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At Kids Tooth Team, we are happy to offer minimally-invasive dental treatment options. In addition to traditional dental restorative options like crowns and fillings, we offer drill-less dentistry techniques like ICON and the Hall crown technique. These options may not be the right fit for every child or every tooth, but by focusing on minimally-invasive techniques, our team can ensure your child feels safe and comfortable. Keep your child’s smile healthy and schedule an appointment today to discuss these options with our doctors! We have three office locations in Buda, TX, South Austin, TX, and Kyle!
We exclusively offer composite dental fillings at our practice (no silver fillings here!), which are made from a special type of dental resin. Compared to metal-amalgam “silver” fillings, tooth-colored composite fillings provide a tighter hold, strengthen the tooth more effectively, and provide a more natural smile for your child.
If your child loses a baby tooth early, they may need a space maintainer. These are placed in the area where their missing tooth used to be. They help ensure that the surrounding teeth don’t shift, which could interfere with proper dental development.
A frenectomy may be required if your child has tongue tie (ankyloglossia) or upper lip tie. This procedure involves snipping the band of tissue that restricts your child’s oral range of motion, restoring the proper function of their lips or tongue.
This technique has become a popular topic to discuss on social media and we feel that it is important to note that not every child needs their tongue or lip “clipped” just because they have thick tissue present under their tongue or top lip. Though our doctors do perform and offer this procedure, they take a very holistic approach to classify the type of tongue or lip attachment, and reviews any feeding or speech concerns before offering this service.
We, of course, only want to diagnose and treat the patients that actually need this procedure and do not take the recommendation of surgery to any infant or child lightly. If you have been told your child needs this procedure and you would like a second opinion, please call us for a free consultation.
We offer the most gentle baby and adult tooth extractions possible, including extraction of adult teeth needed to make room for braces or due to large cavities. Due to our doctors' training, they can even provide surgical tooth extractions when necessary. We also offer a specialized service to surgically extract “mesiodens,” which are extra teeth that usually grow around or under the central incisors (front teeth).
Pre-made stainless steel crowns are ideal for baby teeth (and some adult teeth), as they are very durable and last longer than fillings, but are inexpensive and can be placed quickly and in just a single appointment. These “tooth helmets or princess crowns” can be placed with the standard crown method (which is when we drill into the tooth to clean the cavity out and then cement the crown on top) or in some cases with the Hall crown technique. (This requires no shots or drilling!)
Zirconia is a durable, tooth-colored ceramic material. These crowns are ideal for cosmetically treating front and back baby teeth. In fact, we are one of the only practices in town who are able to use these crowns to treat back teeth. They are a beautiful pearly-white color and look and feel just like natural tooth enamel. This is usually our first choice to treat a front baby tooth that needs a crown, as it is strong, very natural looking and keeps your child’s smile healthy and beautiful. Not every baby tooth can have this type of crown, so we would be happy to take a look and see if your child’s tooth is a candidate for this treatment option.
The Hall Technique can be used on some of our patients. It allows us to place a silver crown without any numbing or shots, and without using a dental drill. The cement used to place the crown traps and stops the cavity from growing, and the baby teeth naturally adjust to the fit of the crown over time.This minimally invasive technique has been proven in scientific studies to be just as effective in treating primary teeth in certain situations, and with less discomfort and time than traditional methods.
If your child has an infected tooth, we offer two different nerve treatment options to treat their tooth and restore their smile.
A pulpotomy is used for baby teeth that are decayed and infected to the nerve. It involves opening a hole in the tooth, removing the top part of the infected nerve from inside the tooth, and placing a healing dressing on the remaining nerve tissue. This encourages the tooth and remaining nerve to heal, and restores your child’s tooth. Unlike an adult tooth “root canal,” this procedure and the final crown are done quickly and in the same appointment for your child.
A pulpectomy involves removing all of the infected nerve tissue from inside your child’s front or back tooth, and filling the root canal area with a medicine. This is usually only necessary for very severe tooth infections, or if a pulpotomy is not effective at restoring your child’s tooth. Our team is unique in our ability to offer this type of nerve treatment which allows us to save baby teeth that other dentists may not be able to. If you were told that the only option is extraction, we would love to give you a second opinion to see if a pulpectomy is right for your child.
Absolutely. Baby teeth may be meant to fall out eventually, but they're still really important. Your child’s last baby tooth usually will fall out around the age of 11-12, so your little one will be using their baby teeth to chew, eat, and speak for a very long time! For obvious reasons, this means it’s important to preserve their tooth and keep it in good shape.
