A dental home where children feel at ease, leave with healthy teeth, and actually want to come back.
Part of our general dentistry services at Advanced Dental Solutions in Torrance, our pediatric dental care covers every stage from a first tooth at age one through the teenage years. Appointments here are built around how kids actually experience the dentist, and most children who come in uncertain leave ready to come back.
- Preventive and restorative care for children of all ages
- Gentle approach with age-appropriate explanations at every step
- Same-day emergency appointments available for dental injuries
- Most PPO insurance plans accepted
Pediatric Dental Care at Advanced Dental Solutions
The way a child experiences a dental visit matters as much as what gets done. At Advanced Dental Solutions, children get the same quality of care as adult patients, delivered in a way that actually makes sense for a child. Age-appropriate explanations before anything begins, a pace that never feels rushed, and providers who take the child’s concerns seriously, not just the parent’s.
Routine care also catches problems before they compound. A cavity found at a checkup is a filling. Left long enough, it is a crown. Regular visits with a pediatric dentist track jaw development, reinforce home hygiene habits, and build a foundation that protects your child’s teeth well beyond childhood.
When to Bring Your Child In for Their First Visit
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a first visit by age one or when the first tooth appears. Those early visits with a pediatric dentist are low-pressure by design: an exam, a gentle cleaning if the child is ready, and a chance to get comfortable before any real treatment is ever needed. The earlier you start, the easier every visit after it tends to be.
After that, most children come in every six months for a routine checkup and cleaning. Kids with a history of cavities or gum concerns may do better on a three-to-four-month schedule, and your provider will guide that based on what they see.
What a Children's Visit Includes
Preventive Care
Regular cleanings remove what brushing misses, fluoride treatments strengthen developing enamel, and dental sealants protect the back molars where most childhood cavities form. Oral hygiene education is woven into every visit for both child and parent. Each appointment also includes a developmental check on how teeth and jaw growth are progressing, so spacing or alignment concerns get identified while they are still easy to address.
Restorative Treatment
Tooth-colored fillings handle cavities, pediatric crowns protect badly damaged teeth, and pulp therapy saves infected baby teeth that would otherwise require extraction. Space maintainers hold the gap when a baby tooth is lost early, and early orthodontic evaluations are available for families who want to get ahead of crowding or alignment concerns before they become complicated.
Emergency Dental Care
Toothaches, chipped or broken teeth, knocked-out teeth, and soft tissue injuries are all treated here. If your child has a dental emergency in Torrance, call the office directly and the team will get you in as quickly as possible.
Why Families in Torrance Choose Advanced Dental Solutions for Their Children
Dr. Shawna Omid is a former faculty member of the UCLA School of Dentistry, and the practice she and her team have built runs on one standard: take the time to explain what is happening, work at a pace that fits the patient, and never push treatment that is not genuinely needed. With children, that plays out in the details. Providers introduce themselves to the child directly before anything begins, show each tool before using it, and give anxious kids as much time as they need to settle in. A shorter first visit with no treatment at all is always an option. Nitrous oxide is available when extra comfort is needed. The goal is not just a clean checkup. It is a child who walks out without dread and a parent who leaves knowing their kid is in good hands. Dr. Mona Nejad and Dr. Matthieu Sullivan bring that same standard to every young patient they see. Most PPO insurance plans are accepted, and financing through CareCredit, Cherry, and the HFD Program is available for families managing treatment costs over time.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Pediatric Dentistry
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends by age one or within six months of the first tooth appearing. That timeline might feel early, but early visits with a pediatric dentist establish a baseline for development, normalize the experience before any treatment is needed, and give the provider a chance to flag issues while they are still easy to address. Waiting until a child has a problem typically means the first visit involves some form of treatment, which is a harder starting point for building a positive relationship with dental care.
They do, for a few reasons. Baby teeth hold space in the jaw for permanent teeth to come in correctly, and when a baby tooth is lost too early from decay or injury, the surrounding teeth can drift into the gap and crowd out the incoming permanent tooth. Beyond that, severe decay in baby teeth causes real pain, can affect eating and speech development, and can spread to the underlying permanent tooth if left untreated. Taking care of baby teeth is not about the teeth themselves. It is about protecting the permanent teeth that follow.
Dental sealants are thin protective coatings applied to the chewing surfaces of the back molars, where most cavities in children form. The deep grooves of molars are difficult to clean thoroughly with a toothbrush, so food and bacteria accumulate there. Sealants smooth out those surfaces and create a barrier that significantly reduces cavity risk. They are typically recommended for children between ages six and twelve as the first and second sets of permanent molars come in. Not every child will need them, but for kids who are cavity-prone or who have molars with particularly deep grooves, sealants are one of the most straightforward preventive options available.
It is one of the most common things parents bring up, and the approach here is to work with it rather than push through it. Providers take time before any instrument comes out to introduce what is going to happen and show each tool before using it. For genuinely anxious children, a shorter visit focused entirely on getting comfortable in the chair, with no cleaning or treatment, is always an option before moving into full care. If anxiety is significant, sedation options including nitrous oxide can be discussed at your appointment. Most children who start out nervous are noticeably more comfortable by their second or third visit once they have a sense of what to expect.
Frequency depends on the child's age, cavity history, and how tightly the teeth are spaced. For children at average risk, X-rays are typically taken every one to two years. Children with a history of cavities or visible crowding may need them more frequently so that developing issues can be caught early. X-ray exposure at these intervals is extremely low, and the diagnostic value of catching a cavity between teeth or monitoring jaw development makes them worth it. Your provider will recommend the right interval based on your child's specific situation.
Pulp therapy, sometimes called a baby root canal, removes infected tissue from inside a baby tooth while preserving the tooth's outer structure. It sounds more involved than it is, and the reason it is recommended over simply pulling the tooth comes back to spacing: baby teeth hold the gap that permanent teeth need to come in correctly. When an infected baby tooth can be treated and kept in place, it continues doing that job until the permanent tooth is ready to take over. Extracting it early can lead to shifting that creates alignment problems requiring orthodontic correction down the line. If pulp therapy is recommended for your child, the provider will explain exactly why before any work begins.
Schedule an Appointment with a Kids Dentist in Torrance
Healthy dental habits start early, and the experiences a child has in these first few years shape how they think about dental care for the rest of their life. Book your child’s appointment with the pediatric dental team at Advanced Dental Solutions and give them a visit they can actually feel good about. If you’re searching for a children’s dentist near Torrance or the South Bay, we’re accepting new patients and can typically get you in within the same week.
We see children at every age and stage, accept most PPO insurance plans, and offer flexible financing for families who need it.