Pediatric Dentistry

As the leading pediatric dentists in the Maryville and Seymour areas, our team at Foothills Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics specializes in providing services for infants, children, and adolescents with the goal of establishing excellent oral health habits at an early age. Through various services, we help kickstart a program of preventative dental care for your child while ensuring that they have a fun and comfortable experience with dentistry.

A dental cleaning is performed by a dental professional. Most children older than three should have a cleaning every six months to prevent excessive plaque buildup. Plaque left untreated can lead to unhealthy gums and tooth decay. Routine dental cleaning may include scaling above and below the gum line and polishing of the teeth.

Oral surgery for children refers to any procedure that is needed to correct problems with the mouth or teeth such as tooth extractions, tooth repair, or obstructive issues. Prior to any procedure, your child’s dentist will review all details of the procedure, preparations needed, and post-operative instructions. We want to make sure you feel confident we are providing the best possible care for your child, so we are happy to answer any questions you may have.

These coatings fill up the grooves of your child’s back teeth which are the easiest places to experience decay. They are usually easy to apply and do not require numbing of the teeth. With regular maintenance, these coatings seal out cavities in the larger back teeth.

A baby tooth usually stays in until a permanent tooth underneath pushes it out and takes its place. Unfortunately, some children lose a baby tooth too soon. A tooth might be knocked out accidentally or removed because of dental disease. When a tooth is lost too early, your pediatric dentist may recommend a space maintainer to prevent future space loss and dental problems for permanent teeth. Spacers are also used to help minimize future crowding of permanent teeth.

We use fluoride as a preventative treatment to strengthen your child’s teeth and help prevent decay and tooth loss. Silver Diamine Fluoride, or SDF, is a medicinal liquid that is designed to prevent cavities from growing larger and has been used by generations of dentists as a more comfortable alternative to fillings and crowns.

Unfortunately, accidents happen while your child grows up and dental injuries may occur. Should you have a situation where your child injures their mouth and teeth, we are here to help!

While any medical emergency can be stressful, it is important to stay calm for your child. If major trauma is involved, always seek emergency medical help first. Should your child need emergency dental care, give our office a call and we will get you scheduled as quickly as possible.

A filling restores a damaged tooth back to its normal function and shape. If your child has a tooth that requires a filling, we will first remove the decayed part of the tooth, clean the affected area, and then fill the cavity. A filling also helps prevent further decay by closing off any cracks or spaces where plaque or bacteria can enter. We utilize white, or tooth-colored, fillings on all teeth (front or back teeth).

Crowns are tooth-shaped covers or caps used to restore and enhance heavily damaged teeth. A crown not only strengthens a tooth, but can improve a tooth’s appearance, shape, and alignment. Crowns may also be used to cover a tooth that had any nerve treatments, such as a root canal.

Pulpotomy (Baby Nerve Treatments)
Pulpotomies are necessary when the pulp of a tooth has become infected due to deep decay or a crack within the tooth. In a pulpotomy, only the coronal nerve tissue is removed from the crown (the visible portion of the tooth above the gums) but the nerve tissue in the roots remains. This is different than a pulpectomy in which all of the pulp is removed from both the root and crown. Damage to the pulp becomes visible when a pocket of pus forms at the tip of the tooth root (abscess). If left alone, the infection in the tooth will spread and cause further damage to the bone around the tooth. This can lead to tooth loss or damage of permanent teeth.

Pulpectomy
A pulpectomy, or a full root canal, is necessary when the entire nerve has become infected or completely died. It is more extensive than a pulpotomy. The procedure for a pulpectomy is similar to the pulpotomy mentioned above, but consists of removing all the dead nerves, blood vessels, and infected debris. The root canals are then reshaped, disinfected, and filled.

Athletic Mouthguards
Protecting your child’s smile while playing sports is essential to prevent injuries to the mouth and teeth. For an active child, injuries caused by a ball to the mouth or contact with another teammate aren’t uncommon. A good mouthguard can make a major difference. Our dentists want to ensure that your child’s smile is well-protected on the playing field, which is why we offer custom-fitted mouthguards and advice for over the counter mouth guards for our younger patients.

Night Guards
Not only are mouthguards essential to protecting your child’s mouth, teeth, and gums during sports, but they can also help prevent wear and tear caused by teeth grinding. It’s common for children to grind their teeth in their sleep, so we offer mouthguards as a solution to prevent any pain or soreness.

We know kicking a long-time habit of thumb sucking, nail-biting, or tongue thrusting can be difficult. However, the prolonged practice of these habits can cause defects in your child’s face, jaws and smile. To combat any developing effects, we offer special appliances that are designed to perfectly fit in your child’s mouth and address specific issues.

Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas)
Nitrous Oxide sedation, also known as “laughing gas,” is commonly used to make treatment more comfortable for children. This sedation is inhaled through a mask and helps induce a state of relaxation. If necessary for dental treatment, a local anesthetic will be administered in conjunction with nitrous oxide to eliminate any pain or discomfort for your child.

IV Sedation
Sometimes children may need a deeper relaxation. If IV sedation is recommended, your child will be asleep by utilizing a mild sedative prior to the insertion of their IV so they feel no worry or discomfort. The IV sedative allows your child to relax and gently fall asleep during the procedure, similar to someone who has had their wisdom teeth removed. Our medical team monitors your child throughout the entire duration of the procedure, allowing your child’s dentist to focus solely on correcting your child’s smile.