You need to treat cavities right away, too. The sooner you treat your child’s cavity, the sooner they will feel relief from tooth pain and sensitivity. These symptoms will only get worse if you don’t seek the proper treatment. And, eventually, your child’s cavity may turn into a tooth infection if it destroys the outer layer of their tooth.
So if you think that your child has a cavity, it’s best to bring them into Kids Tooth Team right away for a consultation with Dr. Alex and our team. Common signs of cavities include dark or discolored spots on teeth, visible holes and pits on the teeth, complaints of tooth sensitivity, and discoloration or inflammation of the gums near the affected tooth.
We offer a variety of options for treating cavities in baby teeth. We usually recommend a stainless steel crown or a zirconia crown, since crowns provide excellent protection and coverage for baby teeth. Dental fillings are also an option for some teeth, and dental sealants are a good option if you want to reduce your child’s risk of tooth decay in the future.
Your child will only need a space maintainer if they lose a baby tooth early. For example, if your child slips, falls, and knocks out a baby tooth while they're playing, Dr. Otto will recommend that they get a space maintainer. Space maintainers, as the name suggests, are placed in areas where your child has lost a baby tooth. They help maintain the proper spacing in your little one’s smile, which allows their adult teeth to erupt without complications in the future.
But if your child’s baby tooth loosens and falls out naturally, they likely will not need a space maintainer. Or, if they have an accident and knock their tooth out but their adult tooth is almost ready to erupt, a space maintainer may not be necessary.
It can be hard to tell on your own, of course. So if your child loses a tooth and you think that they may need a space maintainer, you can bring them into Kids Tooth Team for a consultation with one of the dentists at our Buda, South Austin, or Kyle location. A quick oral exam and a set of x-rays will help us determine whether or not your little one needs a space maintainer.
If you’re the parent of an infant, the main thing you’ll notice are issues feeding. Kids with tongue ties or lip ties often have problems latching onto the breast properly, and may have issues bottle feeding as well. If your child is very fussy and colicky when feeding, is having trouble gaining weight, or is swallowing a lot of air and burping a lot when feeding, these could all indicate a tongue or lip tie.
As kids grow older, you may also notice other signs that could indicate the need for a frenectomy. They may have trouble eating certain solid foods, since their tongue and lip ties will make it difficult to chew and swallow properly. Kids with tongue and lip ties may also develop speech impediments, and have trouble pronouncing certain sounds like “T” “D” “N” “L” and “S.”
We know that it can be hard to tell if your child has tongue and lip ties, or if they need a frenectomy. But you’re not in this alone. With just a quick consultation at Kids Tooth Team, Dr. Alex can diagnose your child, assess the severity of their tongue and lip ties, and determine if a frenectomy is right for your little one. Don’t wait, and contact us today for help with tongue and lip ties in South Austin.
Kids with healthy teeth will not need tooth extractions. There are only a few exceptions. For example, some kids may have an extra tooth, or may need one or more teeth to be removed as part of the process of getting orthodontic treatment.
Wisdom teeth are another exception. These teeth grow in later than the rest of your child’s teeth, between the ages of 17-25. They're a natural part of the mouth, but many kids don’t have enough space in their mouths to accommodate them. If they don’t grow into their mouth correctly, your child’s wisdom teeth may need to be extracted.
But for the most part, tooth extractions are only needed when your child has an unhealthy tooth that can’t be saved with any other treatment. Tooth extractions are always a last resort option at Kids Tooth Team. Whenever possible, we will try to save your child’s tooth with treatments like a pulpotomy.
Sometimes, though, a tooth may be too damaged to save, or it may be necessary to pull it to prevent further complications. If this is the case for your child, Dr. Otto may recommend a tooth extraction. We offer gentle extractions, and keep your child comfortable with dental sedation throughout the entire process.
Once your child’s unhealthy tooth has been pulled, it will need to be replaced. If it was a baby tooth, Dr. Otto will recommend a space maintainer, which will maintain the proper gap in their smile until their adult tooth erupts.
However, if your child has lost an adult tooth, they will need a replacement. Dental implants are typically the best option for replacing adult teeth. However, they usually are not placed until your child is 16-18 years old, and their jaw has finished developing. Until then, a fixed or removable bridge can be used to replace the missing tooth.
Proudly serving patients in Buda, South Austin, Kyle, Manchaca and the surrounding communities.
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