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As a parent, watching your child dive into sports brings excitement and pride—but it also comes with a responsibility to protect their growing smile. Whether it’s soccer, football, basketball, or even skateboarding, contact and collision sports pose real risks to your child’s teeth and jaw. That’s where custom mouthguards come in.

Children are especially vulnerable to cavities, plaque buildup, and early signs of gum disease. While brushing and flossing at home are vital, professional dental cleanings remove tartar and plaque that daily routines can miss.

If your child has ever been nervous about dental treatment, or you're wondering whether sedation is right for your family, this guide is here to help.

Your child’s smile is precious—and when something goes wrong, fast action is key. From sudden toothaches to dental trauma during sports, pediatric dental emergencies can feel overwhelming. But knowing what to do and where to go can make all the difference in preserving your child’s oral health and peace of mind.

A retainer is just as important as braces or Invisalign—it helps keep your child’s new smile in place for years to come. Let’s explore why retainers matter and how FOREVERSMILES ensures a lifetime of confident smiles.

February is National Children's Dental Health Month, and at Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, we're dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of oral health in children, from infants to teenagers. Located in the heart of San Antonio, TX, our practice is perfectly positioned to serve families in Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, and beyond, ensuring your little ones maintain bright, healthy smiles.

At Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, we understand the importance of a healthy, beautiful smile for your child. Orthodontic care is a significant part of ensuring your child enjoys a confident and vibrant smile into adulthood. Knowing when to start orthodontic care can help you make informed decisions for your child’s dental health.

This blog will guide you through the various types of braces we offer, helping you understand which option might be the best fit for your child.

This blog explores the profound benefits of professional dental cleanings and why they are crucial for children.

If your child has been experiencing an excruciating toothache that seems unbearable, you may want to consider Alamo Heights children’s tooth extractions as a potential solution. Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry carefully performs this procedure with the goal of improving your child’s overall health. Are you wondering why your child might need tooth removal? Read on to uncover the top reasons that may necessitate Alamo Heights children’s extractions.

There is a common misconception around pediatric dental care that oral health isn’t quite as important when kids are young, because baby teeth are seen as “disposable”. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Summer is here! We hope you and your child have plans to make the most of their time off together before the new school year begins. If your child needs braces, summertime is the perfect time to begin their treatment.

If you’ve spent any amount of time looking up dental procedures, you probably have come across a treatment called dental crowns. You may have needed a dental crown yourself. If not, the first time you may hear about dental crowns is if your child’s dentist recommends that they get one.

You never want to rush your child to grow up, but it’s important to start taking them to the dentist early. At Sunshine Pediatric, we’re dedicated to helping your child achieve a solid foundation for a lifetime of good oral health.

Having a beautiful smile that lasts a lifetime isn’t about luck, especially when it comes to dental care for kids. Although teeth are meant to last a lifetime, certain habits and lifestyle choices can put them at risk.

As a parent, deciding which orthodontic option is best for your teen can be challenging. Cost, commitment, and type of dental correction needed can all play a role in your decision.

Teething can be frustrating for babies and caregivers alike. To help you and your little one navigate the teething stage, our team at Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry has put together this teething guide.

Do your kids love sodas? These sugary, carbonated drinks are quite delicious! However, they can wreak havoc on their smiles. Here’s what you need to know about the consequences of sodas and some great alternatives that we hope they will learn to love just as much!

Often infants and toddlers suck their thumbs, fingers, or pacifiers as a way of self-soothing. Eventually, many of them grow out of the habit. However, some of them will continue it into childhood, where it can become problematic to their oral development.

One of the best ways you can help give your child the gift of good oral health is by taking them to the dentist twice a year. Unfortunately, not all children enjoy going to the dentist.

Many kids feel anxious at the dentist, but for kids with special needs, there are other concerns. For example, a sensitivity to bright light makes the dental office very stressful.

There’s nothing quite as adorable as the smile of a baby with a few tiny teeth. We all know that an infant’s darling little teeth will eventually fall out to make room for permanent teeth.

