Helping Children Enjoy Healthy Smiles

Shirley, NY, Healthy SmilesThe habits we learn at a young age can set us up for success in adulthood. When it comes to healthy smiles, introducing your little one to regular dental care establishes the importance of daily brushing and flossing. Kids who know they have upcoming dental visits know they need to take care of their smiles. That is why we recommend bringing your children to cleanings and exams with the same frequency we recommend for adults. Biannual visits combine professional cleaning services with examinations that identify active concerns and track the development of your child’s smile. This means detecting problems with tooth decay or gum disease when conservative options are available for treatment. To give kids an additional level of support, we provide services such as fluoride treatments and dental sealants that fight plaque accumulation while children are still learning to take care of themselves.

At your Shirley, NY pediatric dentist and orthodontist, we take pride in teaching children oral care habits that result in healthy smiles. We foster a welcoming environment that puts your child at ease when they attend their first visits. We believe when children enjoy their time at the dentist’s office, it increases their commitment to caring for their smile. This results in a win for parent, child, and dentist alike!

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Identifying And Treating Tooth Decay

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A primary concern for children’s smiles is preventing or treating tooth decay before it can significantly harm them. By preserving their baby teeth until it is the appropriate time to fall out, your child’s jaw grows appropriately. However, decay that leads to early extractions or damaged teeth can greatly affect their development. By spotting the signs of a cavity early, we can provide treatment and let your little one know the areas that require more attention when brushing and flossing. If your little one complains of a sudden toothache, call our office for an emergency appointment. We can investigate whether an interventive treatment is necessary to prevent the spread of decay or infection and help relieve their pain.

At your Shirley, NY, pediatric dentist and orthodontist, we can help your young child enjoy a healthy smile when they attend routine checkups and cleanings. These appointments provide regular examinations to ensure their smile is cavity-free. When we do notice the signs of decay, we can place fillings on the same day and have our little one out the door in no time!

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Your Child’s Next Dental Checkup

thumbs up toddlerDo you stay on top of your little one’s dental examination schedule? By bringing them to the dentist every six months, we can clean your child’s teeth and monitor the development of their smile. Because children are learning the healthy habits that set them up for a lifetime of success, these visits are critical to see that they are performing as expected. At each appointment, we discuss appropriate brushing and flossing techniques and identify areas where they should concentrate. Digital imaging allows us to create a record that quickly identifies when any active concerns appear in your little one’s oral structures. We can immediately provide additional services to help get issues like tooth decay or gum infection under control.

At your Shirley, NY, pediatric dentist and orthodontist, caring for children’s smiles is our number one priority. While we provide services to family members of all ages, helping young children develop healthy teeth is our specialty. When your little one receives high-quality care, you prevent the need for more involved restorative procedures at a later age. We can track the growth of their adult teeth and perform services to straighten their grins when necessary. At each checkup, we can discuss the need for further smile protection. By offering dental sealants and fluoride treatments, we go the distance to protect young enamel from oral bacteria.

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Removing A Child’s Cavity

The kid lost a tooth. Baby without a tooth. Portrait of a little girl no tooth. High quality photo

Teaching young children the importance of maintaining healthy smiles is a cornerstone of their development. This is why regular cleanings and checkups from an early age help them adopt daily oral hygiene practices like brushing and flossing their teeth. When they discuss their practices at the end of their dental checkup, they know which parts of their smile to focus on in the coming months. While a preventive attitude is key to preventing active threats like tooth decay and gum infection, sometimes your child may still experience one of these problems. If we discover a cavity during their checkup, we will recommend removing it immediately to help preserve as much natural material as possible. It is important to maintain even baby teeth until it is the appropriate time for them to fall out, as the proper growth of their jaw depends on this spacing.

At your Shirley, NY, pediatric dentist and orthodontist, we offer our services to every member of your family. When serving our little patients, we take extra time to instill lessons that help them make healthy decisions when they are outside of our office. By seeing them at least twice per year, we can protect against any oral harm and provide immediate treatment early when they appear. If your child develops tooth decay or a gum problem, routine checkups make it possible to repair these problems quickly.

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When Younger Children Need Orthodontics

Dental Blue Removable Brace or Retainer for Teeth in the Boys Mouth, Orthodontic concept

If your child develops problems with improper dental alignment, we can begin orthodontic treatment as early as age seven. By identifying the need for interventive correction at this stage in your child’s growth, we help them develop a straighter, healthier smile in adolescence and adulthood.

In today’s blog, your Shirley, NY, pediatric dentist and orthodontist discusses the methods we use to improve the spacing of your child’s teeth. Known as phased orthodontics, this earlier approach sets the stage for a lifetime of beautiful smiles!

