Pediatric Dentistry

According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, your child should visit a dentist by age 1 or within 6 months after the first tooth erupts (typically around 6 months old). Although primary (baby) teeth are eventually replaced with permanent teeth, healthy baby teeth are fundamental to a child’s overall health and development.

We can show you how to effectively clean your baby and toddler’s teeth as they come in, as well as help you deal with teething and thumb sucking.

While brushing and flossing are always the best ways to prevent cavities, we highly recommend dental sealants for children as soon as their first molars come in, typically around the age of 6, and again when the second set of molars come in around 12 years of age. Molars are the back teeth that crush and chew food. They have deep, uneven grooves that can be hard to clean, especially for children.

Sealants are a thin protective coating applied over the chewing surface of molars. They help keep food out of the grooves and decrease the risk of tooth decay by up to 80%. It takes only minutes to apply sealants and is completely painless.

Fluoride is an important factor in the prevention of childhood tooth decay because it makes your child’s teeth more resistant to acid and corrosion. We offer concentrated fluoride treatments as a regular part of your child’s cleaning to help strengthen teeth and protect against tooth decay.

Sometimes tooth decay is hard to spot during a visual exam, particularly when it occurs between teeth. Periodic X-rays of your child’s teeth helps Dr. Del Puerto detect problems such as tooth decay and cavities in the earliest stages, as well as monitor the development of permanent teeth and wisdom teeth.