Your child’s first visit
We recommend your child’s first dental visit by their first birthday or within six months of their first tooth, much earlier than many parents expect. The point of that early visit is not extensive treatment. It is to introduce your child to the chair, the lights, the gentle counting, and the friendly voices, before there is ever a reason to be nervous.
First visits at Westlake are quick and low-key. We do a soft look-around, count the teeth that have come in, talk with you about brushing and bottle habits, and answer your questions. Many first visits end with a sticker, a tiny toothbrush, and a proud kid walking out under their own steam.
Through the elementary years
From age 3 onward we are watching tooth eruption patterns, alignment, the bite, and any early signs of decay. Sealants on the deep grooves of permanent molars are one of the highest- return preventive treatments in dentistry, we will recommend them when the first molars come in, around age six, and again when the 12-year molars erupt.
For active kids, and almost every kid at the lake is active, we can also make custom sports mouthguards that fit better and protect more than the boil-and-bite kind from the sporting goods store.
Through the teen years
Teenage years are when orthodontics, wisdom-tooth monitoring, and cosmetic awareness all enter the picture. We work with local orthodontists when traditional braces are the right answer and offer Invisalign in-house for teens who are a fit for clear aligners.
Visiting grandkids welcome
Many of our patients are grandparents whose grandchildren visit for weeks at a time in the summer. If a grandchild chips a tooth on the dock or wakes up with a toothache while staying at your place, call us, we will fit them in.