Slide title

Write your caption here

Button

Pediatric Dentistry

Calm, Comfortable & Caring Dentistry for Children

No one is more important than your child. Dr. Cruz Davis provides caring, compassionate, and detailed pediatric dentistry to ensure your child’s oral health is in good condition. Make an appointment to bring in your infant or toddler for a mini-exam and parent education session.

“I have been a patient of Dr. Cruz Davis since 2016. He and his staffs always cared about me and my family member. I would like to assure you even during the COVID-19 Pandemic outbreak, him and his office staffs are practicing a rigorous safety protocols to protect themselves and their patients.”

– Poorya S.

Building Healthy Habits with Children

The key to maintaining good oral health in your children is helping them develop main healthy oral habits. The top 5 healthy oral habits to teach children are:

Keeping a healthy diet, too much sugar damages the teeth!
Brushing teeth every day, at least two times a day
Flossing at least once a day
Remineralizing teeth with fluoride treatments.
Coming to see Dr. Cruz-Davis two times a year for regular checkups and cleanings

Slide title

Write your caption here

Button

First Dental Visit for Kids

Learn what to expect on your child’s first visit.

We look forward to caring for your and your child’s dental needs. Give us a call when you are ready to book your visit!

Baby First Visit | Ages 0-2 | Appt Length: 40 Minutes

During a baby’s first visit, our dentist meets with the child and builds rapport through relaxed yet professional interactions. When there is no medical issue to address, this new patient appointment is primarily to acclimate the young patient to the dental office, dental equipment, dental chair, dental staff, and general dental environment. We want to make sure that this appointment is a fun, low-anxiety visit.

Dr. Cruz-Davis will attempt to examine the child’s mouth and document the findings, e.g. which teeth have come in (erupted), and anything else noteworthy. The doctor will (attempt to) brush the child’s teeth and administer a fluoride application to help fight cavities in between professional dental visits.

Our dentist will also provide dental care tips and nutritional counseling to the child and parent or caregiver to encourage good home oral hygiene habits.
Child First Visit | Ages 2-10 (approx) | Appt Length: 40 minutes

A child's first dental appointment will consist of a comprehensive oral evaluation and four to six x-rays of the molars and front teeth (anterior teeth). The doctor will review the diagnosis and treatment plan with the patient and parent or caretaker.

If time permits, the doctor or a dental hygienist will perform a dental cleaning (prophylaxis) on the patient, followed by a fluoride application to help fight cavities between professional dental treatments. If there is not enough time during the first appointment to also complete a dental cleaning and fluoride application, we will schedule these important preventative services for a date in the near future.
Adolescent Child First Visit | Ages 10-14 (approx) | Appt Length: 1 Hour

An adolescent's first dental appointment will consist of a comprehensive oral evaluation and four to six x-rays of the molars and front teeth (anterior teeth). The doctor will review the diagnosis and treatment plan with the patient and parent or caretaker.

If time permits, the doctor or a dental hygienist will perform a dental cleaning (prophylaxis) on the patient, followed by a fluoride application to help fight cavities between professional dental treatments. If there is not enough time during the first appointment to also complete a dental cleaning and fluoride application, we will schedule these important preventative services for a date in the near future.

Dental Care for Children of All Ages

Your child’s well-being is your biggest concern, and their oral hygiene is an important part of their overall health. The care of your child’s teeth and gums begins with you, because you can set them on the right path for a lifetime of excellent oral hygiene.

Nutritional Counseling for Children and Caregivers

Through nutritional counseling, our Gainesville dental professionals will assess and manage risks related to nutrition for our child patients. We begin by performing an initial assessment that gauges the dietary factors contributing to disease or risk for diseases. By analyzing the child's dietary behaviors and diet, we can begin to pinpoint strategies for enhancing nutritional health.

Patient and parental counseling then commences. The patient will gradually improve their dietary knowledge and be better able to make prudent decisions regarding food and beverage consumption. Though making changes to consumption habits can be challenging, a gradual improvement in diet can significantly improve oral health.

Why Diet Matters in the Context of Oral Health - The nutrients in foods are important for the growth of tissue as well as for maintaining healthy tissue and repairing injured tissue. Nutritional counseling for children recognizes that diet contributes to health and disease.

Fluoride Treatment

Delivery of fluoride to the teeth in order to prevent tooth decay. Ask us about the ADA's current recommendations concerning fluoride treatments for children and adults.

