Dentistry for Teens – Danville, CA

Dental Checkups & Teeth Cleanings

Cavities and gum disease can start to form without your teen even realizing it, but fortunately, our team can catch these issues in their early stages and treat them before any lasting harm is done. As such, your teen should have at least two dental appointments every year so that we can check for any problems. We can also clean their teeth to remove any gum disease or decay that might have built up in places your teen hasn’t been able to brush.

Dental Sealants

Your teen’s molars and premolars are at particularly high risk for decay. They’re harder to reach with a toothbrush, and they have several pits and crevices where bacteria and food debris can become trapped. If we find that your teen needs extra protection from cavities, we can apply a dental sealant to their molars and premolars. This makes it easier to keep the teeth free of harmful substances that could lead to decay.

Fluoride Treatment

Fluoride keeps the teeth strong no matter how old you are. If you want your teen’s smile to be as resistant to decay as possible, you’ll want to make sure they’re getting enough fluoride exposure, whether it’s from their oral hygiene routine or the water they drink. We can help give your teen further cavity protection with a quick fluoride treatment, where we apply a fluoride gel or varnish to their teeth after their routine cleaning.

Tooth-Colored Fillings

Cavities can’t be ignored; they need to be treated and filled before they cause any further damage to the teeth. Our dental office uses composite resin fillings instead of traditional amalgam ones. Composite resin is a material that closely matches the color of natural teeth and can be shaded to blend in with your child’s smile. Fillings made out of composite resin can last for many years while maintaining an aesthetically-pleasing look for the tooth.

Root Canals / Pulp Therapy

When tooth pulp is damaged or infected, we need to treat it quickly to give your teen the best chance of saving their tooth. In many cases, we’ll use a kind of pulp therapy known as pulpotomy, where only the pulp in the crown of the tooth is removed; the pulp near the roots stays where it is. If the infection has already reached the roots, then root canal therapy is needed to remove the entire pulp to protect the tooth from further damage.

Dental Crowns

When your teen has dental damage that can’t be fixed with a filling, a dental crown is often the restoration of choice. The crown covers the entire tooth, protecting it from further harm while also allowing you to continue biting and chewing normally with it. Crowns are a highly customizable dental treatment and can be made out of a few different materials depending on which teeth need to be restored as well as your teen’s preferences.

Tooth Extractions

Removing teeth is always a last resort. We’ll do everything in our power to let your child keep their natural teeth, but an extraction might be the only choice if:

• The tooth is too badly damaged to be restored.
• The infection has spread to the point that root canal therapy is no longer viable.
• The teeth have come loose due to advanced gum disease.

We’ll make sure your teen understands the reasons why their tooth has to be removed, and we’ll make their comfort our top priority during extraction.

Athletic Mouthguards

Contact sports like hockey, football, and basketball can be a good workout for your teen, but they can also be a major risk factor for dental accidents. Luckily, you can keep your child’s smile safe on the court or the field with the help of an athletic mouthguard, which will shield the teeth and gums from the brunt of the impact if your child gets hit in the mouth. Since our mouthguards are custom-made, they’re more comfortable and offer better protection than store-bought restorations.