Monday - Thursday: 9:10am - 6:00pm
Friday: 8:10am - 5:00pm
Friday: 8:10am - 5:00pm
At Delgado Dental Group, we believe every child deserves a healthy, happy smile. We take a proactive approach to helping children establish a strong foundation of good oral health at an early age—teaching them the skills and routines that will protect their teeth and gums throughout their lives. We offer comprehensive services to ensure our youngest patients get the care they need to keep their smiles healthy and bright.
According to the American Dental Association (ADA), children should visit the dentist by their first birthday or within six months after their first tooth emerges. During these short visits, our dentists can provide guidance on infant oral care, answer your questions, and offer advice on topics like teething, brushing, and pacifier use.
A child's smile is a work in progress! There’s lots of dental and skeletal development yet to go and many variables like oral hygiene, diet, and oral habits that can impact a youngster’s oral health and overall wellness. For all these reasons, it’s recommended children get routine checkups and cleanings every six months. These regular appointments allow our office to monitor the health and development of your child's jaws, teeth, bite, and soft and hard tissues in and around their smiles. At checkup visits, we can see what’s healthy and developing properly while detecting potential issues, including cavities, before they become larger problems.
We also take advantage of the opportunity a checkup visit offers to perform a professional dental cleaning and provide parents and children with age-appropriate brushing and flossing instructions, nutritional guidance, and information on healthy and unhealthy oral habits.
As part of an effective oral hygiene routine, we encourage children to brush twice a day with a recommended fluoride toothpaste and to floss daily once they have two teeth that touch. By making brushing and flossing a fun part of your child's daily routine and helping them perform these tasks until they can do them independently, you can make a world of difference in preventing tooth decay and helping your little one maintain good oral health.
At Delgado Dental Group, we also offer common preventive treatments like periodic fluoride treatments to strengthen tooth enamel and dental sealants, which are thin protective coatings applied to the chewing surfaces of the permanent back teeth. These measures provide an extra layer of defense against cavities and are especially beneficial for younger patients who may still be mastering brushing and flossing.
Every checkup visit also gives our office the opportunity to monitor your child's smile as they grow. Early detection of crowding, misalignment, and bite issues allows for timely intervention. Remember, harmful oral habits like thumb-sucking, prolonged pacifier use, and even nail-biting can have a negative impact on a child’s dental development— affecting the alignment of teeth and even jaw growth if they persist beyond a certain age. When a harmful oral habit is present, our dentists provide the guidance, strategies, and referrals needed to help ensure the proper development of your child's teeth and bite.
Of course, a balanced diet plays a crucial role in maintaining your child’s oral health. Excessive sugary snacks and drinks can lead to cavities and other dental issues, as sugar fuels the bacteria that produce acid, eroding tooth enamel. Our dental team educates children and parents on making healthy dietary choices that support strong, decay-resistant teeth. We encourage replacing sugary beverages with water and choosing nutritious snacks over sweets to help keep your child’s smile healthy and cavity-free.
Finally, it's also essential to help protect your child's smile from dental trauma. Although it's impossible to prevent every accident, we recommend children involved in certain team sports and recreational activities wear a sports mouthguard to help protect their teeth and jaws from injury. Mouthguards provide a cushion that helps prevent tooth fractures, jaw injuries, and other potential harm caused by impacts during contact sports. Our office will advise you on the best custom-fit mouthguard to help keep your child’s smile safe while they stay active.
At Delgado Dental Group, we provide every member of your family with the skilled care they need to enjoy optimal oral health. In focusing on these essential aspects of pediatric dental care, our office strives to help every smile reach its full potential.
A pedodontist is a dentist who has received advanced specialty training in meeting the dental needs of children from infancy to adolescence. Pedodontists, also referred to as "pediatric dentists," study child psychology, behavior management, caring for children with special needs, methods of handling oral/facial trauma, and various techniques for providing anesthesia and sedation. Pedodontists also understand the complexities of facial growth and development and have clinical skills required to meet the dental needs of all children at every stage of development. Most of all, pedodontists are passionate about what they do and enjoy working with children. They strive to make every dental experience a positive one as they help children establish a strong foundation for good oral health.
Even before your child is born, their first set of teeth is already forming. In fact, by one year of age, some of your baby's front teeth will have already come into place. While the arrival of your baby's first teeth is only one of many developmental milestones, it represents an excellent time to begin a program of oral care. According to recommendations from the American Dental Association, babies should see the dentist around the time of their first birthdays.
Your baby's first teeth typically begin to appear in the 6 to 12-month range. While this is an extraordinary milestone, you need to be aware that your baby may find the experience a little bit uncomfortable. Teething can make babies feel irritable. They may be fussy, have trouble sleeping, not want to eat, and drool quite a bit.
Although you are powerless to speed up the process of teething, there are a few things that you can do to soothe your baby as the new teeth are erupting into place. Common approaches to helping your baby feel more comfortable while getting new teeth, include teething rings or a cold spoon or moist gauze rubbed over their gums.
Even for these few new teeth, it's absolutely essential to establish an effective regimen of oral care. For information on when your baby's first set of teeth will erupt into place, consult this timeline from the American Dental Association: http://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/e/eruption-charts
Some children persist in sucking their thumbs or fingers beyond their preschool years. For these children, the activity continues to be a source of comfort, relaxation, and security. It may even help them fall asleep at night. However, it's essential to be aware that in the long-term, a finger sucking habit is not healthy.
If your child's thumb or finger sucking habit is still present when the permanent teeth begin to come in, your child is at a higher risk of developing a bad bite. By the age of five or six years, you need to constructively and gently help your child stop the habit.
It's also a good idea to have a comprehensive evaluation at this time. Your pedodontist can assess if there are any habit related alterations to the alignment of your child's teeth or jaws, or if it is affecting their speech or swallowing patterns. They can also discuss habit control strategies with you, as well as follow your child's bite and facial development as they grow. If interceptive appliances or corrective orthodontic care are recommended, the timetable and best options in care will be explained in complete detail.
At Delgado Dental Group, we provide skilled and compassionate care to help patients of all ages enjoy healthy, beautiful smiles.
