Preventive Care:
The nursing infant, the school-age child, and the teenager all have unique dental requirements. The idea is to nip their dental problems in the bud while they're still manageable: it's easier, and less costly, that way. After all, oral hygiene pays. Did you know that both the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Dental Association recommend that your child's first dental examination should be between 12-15 months old? The earlier the dental visit, the better the chances are to prevent dental problems, and Dr. Jai can help by providing a system of preventive dentistry for your child starting from their first dental visit.

• Brushing techniques
• Dental development
• Flossing
• Fluoride recommendations
• Oral habits
• Parent involvement
• Proper diet
• Sealants
• Sports safety

...and of course, your commitment to regular dental visits!

After your child's first visit, Dr. Jai will design a personalized program of correct brushing and flossing instructions, diet counseling, and fluoride recommendations. Dr. Jai may also advise you as to whether your child would benefit from sealants to protect from tooth decay, or possibly select a mouthguard to prevent possible sports injuries.

Together, with your help, we can show you how to practice simple techniques to help prevent problems in your child's growing teeth. And, with regular preventive care, we can help your child grow up with positive dental experiences free of cavities and fear. Preventive dentistry is your very best value.

Children with Special Needs:
Special children sometimes need special attention to dental hygiene. Some special children are very susceptible to tooth decay, gum disease or oral trauma. Others require medication or diet detrimental to dental health. Still other children have physical difficulty with effective dental habits at home. We are trained specifically in dental care for mentally and physically disabled children and are able to offer the highest caliber of service.

We are able to customize a preventive strategy tailored to fit the special needs of your child. Our office is designed to be physically accessible to special children. In cases where your child needs to visit our office for treatment, we are able to provide personalized services.

Anesthesia for Children's Dentistry:
Dr. Jai's office provides in office anesthesia to those children who are not able to comfortably tolerate routine care in an awake office setting. Dr. Jay Huneycutt is the dental anesthesiologist used in our office for IV sedation case. He is highly trained to provide anesthesia services to infants, children, and special need patients. He is on staff at LBJ Hospital and is in charge of training anesthesia residents as well as performing anesthesia procedures on various patients in the hospital.

FAQs about Anesthesia:

Should your child be sedated for dental procedures?
Many children experience anxiety at the dentist's office. The expectations of pain, the sound of the drill, or a brief separation from a parent can frighten a child. Some dentists will administer conscious sedation for brief procedures. However, if your child is unable to cooperate in the dental chair, or if an extensive or painful procedure is required, we can safely sedate or anesthetize your child so that the procedure can be completed and the experience is a more pleasant one. Your dentist will discuss the various options available.

What is the difference between conscious sedation and general anesthesia?
Conscious sedation is the use of medication to "take the edge off", but requires that your child be awake (conscious) during the procedure. When conscious sedation fails or is considered inappropriate for the nature or amount of dental work, deep sedation or general anesthesia is recommended. In our hands, it is as safe for your child to receive deep sedation or general anesthesia as it is conscious sedation. With the use of modern, short-acting anesthetics, children are just as awake and alert after general anesthesia as they are after conscious sedation.

How does it work?
After it is recommended that your child have deep sedation or general anesthesia, your pediatric anesthesiologist will contact you for a pre-anesthetic evaluation. On the day of the dental visit, your child will be given an oral medication that will make him or her less anxious, and more comfortable for their separation and dental procedure. Following this, medication is given to deepen sedation so that your child is no longer awake. Special care is given to protect the airway and to ensure the continuous delivery of oxygen to your child. State-of-the-art technology is used to monitor your child's electrocardiogram, oxygen level, expired carbon dioxide, and blood pressure. This is the same level of monitoring that we use in a hospital operating room or surgery center.

Who should sedate your child?
We recommend that a anesthesiologist perform the sedation for your child if he or she requires deep sedation or general anesthesia. These physicians have the most training and experience with the use of medications used to sedate and treat pain in children. Their experience makes them highly capable of detecting subtle changes or treating the rare complications, should they arise.

Is it safe?
When an anesthetic is performed in a proper setting by skilled anesthesiologists, the incidence of complication is extremely low. Experience has shown that our anesthetic care involves very little risk. With our skill level and intensive monitoring we can ensure a safe environment for your child.

What is the cost?
Anesthesia services provided by a pediatric anesthesiologist in the dental office will be considerably less expensive than the fee in a surgery center or hospital. Anesthesia fees are based on the length of time of the procedure; a detailed estimate will be provided ahead of time. We ask that you cover the expense the day of the procedure. If your dental insurance will authorize part or all of the anesthesia fee, our billing office can aid you in coordinating reimbursement. They can also arrange credit card payments.

Sealants:
Tooth decay is the most widespread dental disease among children, but is also the most preventable. Sealants are one of the most effective methods of preventing tooth decay. Sealants are made of clear or shaded plastic and are applied to the surface of the tooth. Brushing and flossing are effective in most cases, but the back teeth tend to have depressions and grooves which can be difficult, if not impossible, to clean. Sealants are used to fill these depressions so that decay can not start. The addition of a sealant to an active oral hygiene regime can significantly reduce the occurrence of tooth decay.

The application of a sealant is quick and painless, taking only one visit. Research shows that sealants can be effective for many years. If your child has good oral hygiene and avoids biting hard objects, sealants will last even longer. Early application of a sealant can protect your child throughout the most cavity-prone years and lay the foundation for a lifetime of dental health and a beautiful smile.

Sealants are very affordable and are covered by many dental insurance programs. Over the course of your child’s life, sealants actually save you money by preventing more expensive (and painful) tooth problems.

Microabrasion:
A common condition seen in children is discoloration. Several events can cause discoloration in permanent teeth, including: trauma to a baby tooth, an infection around a baby tooth, and high fever or prolonged illness during childhood. Chronic exposure to high doses of fluoride can also cause limited discoloration to a child's teeth.

Microabrasion is a simple, affordable treatment for discolored teeth. Microabrasion works by rubbing a mild abrasive compound on the surface of the tooth, removing superficial stains and discoloration. Safe and comfortable, microabrasion is a conservative method of treating discolored teeth, leaving the tooth intact.

Microabrasion does not completely remove all type of discoloration. Brown or dark stains are readily removed in most cases. White discolorations are often improved and sometime totally eliminated; sometimes they are persistent and remain after microabrasion. In all cases, microabrasion is conservative and does not eliminate other alternatives for treatment.

Space Maintainers:
Most of the time a baby tooth stays in place until it is pushed out and replace by a permanent tooth. We all know how childhood has a way of throwing a wrench in the way of the best-laid plans - sometimes the wrench might take out a tooth. When a baby tooth is lost before the permanent tooth is ready to replace it, a space maintainer may be needed to prevent future dental problems. Space maintainers promote normal development of the jawbones and muscles and save space for the permanent teeth when they are ready to come in.

Space maintainers prevent teeth from their natural tendency to "fill in" empty space left by a prematurely lost tooth. Without a space maintainer, permanent teeth may come in too crowded or crooked. Left untreated, this may require extensive (and expensive) orthodontic work. Space maintainers are an inexpensive preventive measure for healthy dental development. Made of custom formed metal or plastic, the space maintainer fills the space vacated by a lost tooth until the permanent tooth is ready to come in. This treatment, sort of an insurance against braces, is affordable and much easier on your child than extensive orthodontic procedures.

Mouthguards:
If your children are active and play sports or get beat up a lot mouthguards should be tops on your equipment list. Of all sports injuries, those to the teeth, lips, gums and tongue are the most preventable, yet some of the most common. A properly fitted, high quality mouthpiece can protect your child against tooth, lip and jaw injuries and prevent concussions.

Any mouthguard is better than none at all, but there are several reasons why a professionally fitted, custom-made mouthpiece is a better choice than a cheaper commercially available model. These "boil and bite" mouthguards are sized to fit the largest variety of mouth types and don't fit very well in any particular mouth - like your child's. In order to improve fit, you must boil the guard to soften the material and then bite down on it to form an impression of your teeth. Unfortunately, this displaces most of the protective material so that you are actually getting little or no protection.

Our custom made, professionally fitted mouthguards are formed to exactly fit your child's teeth. They are more comfortable, longer lasting and provide a greater level of protection. Though a custom mouthguard is moderately more expensive than a generic one, they can be cost effective over time - a broken tooth can cost as much as $2,000 to repair.

Habit Appliance:
Babies and young children often suck on thumbs, fingers or pacifiers. This is completely normal and harmless - most children stop between the ages of two to four years. Some children, though, continue these habits much longer and this can cause problems for the dental health and development. Other habits, such as lip biting, mouth breathing, tongue thrusting and nocturnal grinding can also create a malocclusion (the improper positioning of teeth and jaws).

We are trained to recognize the signs of these "oral habits". If these habits persist after we have first identified them, we are able to fit your child with a habit or mouth appliance that is designed to counteract the effects of the oral habit. These pro-active measures can prevent the necessity for expensive and uncomfortable orthodontic correction.

Cosmetic Dentistry:
A clean, healthy smile can go a long way in improving the self-image of your child. In the teenage years in particular, a child's appearance has a lot to do with their self-confidence and happiness. Unfortunately, injuries do occur and cavities sometimes develop in front teeth. In the past, the only options were an unsightly fill with a traditional amalgam or an expensive capping or crowning process.

We now have several exciting options that look more natural and maintain your child healthy appearance. Cosmetic dentistry uses a natural, tooth-colored filling material to fill cavities or fix chipped or broken teeth. Tooth-colored fillings are made from durable plastics called composite resins and are similar in color and texture to natural teeth making them much less noticeable and more attractive than other options.

A filled of bonded tooth is still not as strong as the tooth's original enamel so extra care must be taken to maintain it. Fortunately, tooth-colored fillings are compatible with dental sealants to lower the chance of subsequent decay. Once your child's tooth has been filled, we will regularly check the filling for any signs of leakage or unusual wear.

Sterilization Standards:
What about safety?

We are as concerned about your child's health as you are. That's why our office meets or exceeds all government standards for sterilization.

• All instruments capable of withstanding high heat are autoclaved (steam-sterilized) which kills infectious bacteria and viruses. The autoclaves are tested weekly to insure that they are operating properly.
• All items that cannot tolerate high heat, such as plastics, are disinfected in a chemical solution formulated to kill infectious bacteria and viruses.
• All hand pieces (drills) and burs (drill bits) are autoclaved after each use.
• Many items are single-use and are disposed of after each patient. This includes all syringes (needles) and saliva ejectors (the plastic tips on the suction tube which are placed in the mouth to remove saliva).
• The rubber cups which hold the paste used to polish your teeth are disposed of after each use.
• Gloves and masks are worn to prevent transmission of disease between you and our staff. Gloves are never used on more than one patient.
• All surfaces are disinfected with a chemical solution again formulated to kill infectious bacteria, spores, and viruses. Barriers (paper covers, etc.) are used whenever possible.
• A rubber dam, which is a thin sheet of latex, is used whenever necessary to reduce the amount of bacterial spray-back which occurs when dental procedures are performed.

We continually monitor our procedures for compliance with OSHA, Centers for Disease Control, and the American Dental Association recommendations.