"Super" Services

Comprehensive Pediatric Dentistry on the Upper West Side

We provide young patients with the best care available, so they feel comfortable at our office and can enjoy strong teeth into adulthood. Our Upper West Side pediatric dentist, Dr. Lal, offers some of the most technologically advanced, effective, and gentle treatments available, keeping parents’ and children’s preferences in mind.

Radiation Safety with Digital X-Rays

Alternatives to traditional film X-rays are here! Standard dental X-rays take longer to process and require chemicals to develop. These images also cannot be displayed and manipulated in the same ways as modern digital X-rays. Digital dental images provide improvements in overall safety, reducing your child's exposure to radiation.

Transillumination

Trans-illumination for Early Cavity Detection

We are the first pediatric dental practice in Manhattan to offer advanced technology for gently and effectively spotting early tooth decay. This technology minimizes the need for routine dental x-rays and radiation exposure. Scanning for cavities with trans-illumination is as simple as shining a special light onto your child’s teeth. With this tool, Dr. Lal can make sure your child’s teeth are cared for as soon as possible, to prevent the spread of decay.

Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas) - Pediatric Dental SedationNitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas)


This treatment is a safe choice to help your child cope with initial dental anxiety. We offer the latest minimal sedation techniques with nitrous oxide. This sedation method creates a feeling of comfort and ease for your child. For children in need of restorations, this service makes longer appointments feel short and comfortable.

3D Video Eyewear
3D Video Eyewear for Entertainment and Relief of Anxiety

74.1% of children face dental anxiety, but audiovisual distraction is an effective method to treat anxiety without the use of dental sedation. Children who visit our Upper Westside pediatric dental office can sit back, relax, and watch their favorite show. This keeps your child focused on what’s in front of them, rather than the treatment process.

Laser Dentistry for Children
Pioneers in Laser Dentistry for Children

Lingual ties create tension on the teeth and tongue. This can prevent infants from nursing properly and cause gaps between front teeth for older children. Dr. Lal provides frenotomies using laser dentistry for superior healing and comfort.

Saliva Testing

Now Offering Saliva Testing for Children and Mothers

Parents who share straws or drinks with their children can pass harmful bacteria into their child’s mouth, causing unexplained pediatric dental caries. Proper diagnosis using saliva testing and a probiotic diet may be the answer to your family’s oral health. Ask for an analysis and a free consultation along with your child’s check-up.       

Mouth Guards and Night Guards to Protect Precious Smilesinjury prevention

Is your child active in playing soccer, baseball, football, basketball, or karate? Consider a custom mouth guard to protect baby teeth and adult teeth from damage due to trauma, falls, and accidents. Dr. Lal also provides these oral appliances to shield your child’s teeth from nighttime teeth grinding.

 


Early Interceptive OrthodonticsEarly Interceptive Orthodontics

Preventing crooked teeth from developing in your child’s smile can be as easy as asking our pediatric dentist about early orthodontics. This preventive approach to malocclusion and misaligned teeth can minimize the length of future treatment if braces or other orthodontics are recommended for your child.

  

Early Orthodontics for Children 

Orthodontic treatment is often necessary to ensure your child grows up with a healthy smile and jaw position -- both of which promote comfortable dental function. There aren’t many of us who are pre-dispositioned to have perfectly straight teeth, which is where our Upper West Side pediatric orthodontic treatments become vital to health and wellness.

What is Interceptive Orthodontics?

Early pediatric orthodontics are intended to catch problems early and prevent them from developing into serious misalignment and malocclusion as your child grows into adolescence and adulthood. Issues such as severely crooked teeth, dental crowding, or wide gaps between teeth, can affect your child’s health, confidence, and appearance.

Dr. Lal is committed to providing children with the best in pediatric dental care, including early use of orthodontic appliances to guide teeth and jaws into ideal alignment.

Early Orthodontic Appliances

While many people think of braces when they hear the term orthodontics, there are many other treatments that help create the right shape and symmetry for your child’s smile. Pediatric orthodontics services on the Upper West Side with Dr. Lal include:

Space maintainers
    - Lower lingual arch appliances
    - Nance appliances
Habit appliances
Mouth guards and night guards
Minor tooth movement appliances

Before treatment, Dr. Lal welcomes parents and children in for an orthodontic consultation to go over all treatment options.  Dr. Lal commonly sees patients with crooked teeth or lack of appropriate spacing. While parents are worried their children’s teeth are not coming in or falling out at the right times, we determine whether braces are necessary in the future and recommend treatments to reduce time spent in braces later in life.

When treatment from another specialist is needed, Dr. Lal provides in-house orthodontics by welcoming other dental professionals into his practice.

Our Care Philosophy: Early Diagnosis and Treatment


Dr. Lal’s goal is to intercept the need for extensive braces orthodontic services by preventing future malocclusion with early detection and treatment. Parents consider Dr. Lal’s pediatric dental practice as the first stop on their path to orthodontic care. Dr. Lal’s skill allows him to predict needs and spot minor problems at the outset, so early treatment can be applied. With our help, children benefit from limited treatment into the future and prevention of damaging habits that affect teeth alignment, including prolonged thumb sucking, bottle use, and pacifier use.

Does Your Child Need Braces? Ask our Pediatric Dentist


For more information on treatment to correct bite alignment, end bad dental habits, and create the right foundation for a healthy smile, contact Dr. Lal. We welcome parents for early orthodontic consultations on the Upper West Side.

 

Gentle Sedation Dentistry for Your Child

Healthy smiles start with successful visits to the dentist. While many children develop a fear of the dentist, there are gentle treatment methods available to ensure that their experience is positive.

Ask Dr. Lal about minimal pediatric dental sedation on the Upper West Side. Our team is committed to patient comfort at every visit.

Sedation Dentistry for Children

Adding nitrous oxide helps calm nerves and puts your child at ease. Also called laughing gas, this sedation treatment creates feelings of comfort when applied. A small, clear covering is placed over your child’s nose before treatment starts. As they breathe normally, they begin to feel relaxed, allowing their treatment to be completed efficiently.

Dr. Lal is a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and follows all guidelines for the administration of this treatment. Dental sedation with nitrous oxide is a safe, proven method of relaxing care. The more comfortable children get with dental care over time, the less likely they are to need sedation in the future. Pediatric Dental Sedation

Dental Anxiety Management: Entertaining Children In-Office

In the event that you’d prefer alternatives for helping your child feel at-ease, Dr. Lal’s offers 3D video eyewear entertainment.

These goggles offer guided imagery and enhance your child’s coping mechanisms. Your child can watch their favorite movie or even play video games using a Bluetooth wireless remote. They will be immersed in another world and taken out of the environment of the dental office.

Ask our Pediatric Dentist about Gentle Dentistry

We help your child increase feelings of comfort while their teeth are cleaned or restored. We create positive relationships between your child and our team. Contact our office to learn more about pediatric dental sedation or how we can keep your child occupied with in-chair movies and games. Schedule a consultation today!


 

For more information about services available from Dr. Lal’s Upper West side pediatric dental office, we encourage you to browse our website or call Happy Teeth NY today to make an appointment.