Pediatric Dentistry

Dr. Justin is happy to see patients starting at age 6. If your family is looking for a dental home, Birch Dental can meet your needs. Our office is open evenings and weekends so that your children don’t have to miss school for appointments. We provide a full range of preventive treatments to help your child or teen develop and maintain a beautiful adult smile.

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Is your child nervous about cleanings? Our office offers laser cleanings at our regular appointments. Laser cleaning is faster, quieter, and less stressful than traditional tool-based cleaning. Ask us about laser cleaning, and help your child learn to love the dentist.
Does your child play contact sports such as football, soccer, or lacrosse? Consider a mouthguard to protect growing teeth and gums. Tooth damage can be traumatic for the child and costly to repair. A custom mouthguard can keep your children and teens safe so that they can focus on the game.

Are you concerned about your child’s smile? Do you think there may be problems with their bite or the positioning of their adult teeth? Our office offers Invisalign^® treatments. Book a consultation, and we can come up with a treatment plan to get your child or teen the perfect smile.
Regular dental cleanings are essential to maintaining your child’s ongoing oral health. Keep your children’s twice-annual routine hygiene appointments so that Dr. Justin and the Birch Dental team can help develop and reinforce good oral hygiene habits they can keep with them for the rest of their lives.

Pediatric Dental Sealants

Protection you can count on

Molars are very important, both for chewing and for proper craniofacial development. However, many children have deep grooves in their molars and premolars. These grooves can collect food. They are very difficult to brush and keep clean. For children, this can be a recipe for bacterial growth and ultimately, decay.

Dental sealants are a safe and effective way to protect molars and premolars from damage. A non-toxic covering is brushed onto the tooth, greatly reducing the risk of cavities. The application of sealant is painless, quick, and can be done during a regular office visit.

After conducting a cost-benefit analysis, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends sealants for most children. Sealants haven proven most effective in the first 2 years, but have been shown to reduce cavities for up to 9 years, with the potential to help set children up for a lifetime of improved oral and overall health. When Dr. Justin and the Birch Dental team see your children and teens for their regular dental checkup, we can answer any questions you might have about the effectiveness of pediatric

Pulp Therapy for Pediatric Patients

The pulp is the living core of the tooth, full of nerve endings, blood vessels, and soft tissue. Both baby and permanent teeth contain pulp. When the pulp of a tooth is damaged through decay or injury, the tooth itself is at risk.

Your child may have damaged pulp in a tooth if they experience:

Extreme pain
Sensitivity to cold and heat
Swelling and tenderness
Unexpected tooth mobility or looseness

It is important to see Dr. Justin as soon as possible, even if it’s a baby tooth. Baby teeth are essential for proper speech (which impacts phonics and learning to read), chewing, alignment of adult teeth, and craniofacial development. It is best for the child if we can prevent premature tooth loss and help them heal. If you suspect your child has damaged their tooth pulp, call for an emergency appointment today.

How Pulp Therapy Works

If, during an exam, our team suspects that your child’s pulp has been damaged, we will take x-rays to investigate the problem. We’ll work with you to develop a treatment plan that will help us both save the tooth and preserve its function.

If only the upper tip of the pulp is damaged, we can remove the damaged tissue, replace it with filler, and crown the tooth, protecting the healthy parts of the pulp. If the entire pulp has been damaged, we will remove and replace the pulp before crowning the tooth. Pulp therapy can take more than one office visit, but is your child’s best hope for preserving natural, healthy tooth structure. Birch Dental can schedule your child’s appointments around school and other activities in order to minimize disruptions to their usual routine.