Is the tooth fairy headed to your house sometime soon? Losing baby teeth is a major milestone for a child. Here’s what to expect when those teeth start to wiggle.

Children live in a state of constant change, so making a few lifestyle adjustments when they get braces might be easier for them than it would be for you. With some gentle guidance and encouragement, you can help your child make the necessary changes to their oral care routine without too much trouble.

Does your child have problems with their bite? Luckily, that’s something we can fix here at Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry. Read on to learn all about over and underbites and what we can do about them.

Are you having a hard time figuring out how to pack your child’s lunch with healthy foods that are good for their teeth? Here, we’ll reveal some of the most smile-friendly snacks for your child’s lunches and a few you should limit.

At Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry, your children’s dental health is our top priority. This is why we use BPA-free fillings, a type of filling that is healthier and safer for your child.

Children with individual sensory issues or who have autumn spectrum disorder often feel overwhelmed at the dentist. Even regular oral health at home can be challenging. For these kids, sounds, sights, sensations, and smells can be distressful or even painful

Many young people need braces at some point. In the past, metal braces were the only option, but there’s now clear aligner therapy like Invisalign®. For certain problems, metal braces remain the better choice.

When dental problems strike for your child, it can be stressful! Luckily, most of them are easily treatable if caught early on. Some are even completely preventable! Keep reading to learn more about the most common dental issues children face and what to do.

If your kids are starting school soon, check out these oral health tips so they can start the school year off with a dazzling, healthy smile.

At Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry, we know you want your kids to grow up happy and healthy. That is why we make your child’s oral care our priority – we believe that establishing good dental habits from the beginning can have a lifelong impact on their health!

Many babies use pacifiers or thumbsucking to comfort themselves. Although sucking on fingers and a pacifier can help soothe your child, these habits also lead to issues in their developing mouth

At Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry, we care for the smiles of children of all ages. We love seeing our young patients grow through the many stages of early life. Many important milestones occur during this time, from your child’s first word to their first step to their first day of school.

If your child has a fear of the dentist, it’s important that you help them overcome their anxiety. Optimal dental health is most likely to be achieved with daily at-home oral hygiene AND regular cleanings and checkups at the dentist. Here are some helpful tips and tricks to help you and your kiddo out!

If you have a young child who needs oral surgery, you may be worried not only about the surgery itself, but about the sedation, as well. To put your mind at ease, we’ll discuss what dental sedation is, what types there are, and what to expect when your child is sedated.

At Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry, many of our team members are parents and understand how difficult it can be to ensure that your children maintain a healthy diet. While we know that it’s fun to indulge in the occasional sweet treat or junk-food snack, we want to educate our patients and their parents about the effect food has on the health of their teeth.

At Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Ayala and the rest of our qualified team work hard to take care of all your child’s dental needs. From routine cleanings and exams to root canals and extractions, we provide a wide variety of services for all your child’s dental needs.

It’s that time of year: back to school! As a parent, it may feel overwhelming trying to prepare your kiddos for everything they’ll encounter in the classroom and beyond. But for all things dental-related, Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry is here to help! Read on for some simple back-to-school dental tips.

As a parent, you have a responsibility to teach your child how they can achieve and maintain good dental health. In this blog post, we suggest some dental health tips for kids!

Baby teeth are the initial teeth that grow in before your child’s permanent teeth appear. To learn more about these teeth and timelines for expected growth, keep reading.

Are you gearing up to take your child to their first dentist appointment? Exciting times! This milestone is an important step in ensuring your little one has a lifetime of happy, healthy smiles.

Getting a tooth removed is a scary thought for both adults and children. For kids, it might be especially nerve-wracking because of their young age and anxiety about the dentist. At Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry, we understand this fear and strive to make the process as comfortable and stress-free as possible.

As a parent, you’re constantly having to make decisions about what’s best for your child. This ranges from what clothes you buy them to what bathroom products they use to what extracurricular activities you bring them into.

As a parent of young children, you may be worried about whether swallowing toothpaste should be a cause for concern. Here, we’ll answer the question: is it safe for children to swallow toothpaste?

