For new parents we follow the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry - "first visit by the first birthday". Recognizing the short attention span of 1 year olds, we will perform an exam, demonstrate proper oral hygiene techniques, and discuss your child's eating, feeding, and oral habits with you.

Prevention is always better than treatment. Brush your teeth twice daily using any soft-bristled, ADA-approved tooth brush. We also recommend the use of modern electric tooth brushes such as Sonicare and Braun. Floss daily to remove plaque between teeth that you can't reach with regular brushing.

Always rinse thoroughly with water after brushing (or after meals if you are unable to brush). You may occasionally use a mouthwash to rinse. Children may benefit from the use of ACT fluoride rinse, to help prevent cavities from forming in between the teeth.

A crown (often called a cap) covers the tooth and restores it to its original shape and size. Decay is removed and cleaned from the tooth and a preformed crown is placed over the tooth. Unlike adult crowns, in which the crown is made to fit the tooth, which requires two appointments, baby crowns are placed in one visit, because the tooth is prepared to fit the crown. Dr. Barlow is a certified pediatric Zirconia crowns expert and has been trained in providing full-coverage pediatric restorations like the ones you see in this picture.

Dental examinations help to diagnose disease before it becomes hazardous to your child's health. In addition, regular examinations can save money by alleviating problems while they are small and before they become expensive to repair, or in some cases, impossible to repair.

A professional dental cleaning will include removing plaque from teeth, removing calculus (tarter) above the gum line. Calculus below the gum line indicates gum disease and requires a different procedure to remove it.

Dental x-rays or radiographs allow the dentist to see things about your child's oral health that cannot be seen by the naked eye. These items include cysts, cancerous and non-cancerous tumors, invisible decay that occurs between teeth, and the location of teeth that haven't grown all the way in.

Modern dental x-ray machines are very safe. We use only state-of-the-art, low radiation machines. The amount of radiation exposure your child's body receives on an airplane flight from Los Angeles to New York exceeds the amount of exposure they will receive from a modern dental x-ray machine. Contrast this minimal exposure with the risk of not finding an illness until it is too late, and you can see why we prescribe regular diagnostic x-rays.

Normal pits and grooves on the chewing surfaces of back teeth can trap food that can't be removed by brushing or washed out by water or saliva. A sealant is a tough material designed to bond (stick) to tooth enamel.

Composite fillings are more than just attractive. They require minimal tooth preparation, in other words less healthy tooth structure is removed to restore the tooth. Also, a sealant can be placed over the remaining exposed grooves of the tooth to minimize the risk of decay on another area of the tooth.

When your child prematurely loses a baby tooth, the use of a space maintainer may be used. A space maintainer -- a combination of bands and wires designed to hold the remaining teeth in a position that will allow the future permanent tooth to erupt in the proper location.

Also known as a Pulpotomy, a root canal is required when decay has reached the nerve of a baby tooth. It can be quite painful, so we recommend this treatment to preserve the tooth so that it can fall out naturally. Unlike adult root canals, this is a very short procedure that only requires part of the tooth pulp to be removed.