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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.
Kids in 78704 spend their lives outside, from Barton Springs to the Greenbelt to the soccer fields, and sometimes a front tooth doesn’t survive the weekend. Our South Lamar studio handles both halves: the sealants and custom mouthguards that keep active kids out of trouble, and the same-day call when a tooth gets knocked loose. We’re just south of the river, easy to reach from Zilker, Barton Hills, and Travis Heights.
A pediatric visit isn’t a stripped-down adult cleaning. It’s dental care built around how kids actually think and move, which for the 78704 crowd often means a kid who’d rather be anywhere outside than in a chair. We work with that, not against it.
The goal is a kid who leaves not afraid, and who twenty years from now still books their own cleanings without dreading it.
We keep visits efficient and honest. We tell your kid what’s about to happen in plain words, with you right there, and we don’t drag things out. For school-age kids especially, that respect goes a long way.
Active kids who associate the dentist with quick, no-drama visits tend to keep that habit. They can tell when an adult is being straight with them.
There’s a particular kind of childhood happening in Zilker and Barton Hills and Travis Heights. These kids are outside constantly. The Greenbelt is a five-minute drive, Barton Springs is the default summer plan, and weekends fill up with soccer and baseball and whatever’s happening at the park. Parents over here aren’t trying to keep their kids on the couch. They moved to 78704 partly so the kids could live like this.
The trade-off is that mouths take hits. We see a steady rotation of it. Last summer it was a front tooth chipped on the diving board. Before that, a kid came in with a fat lip after bailing off a scooter going too fast downhill. Slide tackles do a number too. And I still think about the dad who carried his son in after a face-plant off the skate ramp, the boy clutching a chunk of tooth in a paper napkin the whole way. Here’s the reassuring part. It almost always looks worse than it really is. The catch is that a few of these are genuinely time-sensitive, and most parents have no idea which ones until they’re standing in a bathroom at four on a Sunday, a tooth in one hand, no clue what to do with it.
So here’s the part worth knowing before it happens. If a permanent tooth gets fully knocked out, the first hour is the difference between saving it and not. Pick it up by the crown and not the root, rinse it gently if it’s dirty, and if you can, slip it back into the socket and have your kid bite on a cloth. If that’s not happening, put it in a cup of milk and call us. We hold same-day slots for exactly this. A chipped tooth or a tooth that’s loose but still in place is less of an emergency, but still worth a same-day or next-day look so we can check the nerve and smooth or rebuild the edge.
The flip side of all this is prevention, and it’s underrated. Two things make a real difference for active kids. Sealants, a thin coating we paint onto the chewing surface of the new back molars right when they come in around age 6 and again around 12, seal out the decay that loves those deep grooves. And a custom athletic mouthguard, which fits better and protects more than the boil-and-bite kind from the sporting goods store, and which a kid is actually willing to wear because it doesn’t gag them. If your kid plays anything with contact or a ball or a board, ask us about one.
We’re right on South Lamar, a couple of minutes from the Greenbelt trailheads and the Barton Springs side of things, so we’re easy to get to on a normal day and easy to get to in a hurry.
The 6-to-12 stretch is when the mouth is a construction zone. Baby teeth are falling out, adult molars and front teeth are coming in, and the whole thing is called mixed dentition. It’s also when cavity risk shifts onto the kid’s own brushing, which for a busy outdoor kid is not always thorough.
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.
Sports season starting? Ask about a custom mouthguard at your next visit. It takes a few minutes to fit and protects the teeth your kid will have for life. Book online or call (512) 884-5656.
As kids grow, the visit grows with them. Younger kids get the slow, name-the-tools version. School-age kids get sealants and we watch the front-tooth wobble. By the pre-teen years we’re tracking jaw growth and crowding to time braces or Invisalign First well.
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 doesn’t drag. We start with a quick tour so nothing’s a surprise, then a gentle exam where we talk through what we see out loud so your kid hears the same words you do. If today’s the day for a cleaning, it’s a polish, floss, and fluoride, with sealants if the new molars are in. Then a short, honest plan with you at the end.
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 maintainerThe South Lamar studio is at 2717 S Lamar Blvd #1086, just south of the river and minutes from the Barton Creek Greenbelt and Zilker. Every chair has a ceiling-mounted screen, the rooms are calm, and the team doesn’t rush kids through. Where the schedule allows, we keep the same hygienist and assistant on your family’s chart so your kid sees familiar faces visit to visit.
We handle the everyday care in studio, cleanings, sealants, fluoride, exams, mouthguards, and the routine fillings and crowns, plus same-day attention when a tooth gets hurt. For the rare case that needs more, we’ll 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 South Lamar studio from Zilker, Barton Hills, Bouldin Creek, Travis Heights, and the SoLa and SoCo blocks. Kids at Zilker and Barton Hills Elementary are nearby, and the Greenbelt and Barton Springs are right in the neighborhood. We're an easy stop off South Lamar or MoPac.
Not in South Austin? We care for kids at nine other Austin-area studios, each with the same approach and a familiar team. Find the one closest to your family.
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The questions South Austin parents ask us most. Don’t see yours? Book online or give us a call, we’d rather talk it through than have you guess.
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 →On South Lamar, minutes from the Greenbelt. Same-day care for dental injuries, and routine visits that don’t drag.