Visits that stayboring — in the best way.

You are not just looking for someone to clean your kid's teeth

You want someone who will not scare them. Someone who tells you the truth about whether that spot is a cavity or a stain. Someone who will notice a problem at six that would otherwise be an expensive problem at sixteen.

That is the job as we understand it. We see children at both offices, in Fort Smith and here in Roland, from the first tooth through the teenage years, and we see their parents and grandparents at the same practice. One family, one place, one set of records.

Dr. Blain VanNice trained with kids at Children's Hospital Aurora

Dr. VanNice completed a pediatric rotation at Children's Hospital Aurora before joining our team. He also spent time treating underserved communities in Alamosa, Colorado, and through Denver Health, which is where dentists learn to work with children who are frightened, in pain, or have never seen a dentist before.

He came to dentistry from an unusual direction. His undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado Boulder is in computer science and design engineering, magna cum laude, and his own explanation is simple: "I have always had a fascination with medicine and engineering, and I realized that dentistry is the perfect combination." He has also received a Mentor of the Year Award.

Dr. Beau Sparkman and Dr. Joseph Farmer see children as well. Both are local. Dr. Sparkman grew up in Sequoyah County and went to Muldrow High School. Dr. Farmer was born and raised in Fort Smith. Between them, our doctors have a lot of kids of their own, which shows up in how the appointments run.

What actually happens, so you can tell your child ahead of time

For a young child, the first visit is mostly introduction. We count teeth, take a look at how the jaws are growing, gently clean and polish, and apply fluoride. X-rays only when we have a reason, and only what we need.

We narrate everything before we do it, in words a child understands. Nobody gets held down. If a child has a hard day and we only get halfway, that is fine, and we will get further next time.

For school-age children, sealants are one of the highest-value things we do. A thin coating in the deep grooves of the back molars, painless to place, and it prevents the cavities that otherwise start there. If a filling is needed, we use tooth-colored material.

For anxious children, or for longer procedures, sedation dentistry is available. We talk that through with you in detail beforehand rather than springing it on you the day of.

Two cleanings a year is the usual rhythm. Our Smile Savers membership covers exams, X-rays, two cleanings, and fluoride for $440 a year for one person, with family pricing that brings a four-person household to $1,430 a year. No deductibles, no waiting periods, no annual maximum.

We screen kids for mouth breathing and airway problems, not just cavities

This is the part worth reading twice.

A child who sleeps with an open mouth, snores, grinds their teeth, wets the bed past the usual age, wakes up tired, or has trouble focusing at school may have an airway issue. Chronic mouth breathing changes how the face and jaws grow. Narrow palate, crowded teeth, a long face shape, dark circles under the eyes. Those crooked teeth at twelve often started as a breathing pattern at four.

Most general dental offices are not looking for this, because it is not part of a standard checkup. We are, and we have two specific reasons we can do something about it.

The first is Laura Williams, RDH. She has been in dentistry since 1997, has been a registered hygienist since 2013, and has been a practicing myofunctional therapist for more than ten years. Myofunctional therapy is exercise-based training for the muscles of the tongue, lips, and face, aimed at correcting tongue posture, swallowing pattern, and nasal breathing. No other practice in this market has that credential in house.

The second is Myobrace. It is a removable appliance system for growing children that works on the habits driving crooked teeth rather than only on the teeth themselves. Used at the right age, it can reduce or in some cases avoid the need for later braces. Dr. Sparkman, a member of the American Orthodontic Society, oversees this side of care, and we also offer braces and Invisalign for the cases that need them.

We also have CBCT 3D imaging, which lets us look at the airway itself rather than guessing.

To be clear about what we are and are not saying: screening is educational and is not a diagnosis. If a sleep study or an ENT referral is warranted, we will say so. Results vary from child to child. But a screening costs you a conversation, and catching this early is far easier than correcting it at fifteen.

Insurance, timing, and how to keep a checkup from becoming a fight

We are in network with Aetna, America's, Assurant, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Sun Life, Guardian, MetLife, United Concordia, Healthchoice, Delta Dental Premier, and Principal. Most plans cover children's preventive visits at or near 100%. We will verify before you come in so there is no surprise at the desk.

If your child has a toothache, a knocked-out tooth, or a broken tooth, call rather than wait. We hold same-day emergency appointments when we can, Monday through Thursday.

One practical suggestion. Do not promise your child it will not hurt, and do not use the dentist as a threat during the year. Tell them someone is going to count their teeth and take pictures. Children handle almost anything if nobody has taught them to be afraid of it first.