01
First tooth has arrived
Usually around 6 months. Time for the very first visit, even just to meet us, count the new arrival, and answer parent questions.
If your seven or eight-year-old still has a mouth full of baby teeth and you are already wondering about braces, you are right on time. Orthodontists put a number on it, age 7, and that surprises most parents. That in-between stage, when the jaw is still growing and a few crooked adult teeth are pushing in, is exactly when a trained eye can see where things are heading. Our studio is at Lantana Place on Southwest Parkway, so a visit from Travis Country or Circle C folds into a normal afternoon.
Pediatric dentistry is not only about counting cavities. With a school-age or pre-teen kid, a lot of the value is in what we notice over time. Where the adult teeth are erupting. Whether the jaw has room for them.
Our job is not to make one perfect first visit. It is to build a kid who, twenty years from now, still books their own cleanings without dreading the chair.
So at every visit we are doing two jobs at once. We handle the cleaning and the sealants and whatever the day calls for. And we are quietly mapping the bigger picture, comparing this visit to the last, watching for the early signs that a kid is heading toward crowding or a crossbite.
The point is not to rush anyone into treatment. Plenty of kids we track never need a thing beyond a normal checkup. When something is worth acting on, catching it during active growth usually means a smaller, simpler fix than waiting until the teenage years to sort it out.
Parents out here plan ahead. It is part of how Travis Country and Circle C and Western Oaks work. You are already thinking about middle schools and summer camps and the kid’s next three years, so it makes sense that braces are somewhere on the radar too. The thing most families don’t realize is that the smartest moment to start looking isn’t when the teeth are clearly crooked. It is earlier, around age 7, when the mouth is half baby teeth and half adult teeth and almost nothing looks settled yet.
That’s the recommendation from the American Association of Orthodontists, and there is a real reason behind it. At seven, the first adult molars and front teeth have usually come in, which gives us enough to read the bite, the spacing, and the way the jaws are lining up. A lot of the issues that turn into long braces cases later are already showing their hand at this age, if you know where to look. One kid is quietly running out of room. On another, the upper jaw is tracking narrower than the lower one. A third has a thumb habit pushing the front teeth forward. None of that jumps out at a parent across the breakfast table. We pick it up on a panoramic image and a careful look.
What makes seven so useful is simple. The jaw is still growing then, so it can still be steered. A baby tooth that came out too early leaves a gap that wants to drift shut, and a small space maintainer just holds the spot open. An upper arch coming in too narrow can be widened in a short early phase while the bones still have some give, far easier at eight than at fourteen. For some kids, Invisalign First is the right tool in these mixed years. The catch is timing. That easy window stays open for a few years, then it is gone.
A fair warning about what this is and what it isn’t. An age-7 evaluation is not a sales pitch for braces. Most kids we check are fine and just need us to keep an eye on things at their regular cleanings. A smaller number genuinely benefit from acting early, and for those kids, starting now can mean skipping or shortening the bigger orthodontic case down the road. Either way, you leave knowing where your kid actually stands. For a parent who likes to get ahead of things, that is the whole appeal.
The stretch from about seven to twelve is when the mouth does most of its rearranging. Baby teeth loosen and fall out, adult teeth push in, and for a few years it all looks a little chaotic. Dentists call this mixed dentition, and it is the prime window for spotting orthodontic issues while they are still easy to influence.
A few things earn a closer look at this age. Adult teeth coming in rotated or stacked behind the baby ones, which often signals there is not enough room. A baby tooth lost early, since the neighbors can drift into the gap and steal space the adult tooth needs. An upper jaw that is narrowing into a crossbite. A thumb or finger habit still going strong past age six, because by then it starts to shape how the front teeth sit.
Usually around 6 months. Time for the very first visit, even just to meet us, count the new arrival, and answer parent questions.
Swollen, red, tender gums as a tooth pushes through. Often confused with infection. Usually it is teething, but worth a quick look.
Early decay, even on baby teeth. Usually painless at first, which is exactly why it gets missed at home for months.
Accidents happen. Call us same-day, especially if a permanent tooth is involved, the first hour matters most.
Past the toddler years, the habit starts to shift jaw and tooth position. A calm conversation, not a lecture, is usually the answer.
A tooth that should be in by now, or one that is coming in twisted. Sometimes nothing to do. Sometimes worth a panoramic x-ray.
Often an airway clue, sometimes an orthodontic one. Worth flagging early, the answer is rarely “they will grow out of it.”
A signal about how the adult teeth are going to fit. Early planning around age 7 saves bigger orthodontic treatment later.
Wondering if your kid is due for a first orthodontic look? Mention it when you book and we will build the age-7 check into the regular visit. No separate appointment needed. Book online or call (512) 884-5656.
Care shifts as kids get older. The little ones get the slow, name-each-tool version. School-age kids get sealants and we watch the front teeth settle in. By the pre-teen years we are tracking jaw growth and crowding closely, doing the age-7 orthodontic check, and talking through whether something like Invisalign First fits while the timing is still good.
A “knee-to-knee” exam with parent on the chair. Goal is a happy hello and one new fluoride habit you can use that night.
