Gentle Pediatric Dentistry from Pediatric Dental Specialists in Southfield, MI

The American Dental Association recommends a professional cleaning and fluoride application every 6 months to help protect the teeth and gums. If it is determined by the dentist that your child is considered "high-risk" for developing dental decay, we may recommend a cleaning every 3 or 4 months.

Our digital X-ray equipment makes it easy to see the development of your child's teeth and jaw. Using a small handheld device, we can actually take an x-ray while your child watches a movie. It takes half the time of traditional x-rays and gives off MUCH LESS radiation.

After we diagnose oral disease or trauma, we can usually provide the needed therapy to treat the issue. But, if a specialist is needed, we will refer you to an appropriately trained doctor for the treatment. If your child sustains a dental emergency, such as a toothache, knocked out tooth, or fractured tooth, please call our office immediately.

If your child has deeply grooved teeth, a pit, or fissure caries, they should be sealed as soon as possible. This is not a permanent treatment, however. It protects the teeth while your child is learning to care for the adult teeth. Over the course of the years, we will periodically monitor and reassess your child's sealant to either remove or replace the sealant as needed.

A composite (tooth colored) filling is used to repair a tooth that is affected by decay, cracks, or fractures. First, we remove the decayed or affected portion of the tooth. Then, it is cleaned and filled with a composite filling. There are many types of filling materials available, and all have advantages and disadvantages. Composite fillings, along with silver amalgam fillings, are the most common fillings used today. Because composite fillings are tooth colored, we can closely match the color of the surrounding teeth, making them especially suited for use in front teeth or the more visible areas of your teeth.

Dental amalgam (silver) is the most commonly used restorative material for the back teeth. Dental amalgam fillings are effective in cavity treatment for primary and permanent teeth.

Crowns (caps) may be recommended if your tooth is either too difficult to restore with a traditional filling, or your tooth requires a pulpal therapy. If either of these conditions occur, your tooth is restored with a crown to protect it from further breakdown. Most often stainless steel crowns with white facings or all-white zirconia crowns are used to restore primary teeth for esthetic areas of the mouth. In pediatric patients, especially with baby teeth, stainless steel crowns are most commonly used because they are highly durable.

If your tooth is severely infected or injured, then it may need to be removed. This process is usually very simple in children.

If your child's baby tooth requires extraction or is lost well before the adult tooth that replaces it shows up, we may recommend a space maintainer to hold the space open until the permanent tooth comes in. These may be placed on one side of the mouth, or may extend to both sides of the mouth.

If your child has a habit that is affecting the growth or placement of his or her teeth, like thumb-sucking, finger-sucking, or tongue-thrusting, we have treatments that may help break the habit. Treatments may typically include use of a habit appliance and other options that our doctor may prescribe.

Nitrous oxide, a colorless and almost odorless gas, is a safe and an effective analgesic/anxiolytic agent used to calm a child's anxiety and pain during a dental procedure. Nitrous oxide is absorbed rapidly for both rapid onset and recovery.

Sometimes traditional approaches to treatment are insufficient to calm or soothe an extremely anxious or fearful child. In this case, we recommend sedation. The truth is, children with memories of an unpleasant visit to the dentist may develop a phobia that can be carried over into adulthood and can lead to neglect of his/her oral health. Our goal at Southfield Kid's Dentist to provide all our patients warm, compassionate, and quality dental care. We believe that by providing treatment in a gentle and caring manner, we can instill confidence and a lasting positive impression of dental care in your child. We offer many treatment options, including oral sedation and hospital dentistry at Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, tailored to the individual needs of our young patients and parents.

Children with extreme dental phobia, extensive dental decay, and/or complex medical conditions may need to have the treatments performed in one visit, at the hospital dentist, while the patient is under general anesthesia. Our doctors have special hospital privileges at Children's Hospital of Michigan (DMC) in Detroit where they are on staff to treat patients of our offices. The decision to perform your child's dental treatment under general anesthesia at the hospital should not be taken lightly. If you think your child is a candidate for hospital dentistry, we will thoroughly discuss this option with you during your visit to our office.

If your child's baby or adult teeth have large cavities that are either close to or into the nerve tissue, the tooth may require a pulpal therapy. We may either perform the following; a pulpotomy (removal of a portion of the infected nerve tissue leaving healthy tissue), a pulpectomy (removal of entire nerve tissue from canals), or root canal therapy. Symptoms that may require pulpal therapy include:

1. An abscess (or pimple) on the gums
2. Sensitivity to hot and cold
3. Severe toothache pain
4. Sometimes no symptoms are present
5. Swelling and/or tenderness