Dentistry for Infants – South Loop • Chicago, IL

Why Choose Chicago Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics for Infant Dentistry?

• Team of board-certified pediatric dentists
• Highly-skilled team with tons of experience
• All PPO insurance accepted

Oral Health Risk Assessment

When your child comes to see us for the first time, after giving you a brief tour of the dental office and meeting our team, we’ll perform a gentle exam called an Oral Health Risk Assessment. We’ll look at their new teeth, gums, and jaws to make sure everything is developing correctly. We’ll go over how to take care of your brand new smile at home, and if you have any questions, We'll be more than happy to answer them.

Teething

Teething is uncomfortable for parents and children alike, but there are a few things you can do to help your baby’s aching gums. A gentle massage with a clean finger can help soothe an uncomfortable child, or you can give them a teething ring to gnaw on. We do recommend avoiding teething crackers or snacks, as these can expose your child’s teeth to excess sugar. If you ever need any help during this trying time, feel free to give our dental office a call!

Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) Treatments

SDF is a liquid substance made of silver, water, fluoride, and ammonia we can use to control active dental caries (i.e. cavities) to prevent them from becoming worse. Unlike traditional dental fluoride applications, SDF is able to actually kill the bacteria that breaks down the enamel while also keeping it from spreading to other teeth. It enables us to stop decay using a gentle and noninvasive method, which is particularly useful with small children. The treatment itself only takes a few minutes and has also been shown to reduce dental sensitivity.

Non-Nutritive Habits

This term typically refers to habits such as thumb and finger sucking, which are extremely common for young children. They often provide a sense of comfort, and while adorable at first, they can actually interfere with the development of the teeth and jaw if they go on for too long. Most children are able to break these habits on their own, but if you need a little help getting yours to stop, we can offer you a number of proven strategies that focus on positive reinforcement rather than punishment. If needed, we can even put a small appliance in the mouth that prevents a child from sucking their thumb.

Frenuloplasties & Frenectomies

A frenulum is a small band of oral tissue, and everyone actually has 3 in their mouth: 1 connects each lip to the gums while another can be found underneath the tongue. Infants can often develop problems feeding because these tissues restrict their oral movement, but we can painlessly loosen and even remove troublesome frenulums using a soft tissue laser. We can also connect parents with local speech therapists and lactation consultants to help children before and after the procedure.

Learn More About Laser Frenectomy