Children of all ages can benefit from regular visits to the dentist’s office. The pediatric dental care your child receives at a young age can influence their dental health for the rest of their lives, so come to see board-certified pediatric dentist Dr. Bana Ball in Rockville!
Learn about cavity prevention measures
Get early growth and development screenings
Enjoy our child-friendly "atmosphere of joy and laughter"
Wondering why six month checkups are so important for your little one? Here are just a few of the benefits of regular dental visits:
Regular appointments at our office allow Dr. Ball to keep an eye on your child’s developing jaws, baby teeth and permanent teeth, and ensure that any issues are addressed early. Identifying narrow palates and compromised airways early is paramount for overall health.
Visiting our office regularly will help lower your child’s risk for common issues like cavities (America’s #1 most common chronic disease in children), which saves you from spending money on costly treatment. We believe “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Professional cleanings will keep your child’s smile looking its best. We have specially formulated toothpastes that will polish your child’s teeth to keep the brightness and beauty of their enamel intact.
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We recommend telling your child a little bit about what’s going to happen, but you don’t have to dive into the details. Our team is capable and excited to explain the procedures to your little ones in a comforting, child-friendly, and age appropriate way.
By telling them the basics and using positive language, you can get your child excited about going to the dentist. Try not to display any nervousness or anxiety, as kids can sense your feelings and it may make them nervous, too! Your child will be in the experienced care of Dr. Ball and the rest of the Shady Grove Pediatric Dentistry team.
Children older than 3 who have most or all of their baby teeth will receive a comprehensive oral exam and teeth cleaning, similar to a grown-up (but a gentle and child-friendly version, and only if their cooperation permits). X-rays are considered on an individualized basis and may be obtained, with your permission, in cases of trauma history, or if there are clinical indicators that would make radiographic images necessary for diagnosis.
Your child will receive a professional prophylaxis (cleaning), where we remove plaque, tartar build-up, and/or staining. Dr. Bana Ball will perform a thorough oral exam and discuss her findings with you. Dr. Ball is also specially trained and certified to screen for and identify symptoms of a compromised airway and sleep-disordered breathing and its consequences. We view oral health as a component of overall health and have a holistic view and approach. We treat children, not just children's teeth.
You’ll be able to ask any questions you may have about your child's oral health and development, and by the time you leave, we guarantee that you’ll feel at ease about your child’s smile.
For most children younger than 3, we adapt our methods of examining and cleaning the teeth according to their level of cooperation and what would be considered age-appropriate (see Infant Oral Health section). At the end of the visit, we will offer a fluoride varnish treatment to strengthen your child’s teeth.
Occasionally, we may be able to add on an additional service to the routine visit, such as sealants or a simple cavity repair, but this is subject to us having extra time and your child feeling comfortable with a longer visit, so this option has to be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Have questions about children’s dentistry in Rockville? Get the answers!
Have you ever wondered why you should spend time or money fixing decayed or broken baby teeth when they eventually fall out anyway? There are a few reasons. First, decayed teeth can cause a lot of pain and discomfort to your child, and in some cases, may even lead to serious and life-threatening infection.
Second, premature baby tooth loss can hinder the ability of the adult teeth to grow in properly. Under normal circumstances, baby molars (back teeth) typically begin falling out around ages 10-12. Most grown-ups do not remember this from their own childhood, but it’s true. Losing a baby molar prematurely can lead to significant space loss and the inability of the permanent teeth to grow in due to insufficient room in the jaw.
And third, it is not uncommon to have one or more missing permanent teeth (teeth that never form) and in those cases, the baby teeth may have to last a lifetime, or at least for a long time. Those are just a handful of the reasons to take prevention of cavities in baby teeth seriously and seek treatment early if problems arise.
Dr. Ball’s commitment to helping children does not stop at the doors of her dental practice. A portion of the proceeds from every new patient visit will be donated to St. Jude's in order to support the fight to end childhood cancer.