Safe & Comfortable—Always.

We have two goals with our pediatric dentistry practice: for kids to value the importance of their dental health and enjoy taking care of their teeth.

From cleanings to x-rays, everything we offer is designed to be as comfortable and worry-free as possible, while providing the most effective treatment available.

Dental Exams

Prior to checking your child, we discuss their medical history, past and present conditions, presence of any habits, diet, and oral hygiene at home. We will also ask about traumas, fears, and activities your kiddos love—basically, we are going to ask a lot of questions first!  We then perform a thorough examination to help us determine a personalized approach to care based on the information gathered. We place a lot of importance on the prevention of dental disease, and educate you and your child on various topics that are relevant to the appropriate developmental stage of your child.

Digital x-rays

Cleanings & Fluoride Treatments

Our highly trained dental assistants or hygienists will clean your kiddo's teeth with a variety of tools that remove soft plaque, firm tartar, and stain. After cleaning, fluoride treatments prevent tooth decay as it helps to strengthen teeth. Fluoride prevents loss of minerals from tooth enamel while promoting remineralization. It’s also an antibacterial agent, discouraging acid attacks that break down tooth structure.  Most often, our fluoride is applied through a varnish—it’s pretty sticky, but the sticky nature allows your child to eat and drink right after the appointment.  No more waiting hours after your appointment!

While we do believe that pediatric dentists have super powers, we don’t have the power of x-ray vision (sadly)! There are many parts of a tooth and its supporting structures that are hidden by close contacts or tissues, so X-rays are one of the important tools that help us to paint an accurate picture of a child's oral health. This helps with our ultimate goal—to prevent issues early before they can cause trouble. We utilize the safety principle of ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable), in order to minimize radiation exposure; however, we also understand parental concerns. Contact us if you have questions about the need for x-rays, as we want parents to be just as comfortable with our practice as our patients.

Dental Sealants

Sometimes brushing properly is not enough, especially when it comes to hard-to-reach spots in your child's mouth.  It’s difficult for a toothbrush to reach the small cracks and grooves on the surfaces of the posterior. If left alone, those tiny areas can easily develop tooth decay. Sealants give your child's teeth extra protection against biting surface decay and help prevent cavities.  Our dental sealants are BPA-free white tinted plastic resins that bond to the biting surfaces of the back molars, filling in the tiny grooves that toothbrush bristles can miss. Typically sealants are placed on permanent teeth, but for more cavity prone children, they may be suggested for baby teeth as well. We do hope to see a sealant last for 3-5 years, however, our office is unique in that we do not charge for a sealant touchup for as long as a patient is still seeing us.  We strive to maintain beautiful cavity free teeth, with our sealants  help, for years to come!

Nitrous oxide

This is the most frequently used method for easing mild-to-moderate anxiety in children. Administered through a small mask that fits over a child's nose, it’s an effective way to calm anxiety.  Your child will definitely be awake the entire time, and communicating with us as we provide tender, loving care.  At the end of the appointment, your child will be placed on pure oxygen for about 5 minutes as all the mild effects of the nitrous oxide disappear. As your child becomes older, and more comfortable, nitrous oxide may no longer be necessary. 

sedation & Anesthesia

At times, the extent of a child's needed dental work is more than what the child can handle, either due to age, or cooperation levels. In those instances, we do offer oral sedation using a benzodiazepine—called versed—for very short cases or IV general anesthesia for longer, more involved cases. Our most trusted anesthesiologist, Dr. Tom Lenhart of Bay Area Anesthesia, administers all general anesthesia within our practice.

Sports Dentistry & Mouth guards

Sports related emergencies come about and without notice!  Our team is here to not only treat the injuries, but also to help prevent them. We encourage our patients to wear a custom mouth guard when they are playing contact sports at an older age, or a store bought version for our younger kiddos that still have many teeth left to lose. Studies are currently showing potential of concussion prevention with the use of custom mouth guards, which is an added benefit to the protection of oral structures.

Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF)

SDF is our amazing "cavity-fighting" liquid that can be used to arrest tooth decay. The active ingredient in SDF is silver, which has been used in medicine for over a hundred years due to its potent antimicrobial properties and is also very effective in stopping cavity development after a cavity has initially formed. Unlike other treatment methods, SDF is applied to the teeth with a brush and takes less than a minute to apply with no noise and no drilling. This makes it a non-invasive, stress-free approach to tooth decay. Healthy tooth surfaces remain intact, but tooth decay (which is usually brown in color) turns very dark, nearly black after application. Most often we use SDF to treat small cavities beginning between the back teeth, which would not show any discoloration to the human eye. The best part? This amazing material has led to us having to do far less fillings!

Restorative Care

Sometimes despite our best efforts, cavities can occur, and restorative care—such as a filling or crown—may be needed. Fillings are completed with a white, tooth-colored, composite filling material that perfectly matches teeth. Composite materials allow for us to remove minimal amounts of tooth structure while effectively removing the decay. Should a cavity be larger, sometimes a crown may be necessary. We do offer both tooth colored, Sprig zirconium crowns, as well as traditional stainless steel crowns. Utilizing our digital x-rays, we will thoroughly explain the areas that require treatment and how procedures are completed.  We’re committed to a minimally invasive approach and will be sure to discuss all options beforehand—answering any questions that may arise.

Laser frenectomies

In infants, a tongue tie (ankyloglossia) can cause an infant to have trouble moving their tongue properly. This can cause difficulty with a baby latching and nursing effectively. Often times, this is uncovered at birth, or soon thereafter with the help of the pediatrician or a lactation consultant.  In children, a tongue tie can contribute to eating difficulties, speech challenges, breathing difficulties, as well as palatal changes.  We offer laser frenectomy therapies to quickly and safely cut these tight membranes in infants and children—allowing them to thrive.           

Extractions & Space Maintainers

Children can need extractions for a variety of reasons. Most commonly, it's a super stubborn baby tooth that refuses to come out—but we’re here to help! Our goal is to help children get through this type of appointment with ease and comfort. We do our best to provide an experience many parents only wish they had when they were younger. We pride ourselves on making the entire appointment as easy as possible, as we know this is the kind of appointment that can make children extra anxious.  Utilizing nitrous oxide, good local anesthetic technique (numbing medicine), and our awful attempt at singing (you have to hear it to believe it!), we make sure our patients leave with a smile!

Emergency & Dental Trauma Care

Accidents can happen any day, any time.  As parents, we want to make sure that our patients are well taken care of should an unexpected emergency arise.  Our office is part of a local call group with other pediatric dental colleagues, and we are available to our patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us, should you have any worries!