Pediatric Dentistry
Oral health care for children 

0109_dentists-kiddie
Image: Julie West

Jon A. Dallman
18807 Beardslee Blvd, Ste 103, Bothell
425-486-6300

Patrick Albert Fleege
509 Olive Way, Ste 1024, Seattle
206-622-6696

Jeff Hays
Dentistry for Children
1425 NE Franklin Ave, Bremerton
360-377-3844

Katrina L. Hays
Dentistry for Children
1425 NE Franklin Ave, Bremerton
360-377-3844

Brad Hwang
Children’s Dental Care
24837 104th Ave SE, Ste 200, Kent
253-850-1234

Kiddie Care

Even one-year-olds need to brush up on good habits.

The biggest problem in children’s health today isn’t obesity, or toxic chemicals, or smoking, or drug abuse. It’s holes in teeth. “Having a cavity is not a normal occurrence,” says Joel Berg, director of dentistry at Seattle Children’s Hospital. “It’s actually a symptom of a chronic disease.” According to the Washington Department of Health, dental caries—tooth and gum decay brought on by cavity-causing bacteria—afflicts nearly 60 percent of all Washington children by the age of 8, putting them at risk for lost teeth, life-­threatening bone infections, and a host of orthodontic complications and nutritional deficiencies. “We’re seeing three- and four-year-old children showing up in the emergency room with swollen faces and rotting gums because they didn’t receive proper dental care starting at age one,” he says, “and the constant pain makes attending to schoolwork very difficult.”

To help address the problem, the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital will open the Early Childhood Oral Health clinic (ECOH) in September 2010 at the site of a former Sand Point Naval Air Station barracks. With 30 dental chairs for basic procedures and three operating rooms for kids who need dental work done under general anesthesia, treatment is the main purpose of ECOH, but the clinic will also be a nexus of research and outreach. Current investigations—like a UW study using the naturally occurring sugar xylitol in candies and foods to suppress bacteria that cause cavities—will be moved there, and Seattle Children’s plans to try out safe, experimental devices like fluorescent scanners that look below the surface of patients’ tiny teeth to detect tooth demineralization, which can signal decay as much as a year before dentists would otherwise notice a problem.

Such technology doesn’t mean parents can ease up on toddlers’ tooth care, however. Dr. Stephen Stuehling—a dentist with 10 years of experience treating kids at his clinic in Madrona, recommends that tots first visit the dentist at one year of age. At that time, he dispenses hints on how to keep children cavity free well into the years when they start handling their own toothbrushes. “Frequency of sugar intake is more important than amount of sugar. Every time a child eats sugars, whether they be from crackers, milk, or soda, the teeth enter a ‘dissolved’ state for about an hour,” he explains. “Teeth in a constantly dissolved state are more vulnerable to cavity-causing bacteria.” Stuehling therefore says to limit the duration of mealtimes and snack times, and suggests finishing meals with a crunchy fruit or vegetable, like an apple or carrot, to scrub away residual sugars. He also advises parents of young children to chew xylitol gum (rather than sugary gum), and fix their own cavities promptly, since adults can unwittingly transmit cavity-causing bacteria to toddlers through kissing or sharing eating utensils. Of paramount importance, say both Stuehling and Berg, is attention to hygiene (regular brushing and flossing—show ’em how it’s done) and a fluoride regimen that starts with a varnish applied to kids’ teeth during each regularly scheduled six-month visit to the dentist. Now, that’s sweet.

Jenny Lee
Bellevue Kids Dentist
2150 112th Ave NE, Ste A, Bellevue
425-455-0784

John R. Liu
Eastside Pediatric
Dental Group
185 NE Gilman Blvd, Issaquah
425-392-4048

Sallysue M. Lombardi
Eastside Pediatric
Dental Group
185 NE Gilman Blvd, Issaquah
425-392-4048

Cody Mast
Bellevue Kids Dentist
2150 112th Ave NE, Ste A, Bellevue
425-455-0784

Lawrence Mast
Bellevue Kids Dentist
2150 112th Ave NE, Ste A, Bellevue
425-455-0784

Keith E. McDonald
A Kids Place Dentistry
451 Duvall Ave NE, Ste 140, Renton
425-228-5437

