Welcome to The Kid's Place!

Dental Crowns

At The Kids Place in Boerne, Texas, we understand the importance of caring for your child's dental health. From the moment their first tooth grows, it's essential to establish healthy habits and promptly address any potential dental issues. Dental crown installation is one of the most common dental procedures we offer our young patients.

Our stainless steel and prefabricated porcelain/ceramic dental crowns repair damaged or broken teeth that are still otherwise healthy. The crown provides protection and stability by fitting over the original tooth. The dental crown procedure can also be employed for chipped tooth repair, restoring your smile to its optimal condition.

What is a Dental Crown?

A dental crown is a tooth-shaped cap that covers a prepared tooth to repair damage. It's designed to replace the tooth's entire external portion, and at The Kids Place, we offer stainless steel and prefabricated porcelain/ceramic dental crowns.

These can be custom-shaped and custom-shaded to blend seamlessly with the rest of your child's teeth. They're used in multiple dental procedures and oral appliances, primarily for aesthetic purposes on permanent teeth. However, stainless steel crowns are silver in color and are used primarily for temporary tooth repair.

Infants and toddlers often require pre-veneered stainless steel or plastic dental crowns to cover their damaged teeth. Removing a baby's tooth is not in the child's best interests when severely decayed or damaged. While the adult teeth will eventually replace the lost baby tooth, losing it too early can affect the teeth below it. A stainless-steel crown can be placed over the tooth after removing the decay and preparing the tooth stud correctly. Being a baby tooth, it will fall out on its own eventually, but placing the stainless-steel crown will maintain normal chewing and speech functions while waiting for the tooth to fall out.

Is a Dental Crown the Right Choice for Your Child?

In most cases, a dental crown can be an excellent option to restore a badly damaged or decayed tooth's form and function to the tooth while saving the root. Crowns are used in multiple dental procedures and appliances to replace damaged or lost teeth, and systems such as root canals or implants require crowns. Crowns are also used for repairing one tooth or as part of bridges or dentures.

At The Kids Place, Dr. Wilkerson will walk you through determining whether a stainless steel dental crown is the right choice for your child. Before installation, we'll comprehensively assess your child's dentition and discuss all available options, including the benefits and any risks or drawbacks associated with the procedure.

Gentle Restorative Dentistry

We understand that many children can feel nervous or anxious about dental procedures. That's why, at The Kids Place, we prioritize gently ensuring your child is as comfortable as possible. Dr. Wilkerson and his skilled dental professionals use various advanced technologies and equipment to ensure the procedure is as gentle and painless as possible. From the moment you walk through the doors of our Boerne, TX dentist office, we focus on providing your child feels at ease and in control of their dental care.

How Much Do Dental Crowns Cost?

At The Kids Place, it's essential to provide quality dental care to all children, no matter their budget. The total cost of a dental crown can vary from patient to patient, depending on various factors, such as the type of dental crown and the materials your child chooses.

Rest assured, we will provide a detailed breakdown of all the costs associated with the procedure before their treatment begins.

Tooth-Colored Dental Fillings

Say goodbye to unattractive metal fillings. Dr. Wilkerson employs state-of-the-art dental filling materials that are color-matched to blend seamlessly with your natural teeth. With these tooth-colored fillings, no one can tell you have ever had a cavity or undergone a dental restoration. Moreover, The Kids Place takes pride in being an amalgam-free dental office, ensuring you receive treatment with the safest possible materials.

Pediatric Endodontics

For children experiencing severe tooth damage or decay, our pediatric dental team may recommend gentle endodontic treatment such as root canal therapy or a pulpotomy. These treatments are performed to ease pain, prevent disease and restore your child's healthy smile!

Endodontic treatment is typically used to address infection or inflammation that has been caused by a deep cavity or injury to the tooth. To treat a child's permanent tooth, our Kids Place dentist may recommend root canal therapy. For your child's root canal treatment, their affected tooth will be numbed, allowing our dentist to carefully remove any infected pulp before resealing the tooth.

Endodontic therapy may also be performed on a baby tooth, with treatments like a pulpotomy to remove decay and affected pulp from the tooth, while leaving the tooth's healthy root intact. After your child's tooth has been treated with endodontic therapy, Dr. Wilkerson will cover and seal the tooth with a protective new filling or dental crown to complete their tooth restoration!

