The Florida Department of Health in St. Lucie County’s (DOH-St.Lucie) Forever Smiles program works to make sure that all children have access to oral health care and a forever smile. The program serves the underinsured and uninsured below the 200% of the federal based poverty Level. DOH-St. Lucie provides dental services to children and emergency services for adults.
DOH-St. Lucie has expanded the pediatric dental clinic to include two locations covering both Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce. All Medicaid and Healthy Kids are accepted. Discounted fees for un-insured patients who meet the eligibility requirements are also provided.
Dental Services Include
Exams
Regular dental exams are crucial for maintaining your child’s oral health. We recommend bringing your child for an exam every six months, starting at the age of 1 and continuing up to the age of 20. These early and consistent visits help your child develop a positive and comfortable relationship with dental care.
During the initial exam, our dentist will take x-rays, perform a thorough visual examination, and check for any signs of inflammation, plaque, tartar, or cavities. If any issues are discovered, we will recommend appropriate solutions to restore your child’s teeth to a clean and healthy state. After the comprehensive exam, we will schedule regular evaluation and treatment appointments as necessary. As general dentists, we will also provide referrals to dental specialists if your child requires more advanced care.
Cleaning
Even with diligent brushing, flossing, and mouthwash use at home, your child may miss some areas of their mouth. Regular professional teeth cleanings ensure that your child’s teeth and gums remain healthy. Our qualified dental staff will remove any hard deposits, called calculus or tartar, that cannot be eliminated with a toothbrush or floss. We will also provide tips on improving at-home oral care.
Children can sometimes experience gingival swelling, known as gingivitis. Routine cleanings not only help prevent cavities but also maintain your child’s gum health. By establishing a commitment to regular dental cleanings, you are setting your child up for a lifetime of healthy, beautiful smiles.
X-Rays
During the initial exam, we typically take a full set of x-rays to establish a baseline for future visits. These x-rays capture your child’s entire set of teeth, allowing us to monitor their development and identify any concerns. We use bitewing x-rays to check for decay, bone loss, gum disease, or infection by taking pictures of the upper and lower teeth, showing the contacts between teeth and the supporting bone. Periapical x-rays provide detailed images of individual teeth from crown to root, helping us identify any specific problems.
Fillings
When a tooth experiences decay or suffers a fracture, a dental filling is often the best solution to restore its health and function. If left untreated, dental cavities can continue to develop, causing extreme pain and potentially serious consequences like facial swelling for your child.
We use various materials for dental fillings, including composite resin, glass ionomers, and in select cases, amalgam restorations. Our team will discuss the most appropriate option for your child’s specific needs. To ensure your child’s comfort during the procedure, we provide local anesthesia, making the experience as pain-free as possible. By addressing tooth decay and damage with dental fillings, we can help maintain your child’s oral health and prevent more extensive treatments in the future.
Extractions
In some cases, a tooth may be too damaged to repair and will require extraction. Extractions may also be needed to create adequate space for adult teeth to emerge, especially for children who will need braces. If baby teeth have not fallen out when permanent teeth are ready to come in, an extraction may be recommended. Wisdom teeth may also need to be extracted before or after they emerge, typically during the late teen years.
The complexity of an extraction can vary, and our doctors will walk you through the entire process before beginning the procedure. Dental x-rays may be necessary to plan the removal process, and antibiotics may be prescribed before and after surgery. In most cases, local sedation is sufficient for a routine extraction. After the extraction, you will receive a complete set of post-procedure instructions, and a follow-up appointment will be scheduled to ensure proper healing. If you have any questions or concerns, our office is always available to assist you.
Sealants
Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease, often leading to pain, school absenteeism, and poor school performance. We offer dental sealants as a preventive measure to protect your child’s teeth from decay. Sealants are thin plastic coatings that keep food and germs out of the chewing surfaces of the teeth, effectively reducing the risk of cavities.
Sealants are typically applied to the back teeth, known as molars and premolars, as soon as they appear in the mouth, usually around the age of five or six. The application process is quick and painless. First, the chewing surfaces of the teeth are cleaned to help the sealant adhere properly. Then, the sealant is painted into the grooves of the chewing surface, where it bonds to the tooth. A special light is used to harden the sealant. Sealants generally last about five years or longer and should be checked annually.
Referrals
In some cases, we may have to refer clients to dental specialists who have expertise in specific treatments that we do not offer in our office, such as pediatric dentists for multiple caries lesions, multiple extractions, space maintainers, or cases that require anxiety-reducing techniques like nitrous oxide, IV sedation, or general anesthesia. Endodontists are consulted for root canal treatment on permanent teeth when cavities are extensive and have infected the tooth’s nerve.
For crowns, which are tooth-colored restorations that cover the entire tooth for protection, we may refer children to general dentists, especially after root canal treatments, large caries, or significant fractures. Once a child’s teeth are cavity-free and their gums are healthy, we may recommend an orthodontist to improve tooth alignment and bite.
In cases where teeth need removal or there are concerns about the jaw joint or pathology seen clinically or in x-rays, we will refer children to oral surgeons for evaluation and treatment.