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Recognizing The Signs Of Tooth Decay

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When you learn to spot the symptoms of tooth decay, you can better help your child take care of their smile. Because little ones are still developing their brushing and flossing skills, we must stress the importance of regularly removing plaque without skipping hygiene sessions. If your child wakes up with a pain in one of their teeth that will not go away, you should call us right away. We can X-ray the tooth to determine the cause of the pain and provide immediate relief with a filling or other treatment.

At your Shirley, NY, pediatric dentist and orthodontist, we promote a preventive attitude toward caring for children’s smiles. This means scheduling cleaning and exams twice per year to help them on their smile journey. By creating a detailed dental record, we can observe any sudden changes in your child’s smile and provide treatment whenever necessary.

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Taking On Crooked Teeth With Invisalign Treatment

A Young smiling woman holding invisalign braces over white background studio, dental healthcare and Orthodontic concept.

Is your smile as straight as you would like it to be? If you have been exploring your options for orthodontic treatment, Invisalign clear aligners provide a clear alternative to traditional braces. With their removable, BPA-free translucent trays, Invisalign is the perfect option for patients who desire a more discreet form of care. This allows you to change your appearance on your terms without the need for bulky metal wires and permanent brackets. You may find that straightening your smile in this manner provides an easier time for performing your oral hygiene routine. With braces, food and debris can collect on your appliance, increasing your temporary risk for decay.

At your Shirley, NY, pediatric dentist and orthodontist, we suggest fixing malocclusion for a host of different reasons. While the esthetic benefits are obvious, a straighter smile boosts your long-term oral health by protecting your teeth from undue wear and tear. If this option sounds attractive, give us a call and schedule a consultation today!

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We Offer Robust Dental Care For Kids!

smiling kidChildhood is all about learning lessons that set one up for success as they grow. When it comes to healthy smiles, we love teaching kids how to best care for their oral health with regular hygienic habits. We all know a child who can’t get enough sweets, but learning to make healthy choices at mealtime is another important step toward preserving your smile. When you bring your little one in for a cleaning and exam, we end each appointment by reviewing your child’s brushing and flossing technique and highlighting areas that could use a little improvement. As they continue to grow, we monitor the health of their teeth to see that they are learning the proper ways to continue caring for their smile.

At your Shirley, NY, pediatric dentist and orthodontist, we pride ourselves on our caring attitude toward young children. We believe that an investment in a child’s regular dental care can pay big dividends by preventing future restorative work that becomes necessary with bad hygienic habits. Because this is such an important time in their development, we can offer additional services to protect your children’s teeth as they fully learn to take care of their smile. Fluoride treatments and dental sealants boost the protection of your little one’s enamel to prevent cavity formation as they age.

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Choosing Between Braces And Invisalign Treatment

Young woman with braces

If you have been thinking about your options for correcting the spacing of your teeth, we can help explore the differences between traditional braces and treatment with Invisalign therapy. Advancements in orthodontic technology mean you can select from a variety of different treatments that fit your level of malocclusion and lifestyle best. Each service has the same goal of bringing your smile into a more uniform position, but they go about achieving this goal rather differently. For adolescent patients, we often recommend wearing braces as your jaw is more malleable than an adult’s. This means completing your straightening treatment in less time than an older person. For others, or those with a milder case of crooked teeth, we could suggest Invisalign treatment with clear aligners. These BPA-free trays offer the additional benefit of being removable, allowing you to clean your smile more easily throughout treatment.

At your Shirley, NY, orthodontist, and pediatric dentist, we help straighten smiles to bring out the best in our patients. We combine an eye for esthetics with the important health benefits of a smile that is easier to clean. Straightening your teeth can also prevent damage that comes from the physical wear and tear of an unaligned bite. When you understand the differences between traditional orthodontics and clear aligner therapy, you may make your decision more easily.

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The Joy Of A Child’s Healthy Smile

beautiful and tender mexican indigenous girl smiling happily at the camera. Hispanic

When you give your child the gift of regular dental care, they build the foundation for a lifetime of healthy smiles! Their needs are similar to yours and require biannual checkups to ensure that their teeth are clean and free from decay. This means that regular pediatric checkups provide the same protection as an adult’s cleanings with a few added services to offer additional protection. We use fluoride treatments and dental sealants to help preserve enamel as your little one masters their daily brushing and flossing technique. By performing regular exams as they grow, we can detect any problems in their development early and provide timely treatment. If it has been a while since your child’s last checkup, please call us today to schedule an appointment!

At your Shirley, NY, pediatric dentist and orthodontist, we pride ourselves on the smiles we help build as young children grow. By providing a comforting environment to introduce the concepts of dental maintenance, we hope that your young one can look forward to their next cleaning. We provide a fun-loving, patient atmosphere to answer any questions they have about their oral health so that they understand the importance of their participation in protecting their teeth.

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