Daniel O’Brien
400 S 38th Ct, Renton
425-255-6008

Camille Sata
Camille Sata Dentistry for Children
7900 E Green Lake Dr N, Ste 210, Seattle
206-522-1565

Leland Shenfield
Mill Creek Children’s Dentistry
16030 Bothell Everett Hwy, Ste 250, Mill Creek
425-338-9773

Justin R. Smith
Arlington Pediatric Dentistry
3710 168th St NE, Ste B105, Arlington
360-657-1650

Steven D. Smutka
4500 Sand Point Way NE, Ste 208, Seattle
206-525-4777

Stephanie M. Su
Redmond Kids
Dentistry
16650 NE 79th St, Ste 100, Redmond
425-558-4562

Christine M. Tweedy
Westside Children’s Dentistry
4520 42nd Ave SW, Ste 24, Seattle
206-937-6481

Clint T. Worton
Kirkland Children’s Dentistry
620 Kirkland Way, Ste 102, Kirkland
425-822-2500

Jimmy Yun
Factoria Pediatric Dentistry
12600 SE 38th St, Ste 110, Bellevue
425-614-3000

Endodontics

Root canal therapy and surgery

Karim Z. Alibhai
Advanced Endodontics
14595 Bel Red Rd, Ste 103, Bellevue
425-562-9070

A. Luis Aviles
14655 Bel Red Rd, Ste 201, Bellevue
425-614-3636

Steven E. Baker
18631 Alderwood Mall Pkwy, Ste 203, Lynnwood
425-672-3737

Brigitte R. Bigras
3710 168th St NE, Bldg D, Ste 101, Arlington
360-651-9394

Kenji G. Beppu
Advanced Endodontics
14595 Bel Red Rd, Ste 103, Bellevue
425-562-9070

Kevin Y. Choi
Endodontics Northwest
1515 116th St NE, Ste 301, Bellevue
425-454-4582

Allen D. Colic
Endodontics Northwest
21911 76th Ave W, Ste 206, Edmonds
425-248-2900

Shahin Etemadi
Lakeside Endodontics
9505 19th Ave SE, Ste 115, Everett
425-357-8747

Mark A. Freeman
509 Olive Way, Ste 1511, Seattle
206-621-9730

Willis Paul Gabel
Issaquah Endodontics
22500 SE 64th Pl, Ste 110, Issaquah
425-427-1120

John B. Goessman
20700 Bond Rd NE, Ste 107, Poulsbo
360-779-7912

Michael Huey
1275 NE Franklin Ave, Bremerton
360-377-3779

Patricia Kho
2317 SW 320th St,
Federal Way
253-927-6411

A. Edward Kim
1230 S 336th St, Ste B, Federal Way
253-927-6411

Timothy S. Kim
509 Olive Way, Ste 637, Seattle
206-624-5115

Louis F. Kramp
Redmond Endodontics
8575 164th Ave NE, Ste 301, Redmond
425-882-3033

Edmund H. Kwan
6715 Fort Dent Way, Tukwila
206-248-3330

Mandy J. Louis
17600 Talbot Rd S, Ste 5, Renton
425-277-0670

Matthew A. Mandel
Endodontic Associates of Seattle
4341 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle
206-633-2600

Gerald F. McCann
Endodontics Northwest
9714 Third Ave NE, Ste 203, Seattle
206-525-1515

Boyd F. Munson
11830 NE 128th St, Ste 101, Kirkland
425-821-7100

Ted Pilot
Pacific Endodontics
1229 Madison St, Ste 1140, Seattle
206-682-4464

Andrew D. Romero
19110 Bothell Way NE, Ste 101, Bothell
425-482-9211

Tom J. Rude
Munson and Rude
11830 NE 128th St, Ste 101, Kirkland
425-821-7100

Jeffrey A. Short
509 Olive Way, Ste 1511, Seattle
206-621-9730

James R. Stephens
411 Strander Blvd, Ste 306, Tukwila
206-575-1122

John B. Wallstrom
Auburn Valley
Endodontics
1340 Eighth St NE, Ste 102, Auburn
253-939-0055

Jerome K. Yamada
Issaquah Endodontics
22500 SE 64th Pl, Ste 110, Issaquah
425-427-1120