Eruption Guide

Children’s Dental Care

Did you know caring for baby teeth is just as important as caring for adult teeth? Your children and teens need to learn healthy dental habits at a young age so they can maintain a good oral health care routine throughout life. Our team will help you and your child or teen learn more about healthy dental care and help them become accustomed to visiting the dentist regularly. Some of our services for kids and teens include:

Recall Exam (Check-Ups)

The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends routine dental check-ups and teeth cleaning every 6 months.  X-rays and fluoride are advised according to each patient’s caries risk.

Cleanings
Good home-care habits are vital to your child’s oral health, and bi-yearly cleanings are essential to maintaining his or her smile. During your child’s bi-yearly check-up and cleaning, Dr. Romero will remove plaque and build up that regular brushing and flossing can miss. He will also examine the development of your child’s teeth to ensure continued dental health and will offer wise council about at-home care that you and your child can understand and implement in his or her daily routine.

Sealants
Sealants are a preventive treatment recommended to protect the grooved and pitted surfaces of the teeth ― especially the chewing surfaces of back teeth where most cavities are found. Made of white resin, sealants are applied to the teeth to help them stay cavity-free. Even if your child brushes and flosses carefully, it is difficult to clean the tiny grooves and pits of certain teeth. Sealants literally “seal out” food and plaque, thus reducing the risk of decay.

Space Maintainers
Space maintainers hold open the empty space left by a lost primary tooth. They steady the remaining teeth, preventing movement until the permanent tooth takes its natural position in the jaw.

Athletic Mouthguards
If your child plays sports or other similar activities, mouthguards are a great way to protect their teeth from potential injury. They are easy to clean, come in many color combinations, and are custom made to fit comfortably in your child’s mouth.

Improve your child’s athletic performance and “play safe” with a custom mouthguard! Athletic mouthguards help enhance strength, endurance, and reaction time; reduce athletic stress; and, protect from jaw impact. Used by Olympians and sports professionals, the mouthguard improves ability and provides protection during many sports, including football, soccer, hockey, lacrosse, martial arts, wrestling and baseball.

Fillings
When any decay is removed from your child’s tooth, the natural shape of the tooth is restored, and the natural structure of the tooth is protected by the placement of a filling. In most instances, a tooth-colored resin composite will be the material used for the restoration. Special cases will require the use of silver amalgam.

Pulpotomy and Stainless Steel Crowns (X-rays)
The pulpotomy is an excellent way to save a primary tooth when its pulp (nerve and blood vessels) has been injured by decay or trauma. It involves removing a portion of the pulp and cleaning, medicating, and sealing the area. After a pulpotomy is performed on a primary tooth, a final restoration is needed. The most effective long-term restoration has been shown to be the stainless steel crown.

Strip Crowns (X-rays)
A strip crown is an anterior esthetic restoration made of composite resin. It is usually recommended on primary teeth with considerable damage and may also be placed as a final restoration after a pulpotomy. Dr. Romero’s expertise allows a natural and beautiful crown to cosmetically restore anterior areas of the mouth where cosmetics is more critical.