Choosing a family dentist in Cedar Park as your primary dental care provider means everyone in your household can receive care. We recommend that children start visiting the dentist around the time they are one year old. Once your child reaches adolescence and their teen years, we can begin discussing orthodontics and wisdom teeth removal. Our Cedar Park, TX, dental office offers extensive pediatric dentistry for children and teenagers. We also provide additional general dentistry services in Cedar Park.
Why is Pediatric Dental Care Essential?
Even before the first baby teeth grow, an oral hygiene routine is essential. Wiping the gums with a clean cloth will prevent bacterial buildup. Brushing and flossing, routine dental visits, and a healthy diet will prevent cavities and gum disease as your child grows. Enforcing good oral health habits will also encourage proper speech development and nutrition. The way the teeth grow informs how your child eats and speaks.
Your child’s dental health will inform their future dental health. Teaching your child how to brush, floss, and care for their dental health will encourage them to do the same as they grow.
Bad Oral Health Habits
Even bad oral health habits like nail biting and thumb-sucking can impact your child’s development. When your child bites their nails, they place pressure on the teeth. They can potentially chip or break a tooth. Added pressure can also contribute to tooth misalignment.
Thumb sucking can affect tooth development as the permanent teeth emerge. Like nail biting, the pressure from thumb sucking can affect tooth alignment. Nail biting and thumb sucking are also unsanitary. These habits bring bacteria from the hands to the mouth, increasing the risk of dental infections.
It can take time to reduce the occurrence and completely prevent these bad habits. To stop your child from bad oral health habits, you can gently talk to them about the habit. Limit the time they bite their nails or suck their thumb and praise them when they don’t turn to these habits. You can also use alternative objects like stuffed animals to help them self-soothe.
Pediatric Dentistry in Cedar Park, TX
Our pediatric services include preventative care that keeps the teeth and gums healthy:
Routine Cleanings and Exams
Dental cleanings and exams are essential for children of all ages. Biannual exams allow our team to diagnose and treat issues before progressing and becoming more challenging. Before a dental cleaning in our Cedar Park, TX office, we perform a visual exam with a dental mirror. We also take dental X-rays to see problems or developments we cannot see with a visual exam.
Dental cleanings remove plaque and tartar that have built up between the teeth and around the gumline. Plaque is a sticky bacterial film that can coat the teeth and gums.
Once plaque hardens, it turns into tartar. Tartar is more challenging to clean without the help of a dental professional. Cleanings can reduce your child’s chances of developing tooth decay and gum disease.
Dental Sealants
Sealants are clear resin coatings we apply over the molars. They prevent bacteria from building up in the grooves of the teeth. Sealants are quick, easy to apply, last many years, and are practically invisible. Dental sealants prevent tooth decay from developing in areas that are hard to reach with a toothbrush, especially for kids.
Fluoride Treatment
During a fluoride treatment, we apply a highly concentrated fluoride varnish to the teeth and wait at least thirty minutes for the varnish to absorb.
We recommend fluoride treatments for kids because they can enhance and strengthen their teeth. Fluoride is a natural mineral that helps strengthen the tooth enamel or outer layer. We provide fluoride treatments after dental cleanings to help kids have strong, healthy teeth for life. In some cases, fluoride can even reverse early signs of decay.
Dental Fillings
We provide dental fillings in our Cedar Park, TX office. While traditional fillings use multiple types of metal, they may not be the safest option. Metal fillings can contain trace amounts of mercury and increase tooth sensitivity and discomfort.
Instead, we recommend white fillings to fill cavities. White fillings are safe for children because they use composite materials. Treating a cavity with a filling will help your child keep their tooth and prevent the need for a tooth extraction.
Kid-Friendly Amenities
We strive to make pediatric patient visits productive and fun! We offer a variety of kid-friendly amenities at our practice, which include:
- Play area full of toys
- Books for all ages
- Cozy blankets
- Video games and tablets
- Prize box with fun prizes
- Cavity-Free club
Fostering Generations of Healthy Smiles
At Vista Ridge Family Dentistry, we don’t just provide high-quality dental care for kids of all ages. Our team loves inspiring children to care for their teeth and gums from a young age so that they become dental health-conscious adults.