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and our team at Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry is excited to enjoy one of our favorite holidays. Some of the foods in a traditional Thanksgiving feast provide the nutrients necessary for healthy teeth, while others can increase your risk of tooth decay. To help you and your family make tooth-conscious choices this festive season, we’ve compiled the following list of the best and the worst Thanksgiving foods for your teeth.

There are a few reasons why a child would need to get a tooth extracted. These include extreme decay and cavities, severe dental trauma, dental disease, or because the tooth is interrupting proper tooth development. At Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry, we offer tooth extractions for pediatric patients. But parents often worry about how to help their child take care of the extraction site once the extraction is over.

Prevention is key to having excellent dental health. You encourage your child to brush and floss their teeth to prevent cavities and tooth damage. You bring them to Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry for regular examinations and cleanings. However, many people don’t realize the importance of encouraging their active children to wear mouthguards to prevent injury.

At Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry, our top priorities are our patients’ safety, oral health, and comfort. Occasionally, after a dental procedure that was needed to keep them healthy, your child may experience oral pain. Because we understand that no parent wants to see their child in pain, we’ve put together a list of five ways you can help reduce your child’s oral pain after a dental procedure.

A whole lot has changed in the world of dentistry since its origins back in ancient times. We’ve wrangled up some interesting facts about old-timey dental practices to give you an idea of how far we’ve come. Let’s just say, we appreciate our trusty toothbrush and toothpaste a whole lot more after hearing about how things used to be done!

You may know that fluoride is a tooth-strengthening mineral, but is it safe for your children? Here, we’ll explain what fluoride is and how it affects your child’s oral health.

You have probably heard that fluoride is good for you, but do you know what a fluoride treatment is? Here, we’ll explain what fluoride is, what a fluoride treatment is, and what the benefits are of fluoride treatments for kids.

Can you believe fall is already here? We certainly can’t. Although fall is a wonderful time of the year with pumpkin-flavored everything, crisp apples, cooler weather, and changing leaves, it also means the holidays are just around the corner. With the busy-ness of soccer practices, holiday parties, gift shopping, and winter break vacation planning, make sure you don’t fall behind with your child’s oral health habits. Our team has provided the following four tips to keep your child’s teeth happy and healthy this season!

Many kids don’t enjoy going to the dentist and experience some level of anxiety. However, for kids with autism, visiting the dentist can be a very scary experience. The sensory overload of different smells, noises, tools, and new people is overwhelming. But visiting the dentist is essential to your child’s oral health; so how can you make visiting the dentist easier for a child with autism?

While your child’s baby teeth are only temporary, they can have a permanent effect on the health of your child’s smile. For that reason, it’s important to establish healthy habits early on. At Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry, we take the health of your child’s baby teeth seriously. This means offering many of the same preventive and restorative procedures for children that are available for adults. And like adults, sometimes extracting a child’s baby tooth is the best option. But before we get there, we want to provide you with some background information on your child’s baby teeth.

It’s no fun at all seeing your baby go through the discomfort of teething. Not to mention their crying can cause you a whole lot of stress and sleep deprivation. So what can you do to alleviate your child’s teeth discomfort? Here are some methods you can try:

Teething occurs when a baby’s teeth first erupt. This exciting time can be an incredibly uncomfortable one for both your little one and you. Luckily, our staff at Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry has a handful of tips that can help make this process more bearable for the whole family! Here’s how to handle a teething toddler, and when you should consider taking them to the dentist to relieve their symptoms.

Is your child about to get braces? We’re so excited! Braces are a life-changing treatment that can make a huge difference in your child’s self-confidence. Before your child gets them on, here are some things that Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry would like you to know so you both can be fully prepared for the big day!

Is your child experiencing consistent toothaches, swelling, or infections? Do they have visibly damaged teeth? Pediatric dental restorations can help repair damaged teeth by restoring them to their original shape and strength. At Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry, we proudly offer a range of pediatric dental restoration treatments, from fillings to dental crowns.

At Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry, we’re here to help with every stage of your child’s dental health. One of the later stages of this process is ensuring that all of their permanent teeth are in their perfect positions. As a child gets older, their confidence in their smile can make a huge difference in how they interact with the world. Generally straight teeth play a big role in whether or not individuals are happy with their smile.

No matter your age, a tooth extraction can make you a little worried. This is especially true for little ones. But don’t worry! At Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry, our team works hard to ensure that everyone is at ease during your child’s extractions. We want to ensure that both your child and you are prepared for the tooth extraction process, so we’ve put together a guide of what you should expect to keep you informed and relaxed.

Your family’s dental health is important to us at Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry. One of our goals is to make your dental care as affordable as possible. Please don’t neglect necessary treatments because you are worried about paying for them! We accept credit and debit cards and offer a cash discount. We also offer a number of other ways to pay for your dental treatments and are proud to offer a 15% discount to our military families.

Summer is the perfect time to help your child level up their dental routine! From maintaining a consistent brushing schedule to instilling a more balanced diet, Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry offers some quick and easy ways that you can help your child have a bright, white smile this summer.

No one wants to hear that they need a root canal, but thanks to today’s modern dentistry, root canals are not as scary as they used to be. Sometimes, a child’s baby tooth might need a root canal. These are only recommended if we’ve considered every other option. When the choice is an extraction or a root canal, we’ll almost always choose a root canal. This lets your child keep their natural tooth. Read on to learn more about root canals for children.

Getting braces isn’t just about what a straighter smile will do for a patient’s appearance. Since misalignment can hinder the functioning of the teeth and jaws, a straight smile corrects problems beyond aesthetics. Braces help ensure that kids can: clean every surface of their teeth; properly speak and eat; and smile without embarrassment. But how do you know if your child needs braces?

If your child has started getting loose baby teeth, you might be wondering whether there is ever a time when you should remove the tooth. Here, we’ll discuss what parents should know about their child’s loose baby teeth.

We understand that getting your kids bathed and in bed is a battle of its own, so adding brushing to the list can sound intimidating. While it may not be an easy task, helping your kids establish good dental habits at a young age is important to their long-term oral health. One of the best ways to get your little ones excited about brushing is to make it less of a chore and more of a fun activity!

We are so familiar with our own human teeth, but how much do we know about the teeth of our animal companions? We’ve compiled a list of eight strange and wondrous examples of animals that have their own dental problems and quirks.

X-rays are an imaging test that allows physicians to see bones within your and your child’s body. X-ray machines send a beam of radiation through your body, allowing doctors and dentists to see your hard, dense bones and softer tissue like muscle and fat. X-rays are painless and usually very quick.

Like with most things, your children will follow your lead, so it’s important to set a good example for them. Brush your teeth in front of them with a good technique and be sure to brush for the full dentist-recommended two minutes. The more often they see you brushing your teeth the right way, the more likely they are to imitate you and learn by your example.

Dental sealants are thin, plastic coatings placed on the chewing surface of back teeth to protect the teeth from bacteria and acids that cause tooth decay. Dental sealants last for up to ten years, but we’ll check them during regular dental appointments to ensure they have not chipped or worn away.

Baby root canals are usually required when a cavity is deep enough that it has infected the nerve within a child’s tooth. This often occurs when there is severe tooth decay or a dental injury. If your child is experiencing toothaches or tooth sensitivity to hot or cold food and beverages, these could be warning signs. During the root canal procedure, we remove the affected part of the nerve and seal up the tooth with a medication. This will prevent the decay from spreading further and help the tooth function as normal.

Your family dentist may say that they see kids of all ages, but that doesn’t mean that they’re a pediatric dentist. A pediatric dentist actually goes through more specialized training than a general dentist in order to meet kids’ unique needs in the dental chair.

Nitrous oxide is a mild sedative that most people know as “laughing gas” because of its ability to cause some people to giggle or laugh. It’s also referred to as happy gas due to the mild feeling of euphoria it causes. It doesn’t influence heart rate, nor does it have negative effects on the lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain.