Children's Dental Care in Fairfax

Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease, ranking above diabetes, asthma, and early-childhood obesity. If a child loses a baby tooth early because of decay, the surrounding teeth can shift into the empty space, leading to orthodontic problems. But beyond alignment issues, decay causes pain. Severe decay also can affect a child’s speech, learning, sleeping, eating, and overall physical development.

Fortunately, tooth decay is easily preventable. Our office in Fairfax is here to meet your family’s dental needs and work with you to keep your child’s smile bright.

Here are some of the children’s dental services that we provide:

Teeth Cleanings for Children in Fairfax

Our experienced dentists and hygienists have a gentle way to remove cavity-causing plaque from your youngster’s teeth, so that nervousness about visiting the dentist all but disappears.

Topical Fluoride

We call fluoride nature’s cavity fighter. It strengthens the surface of teeth to make them more resistant to decay. Ours tastes pleasant, too.

Dental Sealants

Our children’s dentist in Fairfax can apply a sealant to those back baby teeth, which can be especially difficult to keep clean. This thin plastic coating seals the tiny grooves on a tooth’s chewing surfaces, keeping out bacteria and food particles. Sealants are pain-free and can last for years. Best of all, sealants have been shown to reduce the risk of decay by nearly 80% in molars.

Fillings

If your child does have a cavity and need a filling, our caring staff will work with you and your child to make the process less frightening. We also use tooth-colored fillings, just like with adults, to keep your child’s smile looking its best.

Bonding

Any number of mishaps can cause chips and small fractures to front teeth. But our tooth-colored bonding materials can cover these flaws, so your child won’t feel shy about smiling.

Pediatric Crowns

In general, our dentists don’t like to remove a baby tooth unless it’s close to falling out naturally. If your child develops a cavity too large for a filling, or has had a tooth break or crack, our family dentist in Fairfax can install a tooth-colored crown as a protective cap over the tooth. The dentist also can place a crown on a tooth saved by a root canal.

Space Maintainers

If your child loses a baby tooth before its time because of dental decay, an accident, or other reason, our children’s dentist also provides space maintainers. These devices hold the space open for the permanent tooth to grow in comfortably and also can help with pre-orthodontic treatment.

Mouthguards

The American Dental Association recommends both grownups and children who play sports wear mouthguards to protect their teeth. We support this as well, especially if your child plays basketball, football, boxing, skateboarding, martial arts, field hockey, gymnastics, or wrestling. Our office can create a custom-made mouthguard that’s more comfortable and protects your child’s teeth better than the boil-and-bite version available at most sports stores. (If your child complains about wearing it, just remind him or her what it might feel like to have a tooth knocked out.)

Emergency Dental Services for Children

If your child chips a tooth, knocks loose a tooth, or knocks out a tooth, we’re also here to help. Please call our office in Fairfax at (571) 364-7943 for emergency dental care.