Children’s Dentistry

Children’s Dental Checkups & Teeth Cleanings

During your child’s visit, we’ll be gentle, caring and accommodating towards their needs every step of the way. When your child visits at a relatively young age, we’ll spend more of your visit discussing proper at-home oral care and treatments to keep in mind as their mouth develops. Of course, we always take the time to remove any plaque or tartar that we do see and confirm that teeth are erupting as planned.

Dental Sealants

As your child’s teeth develop, they’ll need to practice their oral care routine in between regular visits to the dental office. However, some teeth are more susceptible to tooth decay than others, including the molars and premolars. With composite resin dental sealants, our dental office can seal the many pits and fissures away from oral bacteria. This reduces the rate at which plaque and tartar can form on teeth and protects them for up to 10 years without issue.

Special Needs Dentistry

When your child has special needs, it can be worrisome not knowing whether or not your doctor is capable of meeting their accommodations. While this may be true for some dentists in the field, it is not the case when you visit Warnick and Semder. Not only do we take the steps to ensure your child’s special needs are met when you arrive, but we always remain patient and kind during the course of their appointment.

Sedation Dentistry for Kids

Whether your child has anxiety, fear or special needs that make dental care difficult to receive, our dental office has a solution that can reduce all three. Through sedation dentistry with nitrous oxide, we can make your child feel far more comfortable in a safe and highly-regulated fashion. This ensures that they can get the dental care they need in a relaxing way and environment. Nitrous oxide is administered through a nasal mask, allowing for quick, on-the-fly adjustments to the provided sedative. Once complete, we can remove the effects of the sedative as quickly as they appeared.

Children’s Dentistry FAQ

We understand that you want to do everything possible to protect your child’s developing smile however you can. That’s why it’s expected that you may have many questions, and it’s exactly why Warnick and Semder Dentistry is here to answer them to the best of our ability. Below, you can even read a handful of the most common questions we receive regularly for your convenience! If your question isn’t mentioned, we encourage you to give us a call directly and we’ll help you however we can.

My child’s tooth hurts. What should I do?

Start by making sure there is nothing stuck in between their teeth, which is a great tip for both children and adults. This can be done by gently sliding a piece of dental floss between their teeth (and never using your fingernails or foreign objects like toothpicks to do so.) If you’ve determined a toothache caused by something else is present, give them an ibuprofen and have them hold a cold compress against their cheek. Make sure to remove it in 10-minute intervals to avoid damaging their skin. If swelling and fever occurs and you can’t get to our office right away, go to your pediatrician or an urgent care center for antibiotics.

Should I be worried about my child’s pacifier and thumb-sucking habits?

During their younger years (3 and younger), using a pacifier or sucking their thumb is not a huge concern. However, once they reach past the age of 4, you’ll want to bring them in to our office for help. In most cases, these habits go away on their own, but long-term practice of them can negatively affect their mouth’s development. At our office, we’ll examine their mouth and habits, then offer solutions on what you can do to break these habits moving forward.

When should my child’s first checkup occur?

We (as well as the American Dental Association) recommend that you bring your child to the office within six months of their first tooth erupting. Alternatively, you can give us a call once they reach one year of age. Even if they do not have any teeth, early exams help your child get acquainted with the dentist and allow us to confirm no problems are present.

Do baby teeth actually matter?

There are many reasons why it’s important to keep baby teeth healthy as they undergo development. Healthy baby teeth allow them to eat, speak, and smile with ease and comfort. If they are missing multiple teeth because of tooth decay or physical injuries, it can negatively affect confidence in their smile. Furthermore, baby teeth that come out early can cause permanent teeth to erupt too soon, resulting in misalignment of their smile and bite.

What is a safe diet for my child’s teeth?

The more sugar that is in your child’s diet, the worse it is for their teeth. While sweet foods are okay as a treat every once in a while, having them for every meal and to snack on can affect their enamel for many years to come. Make sure they eat whole foods every day that are low in sugar. This could include nuts, cheese sticks, fresh fruits, eggs, celery with peanut butter, and lean meats. Avoid chewy and sticky substances that can easily stay on teeth for long periods of time or hard candies which can even crack teeth!