Retainers & Post-Orthodontic Treatment

Once you've completed your dental braces treatment, Dr. Wilkerson will make recommendations for maintaining your smile results, including a custom-fitted retainer. If your retainer has become lost or damaged, call us for a speedy replacement!

Why Choose Early Interceptive Orthodontic Treatment?

It is recommended by the American Orthodontic Association that children should be evaluated by age 7. This makes early childhood the prime period for monitoring proper facial growth and development, as rapid growth of the face and jaws occur during this time period.

Problems that alter normal facial and jaw growth need to be identified early and treated so your child will have a great smile and a more beautiful face when they are older. By the time traditional braces are placed when permanent teeth are in, the face has limited growth into adulthood, leaving fewer options for treatment when there is more severe crowding, often leading to loss of pristine permanent teeth to make room or prolonged treatment times.

Bones and teeth in younger children have a more rapid response to treatment — early interceptive orthodontic treatment can sometimes eliminate a future need for traditional braces!

How Early Orthodontic Treatment Works

Orthodontic appliances are made to move teeth into better positions for health, proper function, and a beautiful smile. They may be removable or they may be brackets bonded to the teeth. By placing a constant, gentle force in a carefully controlled direction, braces slowly move teeth to the proper position.

Gone are the days when a metal band with a bracket was placed around each tooth. Orthodontic patients can have brackets that are bonded directly to the teeth. Wires are far less noticeable, and the latest materials are designed to move teeth faster with more comfort.

Interceptive Orthodontics

Children with moderate to severe dental crowding will benefit from interceptive or early orthodontic treatment. Parents typically notice crowding when the lower front permanent teeth first appear around age 6 years. At The Kids Place, our pediatric dental team will evaluate patients' smiles early on, when permanent teeth should be coming in, if they are crowded, when they are delayed, and when they are coming in out of position.

By recognizing and addressing orthodontic concerns early, we can often eliminate future extractions of permanent teeth, improve overall health and function of the mouth, and help give your child a beautiful smile.

Orthodontic Arch Development

Orthopedic arch development can often make room for the permanent teeth eliminating extensive treatment times later, and will reduce or eliminate the removal of permanent teeth that so often occurs when children undergo orthodontic treatment at a later age. In addition, arch development can improve your child's ability to breath, and breath through the nose. Nasal breathing is the key to a well balanced face.

Although not every child will require this type of early treatment, it is important to have them screened by a knowledgeable dentist at an early age. You don't want to miss an opportunity that would benefit your child, their face, or their smile!

Guidance of Eruption

Our orthodontic services for straight teeth and optimal oral function may require treatment to guide the eruption of teeth. At The Kid's Place, guidance of eruption is used to align teeth as they emerge from the gums. Encouraging the adult teeth to align naturally eliminates the need for mechanical movement of the teeth with braces and other oral appliances.

Pre-eruption guidance provides more stability for teeth. When teeth are guided into place naturally, the adult collagenous fibers provide stronger support for the teeth.

Different dental appliances are used to provide better spacing of the primary anterior teeth or to expand the arches to allow more space for teeth to come through the gums in the correct position. The appliance is typically worn at night so as not to interrupt regular daily activities, leading the permanent incisors into the correct positions to allow proper lateral spacing of the primary anterior teeth.

Once the incisors' positions are correct, the remaining adult teeth can come through with adequate space.

Gentle Dental Extractions

While we always strive to save natural teeth whenever possible, sometimes extraction is the best option for your child's overall oral health. Whether due to severe decay, infection, overcrowding, or to make room for orthodontic treatment, Dr. Wilkerson performs gentle extractions with your child's comfort as the top priority.

Our approach to pediatric extractions includes:

• Thorough examination and X-rays to determine if extraction is necessary
• DentalHiTech painless electronic anesthesia for comfortable numbing
• Sedation options available for anxious children or complex procedures
• Gentle technique to minimize trauma to surrounding tissues
• Complete aftercare instructions for parents

For baby teeth, we take special care to preserve the space needed for permanent teeth to come in properly. In some cases, we may recommend a space maintainer to prevent neighboring teeth from shifting into the empty space.

Frenectomy (Tongue-Tie & Lip-Tie Release)

A frenectomy is a simple procedure that can make a significant difference in your child's oral function and development. The frenum is the small fold of tissue that connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth (lingual frenum) or the upper lip to the gums (labial frenum).

When the frenum is too tight or thick, it can cause:

• Difficulty breastfeeding in infants
• Speech difficulties (tongue-tie)
• Gap between front teeth (lip-tie)
• Difficulty cleaning teeth properly
• Gum recession

Dr. Wilkerson can perform a gentle frenectomy to release the restricted tissue and improve your child's oral function. The procedure is quick, minimally invasive, and most children heal within just a few days.

Sports-Related Dental Injuries

Active kids are more prone to dental injuries, especially during sports and recreational activities. Common sports-related dental emergencies include knocked-out teeth, broken teeth, lip and tongue injuries, and jaw injuries.

Prevention is key! We strongly recommend that all children who participate in sports wear a properly fitted mouthguard. Ask us about custom athletic mouthguards that provide superior protection and comfort compared to store-bought options.

If your child experiences a dental injury during sports, stay calm, address any bleeding with gentle pressure, and contact our office immediately.

What to Expect During an Emergency Visit

When you arrive for an emergency appointment at The Kid's Place, here's what you can expect:

1. Immediate Assessment: We'll quickly evaluate your child's condition and take any necessary X-rays.
2. Pain Management: Your child's comfort is our priority. We'll address pain immediately using our painless anesthesia technology.
3. Diagnosis & Treatment Plan: Dr. Wilkerson will explain the problem and all treatment options.
4. Treatment: We'll provide the necessary treatment to address the emergency.
5. Aftercare Instructions: You'll receive complete instructions for caring for your child at home.

Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas)

Nitrous oxide, commonly known as "laughing gas," is the mildest form of sedation we offer. It's a safe, effective option for children with mild to moderate dental anxiety.

How it works: Your child breathes in a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen through a small mask placed over their nose. Within minutes, they'll feel relaxed and happy – some children even get the giggles! They remain awake and can communicate throughout the procedure.

Benefits of nitrous oxide:

• Fast-acting – takes effect within 3-5 minutes
• Easily adjustable during the procedure
• Wears off quickly – no lingering effects
• No needles required for administration
• Child can eat normally before the appointment
• Safe for children of all ages

Oral Conscious Sedation

For children with moderate anxiety or those who need more extensive dental work, oral conscious sedation provides a deeper level of relaxation. Your child takes a prescribed sedative medication before their appointment, which helps them feel drowsy and relaxed.

How it works: We'll provide detailed instructions before your appointment. Your child will take the medication at home or in our office, depending on the type of sedation used. They'll remain conscious but very relaxed – many children become so comfortable they don't remember much of the procedure afterward.

What to expect:

• Fasting may be required before the appointment
• Your child will feel drowsy and relaxed
• They may not remember the procedure
• Effects last several hours after treatment
• A parent/guardian must stay during the appointment
• Child should rest at home afterward

In-House General Anesthesia

For children who require extensive dental treatment, have severe anxiety, or have special needs that make traditional dental care challenging, we offer in-house general anesthesia. This allows your child to sleep comfortably through their entire dental treatment.

How it works: A board-certified anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist from our visiting anesthesia team administers and monitors the anesthesia in our office. This eliminates the need for hospital visits and allows your child to receive all necessary treatment in one comfortable appointment.

Benefits of in-house general anesthesia:

• Complete all treatment in one visit
• Your child sleeps through the entire procedure
• Monitored by a dedicated anesthesia professional
• No memory of the dental procedure
• Ideal for very young children or those with special needs
• Performed in our familiar, child-friendly office

DentalHiTech Painless Electronic Anesthesia

In addition to our sedation options, we use DentalHiTech painless electronic anesthesia for virtually pain-free numbing. This revolutionary technology delivers anesthesia so gently that most children don't even realize they've received an injection!

The computer-controlled system delivers numbing medication at a slow, steady rate, eliminating the pressure and discomfort associated with traditional dental injections. Combined with our sedation options, this ensures your child experiences the most comfortable dental visit possible.

Your Child's Safety is Our Priority

At The Kid's Place, safety is paramount. Here's how we ensure safe sedation for every patient:

• Thorough medical history review before recommending any sedation
• Pre-operative instructions to prepare your child properly
• Continuous monitoring of vital signs during sedation
• Emergency equipment on-site and staff trained in emergency protocols
• Post-operative monitoring until your child is ready to go home
• Detailed aftercare instructions for parents

Dr. Wilkerson follows all safety guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) and is certified in pediatric sedation techniques.