As per the American/Canadian Academy of Pediatrics and Pediatric Dentistry, the first dental check-up is recommended to be done by the child’s first birthday. This check-up will include an assessment of general oral health, ensuring normal development, as well as parent education. Also, familiarizing the child to the dental setting early on often leads to less anxiety or fear.

Yes, we are happy to see anyone under the age of 18 and a referral is needed.

Yes, we encourage you to stay in the room during the visit. There are rare exceptions to this, but children generally feel much more comfortable in the presence of parents.

Our primary goal is to treat your child in a safe environment while maximizing their comfort. Not all children require sedation, but it can be a valuable option for the right candidates. We have the training, capacity and equipment to provide a full spectrum sedation including laughing gas, oral sedation, and sleep dentistry. We will discuss about the right option for your child during the consultation appointment. 

The safety depends on several factors such as the child’s health and practitioner’s skillsets. A study (El-Mowafy, 2018) showed that the serious morbidity rate is 0.25 per 1 million cases. The risk of anything catastrophic happening is very low, even lower than the chance of getting struck by lightning! Healthy patients who receive sleep dentistry in a dental office seem to be at no higher risk than they would be in a hospital setting. For the small percentage of patients who may have high risk for possible complications, we definitely will discuss other options. Patient safety is our utmost priority!

Fluoride can be an inexpensive, safe, and effective way to prevent cavities. When the right amount is administered, it strengthens the enamel. However, too much exposure to fluoride can cause chalky-white and brown discolouration of teeth called fluorosis. Parents must be aware that multiple sources can contain fluoride in our daily lives including toothpaste, baby formula and water. Please let us know if you have any questions about the right dose of fluoride.

Dental X-rays are used to diagnose what dentists cannot see from a visual examination. This will allow for early detection of cavities. In contrast, if cavities and other pathologies are left undetected and grow bigger, treatments will be often more complex. Dental radiographs utilize a very small amount of radiation and the radiation is even less with digital radiographs. We use digital radiographs with customized prescriptions for each child to achieve proper diagnosis. 

The oral cavity is composed of both hard and soft tissues. This means that a healthy diet will lead to healthy teeth just like the rest of our body. So, kids will need to consume a well-balanced diet. However, teeth are more prone to cavities when there is a longer contact time with food debris. Kids will simply need to brush and floss more if they snack more frequently.

Baby bottles and Sippy Cups are the worst enemies in pediatric dentistry. They simply increase both the frequency and duration of contact time between teeth and sugar-containing liquids. Examples of these liquids include breast milk, formula, juice, and any other sweetened drinks. For this reason, it is extremely important to clean your babies’ gums and teeth with a toothbrush or a wet gauze after feeding.

As soon as the first tooth erupts!

Flossing needs to start as soon as adjacent teeth surfaces start touching each other and there is no longer an open gap between the teeth.