Preventive Care

We recommend that your child have a preventive dental exam every 6 months. We start seeing children at 2-3 years of age for dental cleanings.

 

Our preventive exams consists of the following:

* Exam

* Cleaning

* Fluoride Treatment

* X-rays

* Oral hygiene instructions

 

 

Sealants

A sealant is a clear coating that is placed on the 1st and 2nd permanent molars to effectively help prevent tooth decay.

 

Tooth Size Reduction & Extraction of Primary Teeth

To prevent permanent teeth from coming in crowded, Dr. Owens will recommend reducing or removing the primary (baby) teeth. This will often help prevent orthodontic procedures. Dr. Owens will evaluate your child's mouth during each cleaning appointment.

 

Fillings

We use composite (white) filling material on all of our fillings. WE DO NOT USE AMALGAM FILLINGS. *We do offer colored filling material on primary (baby) teeth. This product is called Twinky Star and is available in these colors:

* pink

* blue

* green

* orange

 

 

Root-Canals / Pulpotomies

If decay gets into the nerve of a primary (baby) tooth, a pulpotomy will be done. A pulpotomy is similar to a root-canal on a permanent tooth.

 

If decay gets into the nerve of a permanent tooth, Dr. Owens will do a pulpotomy on the tooth, fill it with a sedative (medicated) filling and refer the patient to an endodontist.

 

Extractions

Dr. Owens will recommend the extraction of primary (baby) teeth if he feels that a tooth is not repairable. Dr. Owens will also remove teeth for preventive reasons.

 

If permanent molars or impacted teeth need to be extracted,

Dr. Owens will refer the patient to an oral surgeon.

 

Appliances

If a tooth needs to be extracted prematurely, Dr. Owens will recommend one of the following space maintainers:

 

Band & Loop - A band is placed on the back molar & a wire is extended from the band up to the next available tooth to hold the space for the permanent tooth.

 

Nance - Bands are placed on the upper molars on the opposite sides of the mouth and the wire extends from molar to molar on the backside of the teeth.

 

Lower LA - Bands are placed on the lower molars on the opposite sides of the mouth and the wire extends from molar to molar on the backside of the teeth.

 

Habit Appliance

A habit appliance can be made to help children break the habit of thumb sucking or tongue thrusting.

 

Maxillary Arch Expander (MAE)

A (MAE) is a rapid palatal expansion device to correct posterior crossbites.

 

Orthodontics

Dr. Owens will watch the progress of your child's mouth at each preventive visit. Dr. Owens takes every precaution to help avoid orthodontics. In some cases, orthodontics may still be necessary. If orthodontics is necessary for your child, we will schedule several different appointments for this process.

 

1st Visit - Ortho Records: We will take x-rays, photos & impressions of the teeth. *Dr. Owens will work up a treatment plan to let you know the time frame that your child will be in braces. This takes about 2-3 weeks. Once Dr. Owens consults with you, we will send out a financial contract letting you know the fee of the braces and explain payment arrangements. After reviewing the contract, you will sign it and return it to our office. At that time, you can call and schedule the next visit to get the braces put on.

 

Sedation

In order to make the patient's visit less stressful, Dr. Owens offers the following sedation methods:

 

Nitrous Oxide/Oxygen (Laughing Gas) - When doing operative treatment, you will be offered for your child to use the laughing gas. This is to help take away the anxiety of being in the dental chair. Your child will be on oxygen toward the end of the procedure and will be back to normal when dismissed.

 

Conscious Sedation - Conscious sedation will be recommended for younger children or children that are very apprehensive. This is for the well-being of the patient, Dr. Owens and assistant. Once the medication is given, your child will most likely start to feel very drowsy. Your child will be responsive during the procedure.

 

Hospital Cases - For children that conscious sedation is not an option, Dr. Owens can do their treatment at St. Francis Hospital under a general anesthetic.