusted League City Pediatric Dentist
When it comes to our teeth, prevention is always better than cure. However, we do recognize that just sometimes life gets in the way and some develop cavities that may need a root canal. In Autumn Family Dentistry, we strive to provide the highest standards of care and part of that is providing a judgment-free environment where our patients can feel safe and openly discuss their problems without fear of being judged or castigated. If you have concerns regarding your teeth or need help in keeping it in good condition do not hesitate to call us and book an appointment.
If your child has recently completed dental braces treatment, you’re likely determined to protect the investment of time and money that was required to achieve such beautiful results. That said, sometimes our League City pediatric dentist will need to remove the wisdom teeth following braces, leaving many parents to wonder if it will affect their child’s teeth and bite, or if it’s even necessary at all. We’ll address these concerns and explain why wisdom teeth extraction after braces is an effective and often necessary treatment that will not affect the results of orthodontic treatments, such as braces or League City Invisalign.
Why Our League City Kids Dentist May Extract Wisdom Teeth
Wisdom teeth are the last set of molars to erupt and typically do so in early adulthood. There are occasions when these molars cause no issues, but that is not typically the case. Our League City dentist recommends that most patients have their wisdom teeth removed because there is simply not enough space in the mouth for the teeth to erupt without causing additional issues like the shifting of surrounding teeth as they force their way through the gumline. Unextracted wisdom teeth can cause pain and become partially or fully impacted, meaning they are trapped underneath the jaw. When this occurs and is left unaddressed, significant problems are likely to arise, such as gum disease, cysts, and infection.
When Will Our League City Pediatric Dentist Extract Wisdom Teeth?
Because wisdom teeth cause problems even before they erupt, our League City pediatric dentist typically removes them in adolescence, usually between the ages of 12-17. This prevents the wisdom teeth from causing the problems associated when these molars become impacted. The closer they emerge to the surface of the gumline, the more pressure they place on the surrounding tissue and jaw. This is also true if it’s clear there simply isn’t enough room for them to emerge without causing surrounding teeth to shift when they do.
Will Wisdom Teeth Extraction Affect Dental Braces Treatment Results?
Because our League City pediatric dentist typically recommends wisdom teeth extraction after dental braces treatment has been completed, many parents are concerned this procedure may impact the results dental braces or League City Invisalign has achieved. Interestingly enough, our League City dentist extracts wisdom teeth so these molars cannot affect the bite or position of the teeth. Since you’ve already invested a significant amount of time and money into orthodontic treatment, wisdom teeth extraction will protect your investment and prevent your child from the pain or issues wisdom teeth cause upon eruption.
Wisdom Teeth Extraction with Our League City Dentist
If our League City dentist has recommended wisdom teeth extraction for your child, the procedure takes two forms: a nonsurgical extraction and a surgical extraction. If the wisdom teeth are above the gumline, it will be a simple, nonsurgical extraction, in which our League City dentist numbs the area surrounding the tooth or teeth and then wiggles them loose before removing them with forceps. Because most wisdom teeth are extracted before they erupt, it is likely that our League City kids dentist will perform a surgical extraction to remove the molars below the gumline. This process begins with anesthesia that will allow you to fall asleep before our League City pediatric dentist opens the gum to access the tooth so it can be removed.
Trust Autumn Family Dentistry with Your Wisdom Teeth Extraction After Braces
If you believe you or your child may need wisdom teeth extracted, schedule an appointment with our League City family dentist. We’ll provide a thorough dental exam to determine the best course of treatment for each individual patient and ensure your comfort throughout. Don’t put off this important preventative measure and risk more significant problems for your child down the road.
There is more than one way our League City dentist can help you achieve straighter teeth and a more confident smile. The most common way to correct issues involving crooked, misaligned, or crowded teeth is through traditional metal dental braces. But how do metal dental braces compare to League City Invisalign? Here we explain each treatment in order to help you understand which one may be right for you and your unique dental needs.