By scheduling biannual dental visits for your child, you are helping to familiarize them with dentistry and setting them up for success in the future. Even if they’re not in the cavity-free club every time they visit us, trying your best to help them maintain a healthy smile is what counts!
Join Our Healthy Smiles Club!
Your child can join our Healthy Smiles Club and get rewarded for good oral health habits:
How to Get Into the Club
A patient is eligible for the Healthy Smiles Club if they:
- Are 14 or younger
- Get a check-up (exam and cleaning)
- Have zero cavities
- Receive no additional treatments (not including cosmetic or elective treatments)
Additionally, a patient is eligible for the Healthy Smiles Club if they:
- Are 14 or younger
- Get a check-up
- Have one or more cavities but receive treatment
Then, we make sure we have consent for a photo and take a Polaroid of the club member. We put the patient’s name, number, and age on the Polaroid. Finally, we will place the picture on the Healthy Smiles wall.
How Do You Choose the Winner?
Drawings are held during the first week of every month. Patients will be entered in the drawing the month following their appointment. For example, if a club member visits us in August, their name may be drawn during the September drawing. Our office will contact the winner using the phone number on the Polaroid. For the next month, we will feature the Healthy Smiles Club winner on our social media pages and website.
What Can They Win?
Our awesome prizes can include:
- Nintendo Switch
- Bike
- Fire Tablet, Season passes to SeaWorld or Six Flags
- Bluetooth Speaker
- Toy of choice
- Lego set of choice
…and more!
Pediatric Dentistry FAQs
Pediatric dentistry keeps your child’s smile healthy. Learn more by reading the answers to the commonly asked questions.
What can I expect during my child’s first dental visit?
During your child’s first dental visit, the pediatric dentist will gently examine your child’s teeth, gums, and mouth to ensure proper development. The dentist may also clean your child’s teeth if needed and guide you on caring for their oral health. For younger children, the first visit may be a “lap visit,” where they sit on your lap while the dentist examines their mouth. This visit is usually short, non-invasive, and designed to be a positive experience to help your child feel comfortable.
Why are baby teeth important if they eventually fall out?
Baby teeth are crucial for several reasons, even though they eventually fall out. They help children chew, speak, and maintain space for permanent teeth to come in correctly. Early loss of baby teeth due to decay or trauma can lead to alignment issues with permanent teeth. Keeping baby teeth healthy ensures a child’s smile stays beautiful and permanent teeth come in properly.
Is thumb sucking harmful to my child’s teeth?
Thumb sucking is a common habit among infants and toddlers, but if it continues beyond the age of 4, it can affect the development of teeth and the alignment of the jaws. Prolonged thumb sucking can lead to open bites, where the front teeth don’t touch when the mouth is closed. If your child is still sucking their thumb after the age of 4, it may be a good idea to speak with a pediatric dentist, who can offer tips on how to break the habit.
What are sealants, and does my child need them?
Dental sealants are thin, protective coatings applied to the chewing surfaces of back teeth to prevent cavities. Sealants are especially beneficial for children because the grooves on their molars are deep and can trap food and bacteria. Sealants are a quick, painless procedure and can protect for several years. Most children benefit from sealants, particularly after their permanent molars enter, to prevent cavities in these hard-to-reach areas.
When should my child start using toothpaste?
For children under 3 years old, you should start brushing their teeth as soon as the first tooth appears, using a small amount of fluoride toothpaste (about the size of a grain of rice). As your child ages, you can gradually increase the amount of toothpaste to a pea-sized amount. Be sure to teach your child to spit out the toothpaste rather than swallow it, and supervise their brushing until they are old enough to do it effectively.
How can I prevent dental anxiety in my child?
To prevent dental anxiety, make dental visits a positive experience. Use calm and reassuring language when talking about the dentist, and avoid using words that may sound scary, such as “pain” or “needle.” Some pediatric dental offices have child-friendly environments with colorful decorations, toys, and even television shows or videos to distract your child during the visit. The more relaxed and comfortable your child feels, the likelier they will enjoy dental appointments.
Call Your Local Family Dentist
Contact Vista Ridge Family Dentistry for pediatric dentistry in Cedar Park, TX. Schedule a dental appointment online for your child or anyone else in your family. Please get in touch with our front office or call 512-866-9654.