Pediatric Dentistry
Care that grows with your child
Pediatric dentistry is not small adult dentistry. Children's mouths grow and change fast, and the right care meets them exactly where they are: patient with wiggly two-year-olds, encouraging with cavity-prone seven-year-olds, and straight with teenagers. That is the whole reason our practice exists, and it is all we have done in Southwest Florida since 1992.
The philosophy behind every service on this page is simple: prevent dental disease from ever happening, so visits stay positive and kids grow up with healthy habits and a healthy outlook on the dentist. When something does need fixing, it gets fixed gently, kid-first, and with you in the loop at every step.
Preventative care
Checkups every six months keep little problems little. A routine visit covers a comprehensive exam, a professional cleaning, and a growth check, with digital X-rays taken only as needed. Fluoride treatments strengthen enamel while it is still forming, and BPA-free dental sealants protect the deep grooves of back teeth where cavities love to start.
- Cleanings and exams, the six-month rhythm that everything else builds on
- Fluoride treatments for growing enamel
- BPA-free dental sealants for cavity-prone grooves
- Low-dose digital X-rays, only as needed
Restorative dentistry, kid-first
When a cavity happens, the repair is matched to the tooth and to the child. Tooth-colored composite fillings preserve healthy tooth structure. Teeth too damaged for a filling get crowns: durable stainless steel for back molars, natural-looking resin for front teeth. A hurting tooth with an inflamed nerve can often be saved with a pulpotomy, a gentle nerve treatment that returns the tooth to full duty, usually finished with a crown. And when a baby tooth truly has to go, gentle extractions and space maintainers protect the smile that is still on its way in.
The littlest patients
Tiny patients are a specialty of the house. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a first dental visit by the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth. Under age three, most visits are a gentle lap exam with you right there, plus teething guidance, thumb-sucking and pacifier support, and nutrition tips for healthy teeth.
Booking is one quick call.
One number reaches both offices, Monday to Friday 8 to 5. Your child's health details stay in a conversation with our front desk, never typed into a website.
Sedation and comfort options
Some children need extra help tolerating dental care, and that is completely normal. The comfort menu runs from topical anesthetic cream and gentle local anesthetics, to nitrous oxide, better known as laughing gas, up to IV sedation with a highly trained pediatric anesthesiologist for bigger treatment plans or very anxious little patients.
You will always discuss the options with your pediatric dentist first. Nothing happens without you.
Special needs dentistry
Children with special needs deserve special attention, and starting preventative dentistry early is particularly important, because unlike many health conditions, dental disease is preventable. Every child is different, so the approach is tailored: extra time, a calmer room, and the same patient team at every visit. Tell us what works for your child when you book, and the team preps before you arrive.
Orthodontics under the same roof
Growth and alignment are checked at every routine visit, so you will always know where things stand. When the time is right, Dr. Whitesides, our orthodontist, takes it from there: early evaluations sometimes as young as 7 or 8 when growth calls for it, traditional braces after the baby teeth are shed, space maintainers when a baby tooth leaves too soon, and retainers to keep the finished smile in place. Comprehensive orthodontic care is offered at the Fort Myers office.
Two offices, one phone call
The Fort Myers office at 8016 Summerlin Lakes Dr has the shipwreck, the mermaid and the surfboard game consoles. The Naples office at 1035 Piper Blvd, Suite 103 has the sixteen-foot whale shark and the S.S. Flossy. Both run on the same idea: a dental office a kid actually wants to walk into. One number reaches both, Monday to Friday 8 to 5: (239) 482-2722.
Nervous about a first visit? Read The Bravest Little Diver together the night before, then come explore the ship a few minutes early.
Service guides for parents
Every service gets its own plain-language parent guide. New guides are added as our care team reviews them.
Parents ask us
What age should my child first see a pediatric dentist?
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a first visit by the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth coming in. Early visits are short, gentle and mostly about getting comfortable.
How often should my child visit the dentist?
For most children, every six months. Regular checkups keep little problems little, and your dentist will tell you if your child would benefit from a different schedule.
Do you offer gentle care for anxious or nervous children?
Yes. Comfort is the whole design of the practice, from the underwater offices to the comfort menu: topical numbing, laughing gas, and IV sedation with a pediatric anesthesiologist when it is truly needed. Mention your child is nervous when you call and the team will prep for it.
Do both offices offer the same services?
Both offices provide full pediatric dental care. Comprehensive orthodontic care is offered at the Fort Myers office, and growth checks happen at routine visits in both locations. Call (239) 482-2722 and the front desk will route you to the right place.
Ready to set sail?
A real human answers, Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm. New patient forms arrive ahead of time, no clipboard scramble.
Call (239) 482-2722