First real cleaning. We name the tools, count the teeth out loud, take a quick look. Sticker, fist bump, done.
Mixed dentition. Sealants on the new molars, fluoride if needed, and we watch the front-tooth wobble.
Pre-orthodontic timing. We track jaw growth and crowding before braces or Invisalign First makes sense. Hygiene starts to drive cavity risk.
Adult-style visits, wisdom-tooth tracking, athletic mouthguards, and a real conversation about whitening and habits.
A visit runs about thirty minutes and never feels rushed. We start with a quick look so nothing catches your kid off guard, then a gentle exam where we say out loud what we are seeing so you hear it too. If today is a cleaning day, it is a polish, floss, and fluoride, plus sealants on the new molars if they are in. Then a short, honest rundown with you at the end, including anything worth keeping an eye on for next time.
Kid meets the chair, the light, the “tooth counter,” and the suction (we let them hold it). Nothing in the mouth until they are ready and they know what is coming.
Counts, photos, and a feel-around. We talk through what we see out loud, so your child hears the same words you do. Parent stays right there.
For very young kids, a soft tooth-brush polish. For older kids, the full polish, floss, and fluoride. If today is not the day, we say so and re-book.
A short, honest plan: what we will watch, what we will do at the next visit, one or two things to try at home, and what insurance covered today.
From the first cleaning to the rare restorative visit, the order is the same: do the least invasive thing that solves the problem, and protect the road for the adult teeth coming next.
A clean, a polish, fluoride if needed, and a friendly chat. Restorative care is the exception, not the destination, and almost always smaller when we catch it early.
Bring your child in regularly. Making dental visits a habit will help your child feel comfortable and trusting of dentists. Cleaning, polish, fluoride if needed, sealants when the new molars arrive, and a friendly exam every six months.
PreventiveFix damaged baby teeth. Stainless steel crowns will keep damaged teeth intact until they fall out naturally, preserving the bite, the spacing, and the chewing surface until the adult tooth is ready to take over.
RestorativeRemove the source of infection. Leaving an infected baby tooth could result in premature tooth loss and poor oral development. A pulpotomy or, when needed, a careful extraction is the conservative choice, done with sedation if it helps.
Pulpotomy / extractionKeep teeth where they should be. If a baby tooth is prematurely lost, space maintainers can help other teeth from shifting, protecting the room the adult tooth needs to come in straight, and saving orthodontic work down the line.
Space maintainerOur Southwest Austin dentist office is at 7415 Southwest Parkway, Bldg 6, in the Lantana Place center next to Moviehouse and Eatery. Every chair has a ceiling-mounted screen, the rooms stay calm, and the team takes time to explain things before they happen. Where scheduling allows, we keep the same hygienist and assistant on your family’s chart, so the person tracking your kid’s bite from one year to the next actually knows your kid.
We handle the everyday pediatric care in studio. First visits, cleanings, sealants, fluoride, exams, and the routine fillings and crowns. We also build the early orthodontic tracking right into those regular visits, so you are not booking somewhere separate just to keep tabs on how the bite is forming. For the rare case that needs deeper care, we will connect you with the right specialist.
Our studios were designed with families in mind. Ceiling-mounted screens above every chair, a calm waiting area kids do not dread, and a team that takes time to explain everything before it happens, not after.
Continuity matters with kids. Where the schedule allows, we work to keep the same hygienist and assistant on your family’s chart so your kid builds trust with people, not just a building, which is what makes the next visit easier than the last.
We handle the bread-and-butter of pediatric care in studio: cleanings, sealants, fluoride, exams, and straightforward restorative work. For sedation cases or more extensive pediatric treatment, we refer you to a trusted pediatric specialist and stay in the loop on the plan.
Families reach the Lantana studio from Travis Country, Circle C, Western Oaks, Sendera, and the East Oak Hill and Barton Creek blocks. Kids at Patton, Mills, and Oak Hill Elementary are right nearby. The AMD, SolarWinds, and YETI campuses are just across Southwest Parkway, so a visit fits easily around a workday. We are a quick drive off MoPac, Loop 360, or the Y at Oak Hill.
Not in Southwest Austin? We care for kids at nine other Austin-area studios, each with the same calm rooms and the same early orthodontic tracking built into regular visits.
Loading the latest review…
A few things Southwest Austin parents ask most. Book online or give us a call if yours is not here.
We understand the frustration of needing dental care while feeling it may not be affordable. You should not have to worry about paying for your child's oral health. That is why we have several options to help you easily finance your family's dental treatment.
Flexible monthly plans through trusted partners. Quick application, soft credit check, and clear terms before you decide anything.
Explore options →Send us your plan and we will verify what is covered for your child before the appointment. No surprises at checkout.
Check coverage →A low-cost annual membership that covers cleanings, exams, and x-rays, with discounts on treatments. Built for families without dental insurance.
See the plan →At Lantana Place on Southwest Parkway, by Moviehouse and Eatery. Early orthodontic tracking built into a calm, unhurried visit. The best time to start watching is sooner than most people think.