KidSmiles Dental & Orthodontics Blog

As a conscientious parent, you want to be aware of and careful about what goes into your child’s body. Maybe you buy organic produce, and use environmentally friendly cleaning products at home to protect them, but you certainly care about the drugs they take. When it comes to IV sedation for dental work, you may be curious about what drugs your pediatric dentist may use. Keep reading to learn about why this option may be best for your child and two of the most common types for children.

At the dentist’s office, your child is being particularly rambunctious—just in time for treatment. You aren’t sure how they are going to make it through their appointment with all that energy when the dentist recommends using what is commonly called “laughing gas” sedation to calm them down. Isn’t that just for kids who are scared of the dentist? Is your child a good candidate for nitrous oxide sedation?

Keep reading to learn which patients can best benefit from this form of sedation and how it can help kids have a better, more productive dental visit.

Overlapping, gapped, and misaligned teeth are just a few of the many orthodontic issues that braces can correct. In fact, the traditional metal brackets and wires can fix everything from a minor gap to severely rotated teeth. There is, however, one drawback: mouth sores. Fortunately, this is largely avoidable with the right best practices in place. With this in mind, keep reading to learn four tips from your orthodontist in Flower Mound for preventing mouth sores with braces.

An emergency is never convenient, and it’s usually unexpected too. On that note, one of the biggest inconveniences you can experience if you have braces is an orthodontic emergency. Whether it’s a broken wire or bracket, a lost retainer, painful mouth sores, or some other type of oral injury, these situations can be alarming; after all, the state of your smile is on the line! Fortunately, orthodontic emergencies can easily be avoided with a bit of knowledge and foresight. Check out some helpful tips from your orthodontist in Flower Mound to prevent emergencies and keep your treatment progress on schedule.

Many teens who are in need of orthodontic treatment are also wary of spending a year or more wearing conventional metal braces. Fortunately, there is a clear alternative available that straightens teeth subtly. With Invisalign, many people may not even notice your teen is undergoing orthodontic treatment! However, there are a few things to know before signing up for this option – especially when it comes to younger patients. Keep reading to find out more to help you plan for success.

There are several options with braces, but the one thing that stays the same no matter what you choose is that orthodontic treatment is a wonderful investment in your child’s oral health – and even their overall wellbeing. Having properly aligned teeth lowers the risk of cavities and gum disease, facilitates proper speaking and eating, and also boosts your teen’s self-confidence. 

Many parents find it easy to break down and simply brush their child’s teeth for them. After all, who wants to put up with whining, tantrums, and other things kids try to get out of doing it? However, teaching them to brush on their own may yet be possible. Some dentists have suggested compliments for solo toothbrushing can encourage the habit. Read on to learn why praising children for brushing teeth works and tips on how to do it.

Are you excited about your braces removal? Well, you should be! Soon enough, you’ll get those metal brackets and wires off to see a straighter smile in the mirror. But before that happens, you may want to know the specifics of the procedure. Learning them could settle your nerves or even heighten your anticipation. Either way, having a good idea of what to expect would make for a more pleasant dental visit. That said, here’s a summary of four things that’ll happen when you get your braces removed.

To keep your mouth in good health, you know how important it is to maintain an excellent oral hygiene routine. This includes brushing, flossing, and rinsing with a mouthwash. However, there is another step that can be taken to protect your smile from future harm. When you hear about a dental sealant, a thin coating of composite resin painted on the chewing surface of the teeth to protect them, it is usually related to children’s dentistry. But can adults get dental sealants? They can indeed and keep reading to learn from a pediatric dentist in Flower Mound how they can help you.

When do you think a child should get braces? Typically, most children who get braces have them during their teenage years after all their permanent teeth have erupted. However, some situations call for starting orthodontic treatment earlier in life, when they still have some baby teeth. This early treatment is called Phase 1 orthodontics, and it’s designed to preemptively address bite and teeth alignment problems before they become severe. So how can you tell if this is something your little one needs? Read on to learn four signs that your child may be a candidate for Phase 1 orthodontics in Flower Mound.