Children's Dentistry
Children's Dentistry in Edison, NJ
Cleanings, exams and fillings for children, in the same practice the rest of the family uses. Families have been bringing their children here for fifty years.
- Children seen in the same practice as you
- Saturday mornings, 8 AM – 1 PM
- Cleanings, fluoride and fillings
- Most PPO insurance accepted
What we do for children
The same routine care the adults in your family get, scaled to a smaller mouth and a shorter attention span: an exam, a cleaning, fluoride when it is due, X-rays when they are genuinely needed, and a filling if something has started.
We are a general family practice, not a specialist children's office, and that distinction is worth being straight about. For routine care it makes very little difference, and there is a real advantage in one practice knowing a whole family. For a very young child needing extensive treatment, a specialist is sometimes the better answer, and we will say so plainly rather than take on work that someone else should do.
What parents usually want to know
Three questions come up at almost every first visit, and none of them is really about teeth.
- When to bring them the first time
- The general recommendation is a first visit by the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth appearing — much earlier than most parents expect. The point of that visit is not treatment. It is to look, to answer questions about bottles, thumbs and brushing, and to make the chair an ordinary place before anything needs doing in it. [Doctor to confirm before this page is published: from what age does the practice see children, and is there an age below which you would rather a parent started with a specialist? Also, do you place sealants? They are the one routine children's item this page deliberately does not claim, because nothing in the practice's records mentions them.]
- Why a baby tooth still gets fixed
- Parents reasonably ask why a tooth that is going to fall out anyway needs a filling. Two reasons. It hurts just as much in the meantime, and an infected baby tooth can turn into a genuinely unwell child. And each one holds a space: lose it early and the neighbouring teeth drift across, so the adult tooth underneath arrives to find its place taken. That said, not every mark on a baby tooth is a cavity that needs treating today. Some are watched. We will tell you which you are looking at.
- If they are frightened
- Nothing has to happen at the first visit except the looking. A child who spends one appointment sitting in the chair, riding it up and down and counting their own teeth in the mirror is a child who will sit still for a cleaning at the next one. The thing that helps most is what happens before you arrive. Avoid the words that plant the idea — hurt, needle, shot, drill — even in reassurance, and let us introduce anything that needs introducing in our own words.
How a child's visit goes
A look, and a count
We count the teeth, check how they are coming in and how they meet, and look for early decay. For a first visit with a small child, this is often the whole appointment, and that is a good outcome rather than a wasted one.
A cleaning
Plaque and stain come off and the teeth get polished. For most children this is the part they end up not minding at all, and it is where we can show them the spot their brushing keeps missing rather than just telling them to brush better.
Fluoride, when it is due
A topical fluoride application after the cleaning, which takes a minute or two and strengthens the enamel against the next few months of eating.
What we tell you
What we found, in plain words, and what to do at home about it. If something needs treating, you hear what it is, what it would take, and what happens if it waits — the same conversation the adults in your family get.
Will it hurt?
An exam, a cleaning and fluoride do not hurt. There is nothing sharp and nothing that needs numbing, and for a child with healthy teeth that is the entire appointment.
A filling is numbed first, and we explain each step to the child in words that match their age instead of springing it on them. Children handle almost anything they have been told about honestly and almost nothing that arrives as a surprise. We will not promise a child that something will not hurt when it might — one broken promise costs every future appointment.
What children's visits cost
Preventive care for children is the part of dentistry insurance covers best. Most plans cover two cleanings a year along with exams and fluoride at or close to the full amount, because they would much rather pay for those than for what follows.
We verify your family's specific benefits with your carrier before the visit, and you get a cost before any treatment begins.
See the insurance we accept, or call (732) 985-1120 and we will verify your benefits before you come in.
Reviewed by
Dr. Michael Lesnianski, DDS
Doctor of Dental Surgery, New York University College of Dentistry, graduated with Clinical Honors; residency at Woodhull Medical Center, Brooklyn.
Last reviewed
How old should my child be at their first dental visit?
The general recommendation is by the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth coming through — considerably earlier than most parents expect. That visit is mostly about looking and about answering questions on bottles, thumb-sucking and brushing. It also makes the chair familiar before anything needs to be done in it, which pays off at every appointment afterwards.
New Patient Special →Do cavities in baby teeth really need filling?
Often, yes. A baby tooth hurts exactly as much as an adult one while it is still in there, and an infected one can make a child genuinely unwell. Each baby tooth also holds space for the adult tooth underneath, so losing one early lets the neighbours drift across and leaves the permanent tooth with nowhere to come in. Not every mark is a cavity that needs treating today, though — some are watched, and we will tell you which you are looking at.
Fillings →My child is nervous about the dentist. What can we do?
Nothing has to happen at the first visit except the looking. Let them sit in the chair, ride it up and down, and count their teeth in the mirror; that alone often makes the next appointment straightforward. The most useful thing you can do beforehand is avoid the words that plant the idea — hurt, needle, shot, drill — even while reassuring them, and let us introduce whatever needs introducing in our own words.
New Patient Special →How often should children have a cleaning?
Twice a year suits most children, the same interval as adults. Some need to come more often — teeth that crowd and trap food, a mouth that builds plaque quickly, a run of cavities — and we will say so rather than booking every child into the same rhythm. The habit matters as much as the frequency: a child used to going twice a year usually becomes an adult who goes.
New Patient Special →Do you see children on Saturdays?
Yes. We are open Saturdays from 8 AM to 1 PM, which for a school-age child is the difference between a checkup and a missed morning of school. Saturday slots are the first to fill, so they are worth booking further ahead than a weekday appointment.
New Patient Special →Where to find us
Edison Dental Studio is at 96 Plainfield Ave, Edison, NJ 08817. The practice has cared for families in Edison for more than 50 years. You can reach us at (732) 985-1120.
- Monday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Tuesday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Wednesday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Thursday
- Closed
- Friday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Saturday
- 8 AM – 1 PM
- Sunday
- Closed
Part of our general dentistry care.
Children's dentistry in Edison, NJ
Book the whole family into one morning, or start with the child who has never been. Saturday mornings go first. Call us or book online.