Fort Myers Pediatric Dentist

Board-certified care to give your child their best smile

Establish a foundation of oral health

At smiLee, we offer comprehensive pediatric dental services to provide a dental home that establishes healthy oral habits that last a lifetime. Our goal is that every child should have a beautiful smile to give them the confidence to live life to their fullest potential. We strive to partner with families to cultivate a positive relationship with the dentist from a young age.

First Dental Visit

The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Dental Association, and American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry all recommend a child’s first dental visit no later than 1 year of age. The goal is to establish healthy habits to prevent dental issues.

Just as your child has an established “Medical Home” at the pediatrician’s office, a “Dental Home” is also important. Establishing with a pediatric dentist will provide comprehensive guidance to introduce and maintain oral health habits and routines from a young age and help prevent dental disease.

smiLee Pediatric Dentistry Services

Crowns

When a cavity is large or into the nerve of a tooth, a crown is the best option to preserve the tooth long-term. Baby teeth are so small that once a cavity is past a certain size, it can be difficult or impossible for a filling to stay in the tooth. Silver and white crown options are available.

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Emergencies

For established patients, we are available to see your child on an emergency basis during business hours. After hours, an emergency line is available for true dental emergencies which include: pain causing an inability to eat or drink, infection, and dental trauma.

What are good methods to prevent trauma?

For active infants and busy toddlers, take active measures to safeguard your home by keeping electrical wires out of reach, help prevent falls by removing hazardous items from play areas, and verify items within their grasp are age appropriate. For children and adolescents, always wear the appropriate safety protective gear, including mouthguards, during sporting activities. Children of all ages should be securely fastened into age-appropriate car seats or seat belts.

Lip or Tongue Bite:

Lip, cheek, and/or tongue chewing is common in children after being numb for a dental procedure. Prevention is key. Close monitoring of the child for 2 hours after the procedure can help detect and prevent this chewing. If unable to be prevented, the area can take 7-10 days to heal. It is important to keep the area clean to avoid infection, brush regularly and rinse with warm salt water. A soft diet and cool compress is recommended until fully healed.

Toothache:

Thoroughly rinse the mouth and clean the area of debris. Wrap a cool compress in a cloth and apply it to the area of the face. Avoid a hot or warm compress. Over-the-counter children’s pain medication, dosed appropriately for your child’s age and weight may provide some relief. Do not place aspirin or medication directly on the affected area. Call the office to schedule an urgent visit.

Broken Tooth:

Bumps and falls are often commonplace in childhood. If your child breaks a tooth, save the fragment stored in cold milk and call the office immediately. Keep the area clean of debris.

Knocked-out Baby Tooth:

Do not reimplant a knocked-out baby tooth. This can lead to damage to the developing permanent tooth. Keep the area where the tooth was lost clean and free of debris. Warm salt water rinses can aid in healing. It is important to follow up with the office as soon as possible to evaluate any issues.

Knocked-out Permanent Tooth:

When a permanent tooth is completely knocked out, quick action is required to save the tooth. Hold the tooth only by the crown portion of the tooth. Rinse the tooth of debris gently with cool water. Do not scrub the tooth or use any type of soap. If possible, reimplant the tooth and keep it in place with a washcloth. If you are unable to reimplant the tooth, store the tooth in a clean container of cold milk or saliva. Call the office immediately or go to the nearest emergency room.

Head Trauma:

Any suspected blow to the head or neck should be treated as a medical emergency. Call 911 or go directly to the nearest hospital.

Examinations

During routine dental examinations, we will evaluate overall oral health. Routine examinations can help to detect issues early when a larger variety of treatment options exist.

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Extractions

Baby teeth are small, and therefore a cavity can quickly deteriorate the entire tooth. When this happens or if a tooth cracks, the tooth can require extraction. Baby teeth are critical “space holders” for permanent teeth in the growing mouth. For this reason, space maintainers are sometimes necessary after a baby tooth is extracted.

Fillings

Fillings or restorations are recommended for small to moderate-sized cavities. White fillings or composite restorations are esthetic and can last for many years if proper care is exercised. Silver fillings can have advantages over white fillings in certain circumstances. If a filling is needed, a Team member at smiLee can discuss the available options.

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Fluoride

Fluoride strengthens enamel to help prevent and treat decay. The amount of fluoride used at smiLee is proven safe and has a remarkable ability to help prevent decay. If you have any questions or concerns about fluoride use, we are happy to discuss this at your child’s visit.

Oral Hygiene Instruction

At each cleaning visit, our Team at smiLee will educate and review proper brushing, flossing, and tongue cleaning. We will also review smart diet choices to maintain oral health and help prevent dental disease.

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Prophylaxis

A prophylaxis, or a dental cleaning, removes plaque, tartar, and stain from the teeth to promote healthy teeth and gums. Routine dental cleanings are the foundation for a lifetime of healthy and beautiful smiles. They are recommended for children starting with the eruption of the first tooth or no later than 12 months of age. Some children may be at higher risk for developing tooth decay and gum inflammation (gingivitis). These children may require dental cleanings at a greater frequency to help prevent dental issues.

Pulpotomy

Baby teeth are small, and therefore a cavity can quickly reach the nerve of a baby tooth. Once the cavity reaches the nerve of a baby tooth, a nerve treatment or pulpotomy must be completed to heal the nerve and preserve the baby tooth until the appropriate time for the baby tooth to be lost naturally.

Sealants

Newly erupted molars and sometimes other teeth often have deep grooves and pits on the chewing surface of the tooth. Food and bacteria tend to get stuck in these deep grooves and pits and can cause cavities. Sealants help to prevent cavities by filling in these grooves and pits. Sealants are non-invasive and simple to place. Sealants have been shown to reduce the number of cavities on the chewing surface of the tooth by 76%. Sealants will be recommended as soon as the permanent molars erupt and may be recommended on other teeth based on your child’s risk for cavities.

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Sedation Dentistry

Nitrous Oxide: At smiLee, we strive to provide positive and atraumatic dental visits for all children in order to establish and maintain a positive attitude towards the dentist. Nitrous Oxide, also known as laughing gas, is a safe and effective method of alleviating anxiety and minimizing pain during dental procedures. The most common side effect of laughing gas is uncommon but a small portion of patients experience nausea. Children remain awake while using nitrous oxide and are able to eat and drink prior to their appointment.

IV sedation: While most dental procedures can be completed without sedation, for young and anxious, or special needs children unable to cooperate for dental procedures, smiLee is proud to partner with Pediatric Dental Anesthesia Associates (PDAA) to provide in-office sedation for dental procedures. Your child’s safety is smiLee’s and PDAA’s top priority.

Pediatric Dental Anesthesia Associates’ practice has been designed to operate with the highest safety standards in mind. PDAA only uses pediatric fellowship-trained and board-certified anesthesiologists that have no history of malpractice and have proven excellence in clinical practice. They use the same or higher basic safety standards as hospitals and surgery centers and our practice is certified by risk managers every year. Our doctors and nurses routinely conduct safety drills, and ensure that all safety equipment is available and up to date. For this reason, PDAA has been chosen to provide anesthesia at over 290 pediatric dental offices in five different states. After completing more than 20,000 cases PDAA is extremely proud to report no incidents of patient injury.

Silver Diamine Fluoride

When a cavity is small to moderate-sized and not near the nerve of a tooth, or causing pain or infection, a product called Silver Diamine Fluoride can be applied to the cavity. This product may require multiple applications over time and can kill the bacteria causing the cavity and has the potential to stop the cavity from growing. Silver Diamine Fluoride will cause severe staining on a tooth and cause the areas and possibly adjacent areas to turn black permanently. This treatment option is not ideal and is reserved for children with medical issues or extenuating circumstances that do not allow them to undergo conventional dental treatment.

Space Maintainers

Baby teeth are critical “space holders” in the growing mouth. When a baby tooth is lost before the permanent tooth under it is ready to come in, then a space maintainer may need to be placed. The space maintainer will hold the spot open for the permanent tooth until that tooth is ready to erupt. Space maintainers come in different shapes and sizes based on which baby tooth was lost.

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Teeth Whitening

Staining and discoloration of the teeth can have many causes. Certain foods, including tea, coffee, soft drinks, juices, alcohol, iron supplements, condiments, etc. can lead to staining of the teeth. Also, trauma to the baby teeth and/or the permanent tooth can lead to discoloration of the teeth. Teeth can also have defects in the enamel which can cause discoloration.

Depending on the cause of the staining, several treatment options exist for whitening teeth. Often a prophylaxis or cleaning can remove build-up and lead to a brighter smile. At smiLee, we can discuss whitening options to help you achieve your brightest smile.

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X-rays

Dental X-rays, also called radiographs, are used to monitor for and diagnose oral diseases such as cavities and gum disease. X-rays can also evaluate trauma as well as monitor dento-facial development. They provide critical information to detect disease far earlier than can be detected with the eyes alone. At smiLee, we use the latest technology available in digital x-rays to reduce the amount of radiation to a minimal dose. In addition to the latest technology, we also use the fastest image receptors, the smallest beam required to capture the X-ray, and protective lead aprons on all children.

Not all children require radiographs at every visit. At smiLee, we follow the American Dental Association and the Food & Drug Administration’s recommendations for prescribing dental radiographs. Your child will have radiographs recommended based on their risk for dental decay and stage of dental development. For every child, we follow the As Low as Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) Principle.

How we help your child

Maintain healthy teeth

Diagnose dental problems

Restore damaged teeth

“If you’re looking for a pediatric dentist, smiLee is the place to go! This was his first dentist appointment and he was so chill throughout the whole process.”

- Mollie R.

“Best dentist office we’ve ever been to! They respect the appointment times, and are super courteous, professional, knowledgeable, and friendly! We definitely recommend them.”

- Andrea O.

“This was our first time at the smiLee office. My daughter had been nervous prior to going, but I don’t think I’ll have any trouble getting her to go back, she had a great experience!!”

- Kara T.

Let us give your child the smile they deserve

We are currently accepting new patients and very excited to work with you and your child.

Call: (239) 329-6006

Our Fort Myers Pediatric & Orthodontic Office

11924 Fairway Lakes Dr
Fort Myers, FL 33913

Get Directions

(239) 329-6006

Hours:

Monday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Tuesday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Wednesday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Thursday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Friday: 8:00am-5:00pm*
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

*We answer phone calls on Fridays from 8:00am-5:00pm and are open for appointments on some Fridays. Contact us for full Friday availability!