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Pediatric Dentistry
Dr. Cruise and the entire staff understand the importance of good oral health for children. As a board-certified pediatric dentist, Dr. Cruise has specialized training in prevention, growth, and development, dental trauma, interceptive orthodontics, and treatment of pediatric dentition. We want to help protect and restore your children’s teeth so that they can speak and eat easily and have a wonderful smile.
We also understand the importance of homecare for healthy smiles. We will work with parents to ensure that their children are establishing tooth-friendly habits that will ensure happy, healthy smiles for life. After all, it’s just as true now as when Benjamin Franklin first said it: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Preventative Dentistry
The best time to fix a cavity is never! We focus on prevention to help you and your child establish healthy habits for a lifetime of excellent oral health and a smile they can be proud of.
By becoming your child’s dental home, we aim to help you stop cavities before they get a start. To help with this, we recommend routine dental examinations and cleanings as well as fluoride applications when needed.
Restorative Dentistry
We offer a complete range of pediatric restorative services including fillings, crowns, extractions, space maintainers, and nerve treatments.
Dr. Cruise also offers minimally invasive options such as Hall crowns (which can be completed with no drilling or numbing) and no-numbing fillings when appropriate.
Frenectomies
A frenectomy is the removal of the frenum, which is a thin piece of tissue in the mouth that can cause complications in babies and children. If your child has trouble eating, speaking, or breastfeeding, a frenectomy may help resolve the issue.
There are two main types of frena in the mouth: the lingual frenum and the labial frenum. Contact our office to learn more about the benefits of a frenectomy and schedule an appointment to discuss this further. For more information, click here.
Sedation Dentistry
Dr. Cruise offers three levels of sedation:
- Minimal sedation with Nitrous Oxide where we administer gas through a small mask placed over your child’s nose. The gas will help your child relax without the full effect of anesthesia.
- Moderate sedation with oral medications where we administer a combination of oral medications to address more severe anxiety while still maintaining responsiveness.
- Outpatient General Anesthesia in the hospital setting where your child is put completely to sleep under the supervision of a medical anesthesiologist to have all of their dental work completed at one time.
Silver Diamine Fluoride
Used around the globe for decades, Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) is a minimally invasive medicament that helps stop the progression of cavities. SDF can be particularly helpful for younger patients who are unable to cooperate for more involved restorative care such as crowns or fillings. Ask Dr. Cruise if SDF is right for your child.
Emergency Dental Care
Even though we wish that they wouldn’t, emergencies do happen. Fortunately, Dr. Cruise has advanced training and experience in managing dental emergencies and is available for after-hours call for patients of record.
Contact us right away if your child is having a dental emergency!