We also understand how important taking care of children’s teeth is. We will work with parents to ensure their children are taking good care of their teeth at home. We will also monitor their mouths for any problems so we can catch them early. If needed, we will work with your children’s regular doctor to treat any problems we find.
Preventative Dentistry
We recommend routine dental cleanings for several reasons. When we perform a professional cleaning, we remove the buildup of plaque and tartar. We also clean the parts of your child’s teeth that are hard to reach, such as underneath the gums.
After a cleaning, we will polish your child’s teeth so that they shine! We can also apply a fluoride treatment, if necessary, to help prevent tooth decay.
Oral Health Exams
We truly believe that regular dental examinations are important in order for your child to have good dental health and a smile of which he or she can be proud. We start by doing a professional cleaning, removing all of the bad tartar and other buildup on your child’s teeth.
We then do an examination, looking to catch and fix any problems before they become bigger ones. We examine each tooth, looking for any signs of decay, damage, or any other problems, such as signs of infection. We want to correct any problems your child may have before they get any worse.
Sedation Dentistry
One of the most commonly used types of sedation is nitrous oxide, which is also known as laughing gas. This helps many children relax during their procedure.
Nitrous oxide is a combination of two different gases–-oxygen and nitrous oxide. We administer the gas through a small mask placed over your child’s nose. The gas will make your child relax without the full effect of anesthesia.
Silver Diamine Fluoride
Silver Diamine Fluoride is an antimicrobial liquid that can stop current decay in a non-invasive, fast, affordable, and painless manner. The liquid is simply brushed on to the cavity for 1 minute and the area is covered with fluoride varnish. This treatment has been proving very successful; however, there is an aesthetic downside. It can discolor the tooth with a dark spot as the lesion gets hardened up and mineralized.
Cavities and Fillings
Dental fillings are used to treat different dental problems like cavities and broken teeth. Teeth are usually filled with a material called composite resin, which is designed to look like natural teeth. Fillings can also be done with gold, porcelain, or silver amalgam.
Composite resin takes a little longer, though most people still prefer it because it creates natural-looking teeth. It takes more than one layer, and a special light is used to harden the area around the filling.
Mouthguards
Children may grind their teeth at night, which can cause a lot of damage. It is often beneficial for them to wear a mouthguard at night.
Mouthguards are also helpful during sports activities. They can help protect your child’s teeth and jaw from any potential damage from accidents like a blow to the face.
Whether or not the sport your child plays is high-impact, wearing a mouthguard might be helpful in case your child clenches his or her teeth during the game.
Dental Crowns
A tooth can lose its normal shape and size for a variety of reasons. A crown covers the tooth to help restore its original shape and size. Crowns can also be used to make teeth stronger and look better.
Crowns have a variety of uses. In some cases that require a large filling, there isn’t enough tooth remaining to keep the filling in place. A crown can strengthen the tooth and hold the filling. Crowns can also protect teeth that are weak, or help fix ones that are broken. Discolored or misshapen teeth can be covered by a crown, as can dental implants.
Pulp Therapy
Endodontics is a specialized form of dentistry that deals with the dental pulp in the center of teeth. Usually if your child needs endodontic work, you would have to take him or her to a specialist instead of being treated by a regular dentist. That is why we are proud to be able to help our patients by offering specialized endodontic procedures!
Space Maintainers
Space maintainers are used when children lose their baby teeth early. This sometimes happen due to trauma or even decay. When a tooth is lost, other teeth will shift to fill in the space. Though this sounds good, it actually can cause a lot of spacing and alignment problems when the adult teeth start to come in. Because of this, spacers are used to fill in the space where the tooth is missing so that the other teeth stay in place.
Anxiety Reduction Technique
Here at Suk Young Ahn DDS , we are dedicated to anxiety management in our patients.
Many parents are afraid of the dentist. Since children learn everything just by watching and listening, they may pick up on the fear and anxiety their parents face when they visit the dentist.
For this reason, we recommend bringing your child in every six months to get used to us and our office so that they don’t have any fear.