Complimentary 1-year-old Visits

Our office and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommend that your child visit the dentist by his or her 1st birthday. Our dental team is fully equipped to examine children of any age or special healthcare/behavioral needs. We want you and your child to have all the information and tools necessary to have a lifetime of healthy teeth. We offer these complimentary dental screenings for healthy children up to 18 months old. These appointments are scheduled with our hygienist, and a doctor is always available, should you have any questions or concerns. So, if you or someone you know has a 1-year-old, please phone our office to set up an appointment for a screening.

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Fillings - Amalgam and Composite

At Capital District Pediatric Dentistry, we offer both amalgam (silver-colored) fillings and composite (white) fillings. We believe in giving you and your family a choice.

For fillings on posterior (back) teeth, we give you, in most cases, the option of amalgam (silver) or composite (white) fillings. Silver fillings are a good treatment option, as they are durable, less expensive than white fillings and take less time to place, resulting in a shorter appointment for your child. Composite (white) fillings are a more cosmetic filling, are durable, take a little more time to place and cost a bit more.

For anterior (front) teeth, composite fillings are always placed. Our goal is to not only give your child a healthy smile but an attractive one as well.

Any time a filling is placed, it is important to maintain good oral hygiene habits at home and to avoid acidic and sugary foods that could contribute to recurrent (new) decay around the filling.

It is important to restore (fill) baby teeth when they become decayed since a cavity is bacteria. Bacteria multiply and can spread deeper into the tooth and to other adjacent teeth. If left untreated, a cavity on a baby tooth can cause a painful infection that could damage the developing permanent tooth which lies right beneath the baby tooth.

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Pulpotomies

When a cavity is large enough, it can penetrate to the pulp or nerve of the tooth. The pulp contains vital material, and when a cavity reaches the pulp, the bacteria in the cavity can cause the tooth to become infected. Therefore, when a cavity penetrates the nerve, the pulp must be cleaned and treated in order to prevent an infection from occurring in the tooth. Dr. Jason, Dr. Nancy or Dr. Jennifer will perform a pulpotomy prior to the placement of the filling or crown. This is all done in the same appointment. Your child will not know that this is taking place, as his or her tooth will be anesthetized (numb).

If left untreated, deep decay-causing infection will ultimately destroy the bone underneath the baby tooth where the permanent tooth is developing. Should this occur, extraction of the baby tooth is recommended.

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Stainless Steel Crowns

A stainless steel crown is a permanent covering that fits over an original tooth that is either decayed, damaged or cracked. The crowns we use are made out of stainless steel for durability.

Stainless steel crowns are places in one visit and are an excellent way to restore a baby tooth after damage from extensive decay. Stainless steel crowns are cemented into place and last, in most cases, until the baby tooth exfoliates (falls out) naturally.

Many parents are concerned about the appearance of a stainless steel crown. We try to put a positive spin on these for your child by saying, “We will place a princess or pirate crown on your tooth.”

After a stainless steel crown is placed, it is important that your child avoid sticky foods like caramel, taffy and fruit snacks, as these can “pull off” a stainless steel crown.

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Anterior Crowns

An anterior crown is a crown that is placed on a tooth in the front of your mouth. We use anterior crowns to treat patients with decayed, damaged or cracked front teeth. The anterior crowns that we use are either all composite material or stainless steel with white porcelain facings to give the child a more natural-looking smile.

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Space Maintainers

Drs. Jason, Nancy and Jenn recommend that children who lose a primary tooth before their permanent tooth erupts wear space maintainers. These maintainers prevent the other teeth from closing the gap and hold the space open until the permanent tooth comes in.
Space maintainers are made of two different materials, either stainless steel or plastic. They can be removable or permanent; cemented to your child's mouth. This is known as a fixed space maintainer.

The removable space maintainers look like orthodontic retainers. They use artificial teeth or acrylic blocks to fill in the space that need to be saved. Usually this type of space maintainer is used when the empty space is visible to others. We recommend removable space maintainers for older children who can be responsible and follow directions about using and taking care of their maintainer. Fixed space maintainers are preferred in our office because we do not have to rely on patient compliance for them to work.

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Laser Dentistry

We use laser dentistry in our practice for hard and soft tissue procedures. The lasers used are narrow beams of light energy that can penetrate the tissue, producing the ability to vaporize, remove or shape soft tissues such as the gums, cheeks and tongue. It can also penetrate hard tissue and remove decay.

Laser dentistry can be used to correct many problems from uncovering partially erupted teeth to removing lip pulls in orthodontic patients. Lasers can also obtain small tissue samples in biopsy procedures to detect lesions or potential tumors in the mouth.

Using laser dentistry as opposed to other forms of surgery does have its advantages. Lasers can control the amount of bleeding during the treatment and can sometimes remove gum tissue without causing bleeding. In laser dentistry, there may also be less swelling and pain following the surgery as the laser can seal blood vessels and nerve endings.

At Capital District Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Jason and Dr. Nancy are certified by the Nash Institute of Laser Dentistry to perform a myriad of laser procedures. They use the Erbium-Yag Hard/Soft Tissue Laser to perform procedures such as frenectomies, exposing tissue-impacted teeth and dental cavity removal without anesthesia. They also treat painful apthous ulcers (cancer sores) with the laser.

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Frenectomies

A frenectomy is a procedure where Dr. Decker or Dr. Cavotta cuts a frenum, a piece of tissue or muscle that connects the lips, cheek or tongue to the jawbone.

Children who need a frenectomy often have a frenum that is attached too high on their gums which causes a recession of the gums or more spacing between their teeth. The procedure to remove this kind of frenum is called a labial frenectomy.

Some children have a large frenum that inhibits tongue movement and impedes their speech. The lingual frenectomy removes this connecting tissue under a child’s tongue.

In the past, frenectomies were performed with a scalpel and stitches. With our advanced technology and training, it can now be performed with the laser instead. When the laser is used, stitches are rarely needed and healing time is cut nearly in half. Please refer to our Post-Operative Instructions on Laser Frenectomies for what to expect after a frenectomy. 

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Extractions

This procedure involved removing a tooth. Baby teeth may need to be extracted because they have become infected by large decay or maybe they have been traumatized and their nerves have died. They may also need to be extracted when severely crowded teeth are preventing normal eruption of permanent teeth.

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