Diagnostic

• Dental Examination
  A child’s first dental visit should be scheduled 6 months after their first tooth erupts or by their 1st birthday. Many think that this seems early, but it is important for your children to get used to the dentist and for you to learn about preventive care for good dental health. The most important part of the visit is getting to know and becoming comfortable with your child’s dental home, the doctors, and staff. One of our experienced dental team members will go over your child’s health and dental history, discuss any concerns you may have, provide you with age appropriate oral hygiene instructions, and discuss what to expect and look for during particular development stages. If needed, the doctor will perform an oral exam “knee to knee” so your infant or toddler can remain in your lap where they feel safe. A pleasant, comfortable first visit builds trust and helps put the child at ease during future dental visits. Because many people fear the dentist, pediatric dentists want to start children off early. We will do everything we can to make sure that children feel comfortable and safe while in our care. Our office is colorful and fun so that your children will want to come back!
• X-rays

Preventive

• Teeth Cleaning
  In the learning lab each child works one-on-one with a member of our team as a coach. We support developmentally appropriate skills for each individual. Also, we’ll take the confusion out of the many choices of teeth-cleaning items (brushes, pastes, flossers and pics, fluorides, etc) available today. Our goal at each visit is to take one more step toward optimal dental health for a lifetime.
• Fluoride Treatment
  Our professional cleanings will remove the buildup of plaque and tartar from the teeth, and the hard- to reach areas under the gums.. After cleaning, your child’s teeth will be polished so that they shine! Fluoride treatments are applied to help prevent tooth decay.
• Dental Sealants
  Play with our dental art-material.  A child/teen might take an alignment impressions with his/her own mouth and, with plaster, turn it into a replica model or learn how to place a sealant or a composite filing.
• Space Maintainers
  At Southern Maine Pediatric Dentistry, we encourage families to focus on preventative care, so that we can avoid more invasive treatment needs; However, there are times, despite best efforts and excellent oral hygiene, that decay can occur, or times when teeth are injured or break. Those are times when Pediatric restorative care is needed. Primary teeth are important space maintainers for adult developing teeth and are important for chewing and speech in children.

Restorative

• Fillings
• Crowns
  Knocked Out Permanent Tooth: Find the tooth. Handle the tooth by the crown, not the root portion. You may rinse the tooth but DO NOT clean or handle the tooth unnecessarily. Inspect the tooth for fractures. If it is sound, try to reinsert it in the socket. Have the patient hold the tooth in place by biting on a gauze. If you cannot reinsert the tooth, transport the tooth in a cup containing the milk. If the patient is old enough, the tooth may also be carried in the patient’s mouth. The patient must see a dentist IMMEDIATELY! Time is a critical factor in saving the tooth.

Endodontics

• Pulpotomy
  The pulp of a tooth is the inner central core of the tooth. The pulp contains nerves, blood vessels, connective tissue and reparative cells. The purpose of pulp therapy in Pediatric Dentistry is to maintain the vitality of the affected tooth (so the tooth is not lost). Dental caries (cavities) and traumatic injury are the main reasons for a tooth to require pulp therapy. Pulp therapy is often referred to as a “nerve treatment”, “children’s root canal”, “pulpectomy” or “pulpotomy”. The two common forms of pulp therapy in children’s teeth are the pulpotomy and pulpectomy.
• Root Canal Treatment
  Study the internal anatomy of teeth gums and bone: health y vs. unhealthy structures that require various dental restorations, root canals, orthodontics, extractions.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

• Oral Surgery
• Tooth Extractions

Orthodontics

• Orthodontics
  At Southern Maine Pediatric Dentistry we provide interceptive orthodontic care. Below you will find a list of some the orthodontic care we provide.