While prolonged pacifier, thumb sucking and finger sucking habits can become problematic, most children stop on their own. Encouraging your child to cease the habit by age three will help with future bite and jaw issues. However, should your child struggle with stopping the habit, our Doctors can help! Feel free to discuss any concerns at your child’s next dental visit!

Whether you are new to the St. Louis area or simply looking for a new dentist, we at St. Louis Pediatric Dentistry® would like to welcome your children to a fantastic dental experience!

St. Louis Pediatric Dentistry® has a fun, positive, and engaging approach to ensure an excellent dental experience for your child or teen! Our offices are designed to make each visit enjoyable, equipped with TV’s in the rooms, tablets, treasure towers, and more! Our doctors have an age appropriate and kid-oriented style, which allows them to get to know each child personally and communicate with parents and children to create a lifetime of healthy smiles.

Welcome to an office kids love, where every patient, regardless of age, is treated with the latest advances in dental technology!

The natural sugars found in breastmilk, formula, and any liquid that may contain sugar/acid, can cause cavities when the decay-causing bacteria are present. However, the decay that can be associated with nursing or bottle-feeding can certainly be prevented! Avoid nursing your child to sleep or sending them to bed with anything except water in their bed-time and nap-time bottles. As infants, it is recommended to brush or wipe the gums and teeth with a soft bristle infant toothbrush or a wash cloth after each feeding. When your baby has several teeth, if you are feeding before bed, be sure to brush with a fluoridated toothpaste and floss just before bed to ensure sugars/acids/bacteria have been removed from the teeth and gums.

You can begin using fluoride toothpaste after the eruption of their first tooth! Using a rice-sized amount (under the age of 3 years) or pea-sized amount (3-6 years) appropriate to the child’s age, will aid in the prevention of early childhood cavities. We recommend parents supervise and place fluoridated toothpaste on their child’s toothbrush to ensure the proper amount is applied. This small amount is enough to be safe and effective in the prevention of cavities. Parents should encourage their children to spit out any excess toothpaste.

Baby teeth, also referred to as primary teeth, play several very important roles in your child’s growth and development. Their initial purposes include proper speech and natural chewing, as well as being a part of your child’s cute, angelic smile you love. They also help guide the permanent teeth into place as eruption occurs, acting as their own natural space-maintainers. Keeping these teeth healthy and free of decay will ensure they last as long as they were intended to and ensure that healthy permanent erupt in their place.