Welcome To Buena Vista Pediatric Dentistry
Welcome to Buena Vista Pediatric Dentistry, the office of Dr. Rick Penman. Dr. Rick is a local pediatric dentist who's been treating children in the Tri-City area for over 20 years. His new office is located in beautiful Oceanside, CA. With brand new dental equipment, audio/visual entertainment for the kids, and Dr. Rick’s children-first approach, you'll find this to be a comfortable and caring dental home for your child.
What We Do: Prevention
Keeping teeth healthy is our top priority. This includes exams, cleanings, X-rays, and home care instruction for the patient and their parents.
Exams
This is where we will look at your child’s teeth and evaluate them for tooth decay and alignment issues. We'll be on the lookout for missing or extra teeth, shape problems, and we'll identify which teeth are baby teeth and which are permanent. To screen for anything out of the ordinary, Dr. Rick will also will do a head & neck exam as well as a soft-tissue evaluation.
Cleanings
Teeth are polished and cleaned to help keep them free from debris. Regular cleanings will also help to keep your child's gums as healthy as possible. If deemed appropriate, a fluoride treatment may also be given.
X-Rays
X-rays – images of the inner workings of your child’s teeth – will be evaluated to check for tooth progression and any dental pathology hidden from the naked eye.
Patient Education
Good habits are essential to a child's long term dental health. Proper brushing and flossing demonstrations will be given, as well as observing and commenting on areas that on target or might need improvement.
What We Do: Treatments
Sometimes things just go wrong. To protect, restore or save a troubled tooth, we rely on the following treatments:
Sealants
A sealant is a protective resin coating applied to the chewing surface of the back teeth. This helps protect and strengthen a child's hard-working molars.
Fillings
Fillings work to replace areas of decay in both baby and permanent teeth. Contemporary fillings typically match a tooth in color.
Pulp Treatment
Compromised or diseased pulpal tissue (the soft tissue inside the tooth) are removed. The area is then medicated and the nerve chamber is re-filled to prevent further damage and to stabilize the troubled tooth.
Crowns
These restorations are typically composed of varying materials that cover the whole surface area of a tooth: this allows for better protection and increase structural integrity.
Trauma
Sometimes accidents happen. We'll always try to save traumatized teeth! Treatments may include restorations, pulpal treatments, or realigning the teeth back into their proper position in the mouth.
Extractions
Here, a tooth is removed due to decay, infection, overcrowding, or trauma. This is always a last resort.
What We Do: Post-Treatment Care
What happens after treatment plays a significant part in a patient's recovery. Our thorough post-treatment plans include pain management, demonstrations of specialized cleaning techniques and, if necessary space-maintenance devices to help ease the patient towards a more comfortable and speedy recovery.
Pain Management
For any lingering sensitivity or pain, Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Ibuprofen (Advil) usually work great. Pain is sometimes caused by an occlusion problem. That's when the child’s bite just doesn't feel right. Things typically fall back into place as the patient recovers.
Cleaning
In order to heal quickly, it's important to keep the treatment area clean. We'll go through all of the specific after-care instructions for your child. Extra brushing, light brushing, swishing or rinsing, and extra flossing are examples of the followup care that may be necessary to expedite healing.
Space Maintenance
If a baby tooth is lost prematurely, a space maintainer appliance may be needed. This might be on one or both sides of the mouth. Depending on the treatment, these are either removable or fixed in place.