Why Our League City Dentist May Recommend Dental Braces
Dental braces are used to correct an issue known as malocclusion, also known as an incorrect bite. Malocclusion presents in a number of ways, most notably:
- Crowding
- Overbite
- Underbite
- Missing lateral incisors
- Too much space between teeth
Should our League City family dentist see any of these issues with you or your child, dental braces treatment will be necessary to correct it. Depending on the severity of your or your child’s malocclusion, as well as you budget and lifestyle, our League City pediatric dentist will determine if metal braces or League City Invisalign is a better option.
Metal Braces with Our League City Family Dentist
Dental braces are designed to gradually straighten the teeth through a combination of wires and metal brackets, which our League City pediatric dentist tightens periodically to apply pressure on the teeth. This applied pressure causes the teeth to gradually shift into their proper position. Our League City kids dentist typically recommends braces treatment begin once all baby teeth have fallen out and the adult teeth have erupted, usually between ages 8-14. Our League City pediatric dentist often recommends metal dental braces for younger patients because they can correct virtually any severity or form of malocclusion. For adults, our League City cosmetic dentist may suggest metal dental braces as the most effective course of treatment, but don’t despair! Metal dental braces are sleeker and less noticeable than metal braces of the past.
Invisalign with Our League City Family Dentist
League City Invisalign is a popular alternative to metal dental braces, as it works to shift your teeth using clear aligners that are practically invisible. The aligners work to gradually move your teeth into their proper position, much like metal braces do, and can be removed when eating, drinking, and for special occasions. Not every patient is a good candidate for League City Invisalign, however; those with severe malocclusion issues may require metal dental braces in order to achieve desired results. Also, since the aligners are removed when eating, younger patients may forget to put them back in after eating and brushing, or misplace them altogether. In order for League City Invisalign to be an effective treatment, the aligners must be worn for 22 hours a day, every day.
Autumn Family Dentist Offers Dental Braces and League City Invisalign
Regardless of which treatment plan is best for you or your child, trust our League City cosmetic dentist to effectively correct your misalignment. Call our office today to schedule a consultation and determine the best course of action for your malocclusion. We’ll answer your questions and provide you with all the information you need to begin working toward straighter teeth and a more confident smile!
As a family dentist in League City offering numerous dental services, some patients may prefer to undergo dental sedation to calm their anxiety and to ensure we can properly treat their teeth. In this blog, our League City dentist will discuss more in-depth what dental sedation is and which methods we offer.
What is Pediatric Dental Sedation at Our League City Dentist Office?
Sedation is a safe technique in which we utilize different medications to help our young patients feel more relaxed. If your child is afraid of the dentist and/or even restless in the dental chair, pediatric sedation will keep them awake and responsive, but much calmer. This way, they feel safer and we can work on their teeth without the worry of sudden movements.
Types of Pediatric Dental Sedation Our League City Pediatric Dentist Offers
There are 3 types of sedation our League City dentist offers to children:
Laughing Gas
Laughing gas is made up of nitrous oxide and oxygen. Before your child’s dental treatment begins, we will place a mask over their nose to administer the gas. Laughing gas is completely harmless and a quick, effective way to reduce the anxiety that could result from a dental phobia. It can also easily be re-administered throughout the treatment if necessary. Further, laughing gas wears off fairly quickly, which means your child should feel back to their normal self shortly after the procedure.
Oral Sedation
Oral sedation is carried out by administering a pill prior to your child’s treatment. A bit stronger than laughing gas, your child could potentially doze off while sedated by this method. Because of this, we wouldn’t recommend oral sedation during a dental check-up, as we need your child to be awake so they can bite down, move their tongue, and tilt their head.
Anesthesia
Using a Class IV anesthetic will put your child to sleep completely. In fact, most of the time our League City pediatric dentist’s patients don’t even realize they’ve fallen asleep or had a procedure done due to how quickly time seems to pass while under anesthesia. Since this does result in deeper sedation, we typically use this when completing more invasive dental procedures, such as wisdom teeth removal (LINK).
Our League City Family Dentist Can Safely Sedate Your Child If Necessary
If your child has a dental phobia or has a hard time staying still and cooperating during a dental visit, then pediatric dental sedation may be a great solution. The right sedation method keeps your child comfortable and enables our League City pediatric dentist to do a high-quality job. If your child is in need of a dental check-up or other treatment, please schedule an appointment. We will be glad to understand their needs and give them a healthy smile with ease.
