Family and Children's Dentistry in Lilburn, Lawrenceville, and Snellville GA

Kids are more than welcome at Killian Hill Dental Care. We are a family dental practice and have decades of experience taking care of not only Mom and Dad, but also, the kids. The decades of experience is extremely important in children’s dentistry because we have been able to follow not only the growth and development of our patients, but to also evaluate the success of our treatments in the long term. In fact, we are even treating kids whose parents were our patients when they were children. Call 770-923-3966 today to schedule an appointment.

Protecting the health of your child’s teeth is important for their well-being. You want your child to grow up with a healthy, beautiful smile that will last them a lifetime. And the teeth are important for proper nutrition which is necessary for proper growth and development.

Regular dental exams and cleanings are extremely important for children in order to maintain their dental health. In our office, a routine cleaning visit consists of a thorough oral and dental exam. This includes a screening for oral cancer, an assessment of the gums and oral mucosa, a check for any growth abnormalities, visually checking for cavities in the teeth, and an orthodontic evaluation. Bitewing x-rays are taken of the back teeth in order to detect cavities in their early stages. Many times, if a cavity gets large enough to be seen visually, it could be already deep enough to be in the nerve which would greatly increase the cost to repair. The teeth are gently polished to remove plaque and then the teeth are bathed with a high concentration of pleasant-tasting fluoride. We have many flavors to choose from to satisfy event the pickiest of tastebuds. We recommend the routine check-up and cleaning to be every 6 months. Cavities tend to grow much quicker in children than adults, so an ounce of prevention is so much better than the pound of cure.

An orthodontic evaluation during routine dental examination is very important for children. In many cases, early treatment of orthodontic problems can make subsequent phases much easier, less expensive, or may even eliminate the need for further treatment. Many parents think that one has to wait until all of the baby teeth come out and the permanent teeth are in before starting orthodontic treatment, however, many problems – such as lack of space or crossbites – can be corrected early while there are still baby teeth present. The results can be much more stable when done early. The muscle tone of the lips, cheeks, and tongue are still in a state of flux in a young child. The muscle tone usually doesn’t become set for life until all of the permanent teeth come in. That gives a little window of time that the size of the jaw can be changed and the result will be relatively stable, whereas, doing it later in will have a high rate of relapse. We have been performing interceptive and comprehensive orthodontics in Lilburn since 1982. That level of experience gives us considerable expertise to decide on the best course of treatment especially since we have seen which treatments are successful decades later.

With patience and a gentle demeanor of our dentists, most children can have cavities filled with minimal fear and discomfort. As a patient in preparation for the visit, don’t use phrases like “Oh, it won’t hurt”, or “It will only hurt a little bit”. Use positive statements, like “Remember how you got your teeth cleaned? Well, Dr. G is going to clean out all of the cavity bugs”. The question of “Am I going to get a shot?” frequently comes up. The best answer to that is “Dr. G has a special pincher that will put your tooth to sleep so that you won’t feel it when he cleans out the cavity bugs”. When the day comes, we allow the parents to bring the child back into the treatment room, but when the time comes to start the treatment, we ask the family to go relax in the waiting room. We have found that 99% of pediatric patients are much more comfortable and much less fearful without a parent to get attention from. We have had screaming children clutching mom’s or dad’s arms, holding on for dear life, only to turn into placid little angels within 15 seconds of the parent’s departure.

Getting a child comfortable and relaxed once seated in the dental chair is paramount in having a good experience with a filling appointment. We have TVs in the ceiling that can show cartoons or children’s programming which can get most kids at ease. For those who continue to have reservations, many times just taking the time to explain what is going to happen can be enough to allay their fears. If a child continues to be unruly, the next step is nitrous oxide (laughing gas). This “Happy Gas” can be the final calming factor for many children. Every once in a blue moon, we will come across a child who is so fearful that they cannot be safely controlled. We do not use papoose restraints in our office, so sedation is the only alternative in those cases. Sedation of children is best handled by pedodontists. About once in every five years, we refer a child for specialist care.

When filling children’s teeth, we ALWAYS use local anesthetic on children. Our practice includes a large segment of adult patients requiring sedation. The overwhelming reason for their extreme fear of the dentist is because their dentist didn’t use novocaine when they had their teeth filled as a kid. By numbing teeth ahead of time, a tooth can be drilled on without any pain whatsoever. Fear of the “shot” is a very common issue in children (not to mention many adults). We try to make that part of the visit as easy as possible for the patient. We start with a topical numbing gel that is placed on the gum at the injection site with a cotton swab. Once the gum is fully numb, the child is told that they will feel a little “pinch”. The anesthetic syringe is passed to the dentist out of sight of the patient. By quickly inserting the needle into the numbed gums and very slowly injecting the anesthetic solution, the child experiences little to no discomfort. It is such a heart-warming feeling to hear a child run out to the waiting room saying “Mommy, Mommy – I didn’t have to have a shot! He just pinched my gums.”

Filling cavities in baby teeth can be very important. Many people think that just because the baby teeth fall out eventually, you don’t need to be concerned about caring for them. Baby teeth are important to keep space open for the permanent teeth. If a baby tooth is lost too early, the teeth will crowd up making any subsequent orthodontics much more difficult. And if a cavity gets too deep, the tooth could abscess which can cause a lot of pain, not to mention the chance of serious infection. One of the worst parts of our job as a dentist is seeing a child writhing in pain with a toothache only to find out that this is their first trip to the dentist. It’s not too hard to imagine how much they will look forward their next trip to the dentist. It is also very hard to get profound numbness on an abscessed tooth which makes the experience that much worse. By pre-planning and catching things early, teeth can be filled painlessly on children.

Once a tooth is numb, your child should not experience any further discomfort. However, there are a lot of sights and sounds that can unnerve a child into thinking that what is happening is painful. Since a drill has to be used to clean out the decay and shape the inside of the tooth to hold a filling, the chatter of the drill’s bur, the water spray, and the high pitch sound can startle some children. At our office, we show the patient every step that we are about to take before we do it. For example, we take the high speed handpiece and hold their hand up to it and let them feel the water spray. We tell them that the water spray is going to clean out all the cavity bugs. With their fears allayed, most children will be still while the cavity is being drilled out. We tell them that the water spray will tickle their teeth, so the vibration of the drill is well tolerated. Taking the extra time to demonstrate what’s going to happen is well rewarded with a calm, cooperative child.

If you are searching for a high quality, kid-friendly dentist in the Lilburn, Lawrenceville and Snellville area, contact Killian Hill Dental Care today at 770-923-3966. We are committed to excellent dental care for all our patients, especially kids. We also offer family block dental appointments to make it simple and convenient to get the dental care you need for your whole family.