Pediatric Dentistry
Seeing a smile on your child’s face is the most exhilarating thing ever. Here at NKC Dental, we practice pediatric dentistry in North Kansas City, MO designed to help you see many more smiles! Our child-friendly office and specially-trained dentists are focused on your child’s dental health from infancy, through childhood and as they grow into adolescence and beyond. Besides regular cleanings and oral care, NKC Dental’s children’s oral health experts also care for unique pediatric dentistry situations.
Healthy Start™ Orthodontics
You usually think of pediatric dentistry and orthodontics as separate disciplines—one for dental cleanings and the other for braces to straighten crooked teeth. But NKC Dental uses the Healthy Start™ Orthodontics protocol to help children grow into healthy, straight teeth without braces! Based on 54 years of intensive research, the Healthy Start™ Orthodontics system guides children’s teeth into healthy alignment as their mouth and dental structure grows. Unlike braces or other aligners that force teeth into position, the system we use here gently guides them into place without an expensive, 24/7 braces commitment.
Pulpotomies
It’s important to schedule a pediatric dental checkup when your baby sprouts their first tooth (usually between 6 months and a year old). Starting good dental hygiene and oral health habits with your child very early is key to helping prevent painful tooth decay. We understand, however, that it can be hard for growing kids to remember to brush thoroughly, and sometimes tooth decay happens. If your child experiences an infected baby tooth, it’s important to treat it promptly, even if it’s just a baby tooth. Baby teeth perform an important place-holding function for the eruption of adult teeth. If a severe pulp infection occurs in a baby tooth, our pediatric dentist in North Kansas City, MO can save the tooth by performing a “pulpotomy”. The infected pulp is removed from the tooth, leaving root canal tissue in place. The tooth is then disinfected and filled. Pulpotomies may also be necessary if your child severely injures a tooth and infection is likely to result. This will save the baby tooth until it’s time for the adult tooth to take its place.
Crowns for Baby Teeth
If a child’s baby tooth is injured, damaged, or infected and then removed before its time, it can negatively affect your child’s oral health and dental alignment. This is why your NKC Dental’s pediatric dentist might recommend a crown over a damaged baby tooth to preserve its role as your child’s jaw develops. This can prevent having painful and expensive treatments and procedures in the future.
Fillings for Baby Tooth Cavities
On average, almost a quarter of kids will experience a cavity during childhood. Here at NKC Dental, we recommend helping your kids with daily dental hygiene to lower their chances of experiencing cavities. If they do get a cavity, however, our North Kansas City pediatric dentist can make treating cavities and getting fillings a quick, easy, and comfortable process for your child. We typically use a composite resin filling material for pediatric dental fillings because it matches your child’s tooth color, making the treated cavity invisible in your child’s mouth.
Pediatric Dental Cleanings
Of course, the top goal for all of us here at NKC Dental is to help your child grow into a healthy, bright smile every day through education on daily oral hygiene and regular dental cleanings. Dental cleanings are a routine, regular way to remove any tartar buildup and prevent cavities while also monitoring how baby teeth and grown-up teeth are progressing as your child’s jaw grows. It’s also a good opportunity to address any concerns you or your child have about dental health!
Frenectomy / Tongue Tie Relief
A frenectomy helps relieve tongue tie issues in infants who are struggling to latch when breastfeeding. It’s a quick, easy, in-office procedure that can help the baby’s tongue position correctly so they can form a secure latch when trying to feed.
Sleep Disordered Breathing in Children
Humans need sleep, and as science keeps discovering more reasons why, more parents are concerned about whether or not their children are getting a good night’s sleep. Sleep-disordered breathing in children can make it hard for a child to reach the rejuvenating, deep sleep states required for healthy growth and development. This is because the body keeps telling the brain that it’s not getting the right amount of oxygen, so it stays in a light sleep state that may wake the child frequently so they can breathe. This can happen when the child’s dental arches are too narrow or when larger adult teeth are growing into a small mouth and starting to crowd.
Poor sleep in children can pose all kinds of physical and mental health challenges, from ADHD, nightmares, and allergies to growth problems, anxiety, depression, and more. The Healthy Start™ Orthodontics protocol we use to help align teeth without braces can also help children breathe better when sleeping by shifting the upper and lower jaws forward for improved oxygen flow, which can help your child get a healthy night’s sleep and straighter teeth.
Schedule an Appointment with the Pediatric Dentist North Kansas City, MO Kids Trust
NKC Dental is here to help you and your child experience all the benefits of healthy oral health and hygiene! Schedule an appointment for a regular checkup, or to address any other children’s dental health concerns today.