Oral Hygiene Education

Establishing the Best Oral Hygiene Routine for Children

Here are some tips to help keep your child’s teeth healthy and strong starting at age 3:

Use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste and make sure your child spits it out after brushing
Be sure your child brushes for at least 2 minutes twice a day
Start flossing as soon as teeth touch, or even earlier to help build good habits.
Help your child brush and floss,and remind him or her to pay attention to the back teeth.
Visit the dentist every 6 months.

Oral Hygiene for Infants

Babies are born with all their teeth - you can't see them because they are hidden in the gums. Baby teeth start to break through the gums around 6 months but it is important to start good oral care for infants even before the first tooth comes in. From healthy gums come healthy teeth.

Wipe your baby’s gums with a soft washcloth after feeding. This helps remove the bacteria that can cause tooth decay.
Once they begin to erupt, brush teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste in an amount no more than a smear the size of a grain of rice – use a soft-bristle toothbrush.
Take the bottle away after your child finishes drinking to prevent baby bottle tooth decay. Baby bottle tooth decay can happen when babies drink milk, formula, or juice from bottles over long periods of time or fall asleep with the bottle.
Schedule your child’s first dental appointment before their first birthday or after his or her first baby tooth is visible, whichever comes first. This visit is like a well-baby visit with your pediatrician.

Slide title

Write your caption here

Button

Oral Hygiene for Infants

Wipe your baby’s gums with a soft washcloth after feeding. This helps remove the bacteria that can cause tooth decay.
Once they begin to erupt, brush teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste in an amount no more than a smear the size of a grain of rice – use a soft-bristle toothbrush.
Take the bottle away after your child finishes drinking to prevent baby bottle tooth decay. Baby bottle tooth decay can happen when babies drink milk, formula, or juice from bottles over long periods of time or fall asleep with the bottle.
Schedule your child’s first dental appointment before their first birthday or after his or her first baby tooth is visible, whichever comes first. This visit is like a well-baby visit with your pediatrician.

Oral Hygiene for Children

Kids have all their baby teeth by the age of 3. These are called primary teeth. Baby teeth start falling out around age 6; that's when the permanent, or adult, teeth start coming in. Gaps between baby teeth are normal. They make room for the permanent teeth. Most permanent teeth come in by age 13.

Oral Hygiene for Preteens

As children grow older and more of their permanent teeth come in, a rigorous daily dental hygiene routine is crucial to keeping teeth and gums healthy. However, it can be difficult to keep preteens interested in their oral care.

Try These Tips to Keep Your Child on Track

As preteens become more conscious of their appearance, it can be helpful to remind them that good oral care can help them look and feel better.
Remind your child to brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste for a full two minutes which not only fights cavities and strengthens teeth, but also gives older kids the confidence of having fresh breath. A power toothbrush might make brushing more fun for preteens.
Flossing is extremely important at this point as most permanent teeth have erupted and cleaning between them will help prevent cavities and keep their mouth fresh.
Encourage children who play sports to wear a mouth guard to protect their teeth from injuries.
Make sure kids who wear braces use a power brush and floss very thoroughly to avoid white spots on teeth when braces come off.

While we can agree that oral hygiene education should be a priority for families, children and caregivers oftentimes have gaps in oral hygiene knowledge. As your Gainesville dental professionals, we would love to help education the family on oral hygiene to help educate the children and the families on healthy and unhealthy eating habits, which foods contain sugars, and tips on maintaining optimal oral health and a healthy overall lifestyle.

Slide title

Write your caption here

Button

Sealants

Sealants give your teeth extra protection against decay and help prevent cavities. Dental sealants are made from resins that bond and harden in the deep grooves on your tooth’s surface. When a tooth is sealed, the tiny grooves become smooth and are less likely to harbor plaque. With sealants, brushing your teeth becomes easier and more effective against tooth decay.

Sealants are typically applied to children’s teeth as a preventive measure against tooth decay after the permanent teeth have erupted. However, adults can also receive sealants on healthy teeth. It is more common to seal “permanent” teeth rather than “baby” teeth, but every patient has unique needs, and your dentist will recommend sealants on a case-by-case basis.

Sometimes brushing is not enough, especially when it comes to those hard-to-reach spots in your mouth. It is difficult for your toothbrush to get in-between the small cracks and grooves on your teeth. If left alone, those tiny areas can develop tooth decay.

Sealants last from three to five years, but it is fairly common to see adults with sealants still intact from their childhood. A dental sealant only provides protection when it is fully intact, so if your sealants come off, let your dentist know, and schedule an appointment for your teeth to be re-sealed.