Dedicated to Treating Children Exclusively

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the ADA both recommend a child’s first dental visit by age one, or within six months of their first tooth appearing. Starting this early lets us spot decay risk before it becomes a painful problem and helps your child build a positive relationship with the dental office from the start. First visits at this age are short and mostly involve a lap exam, a look at the erupting teeth, and a conversation with you about brushing, feeding, and preventing baby-bottle decay. If your child is older and hasn’t been seen yet, the best time to start is now, you can request an appointment at either our Grand Junction or Fruita office.

A pediatric dentist completes two to three additional years of hospital-based residency after dental school, focused entirely on treating infants, children, teens, and patients with special healthcare needs. This training covers child growth and development, behavior guidance, sedation, and dental care for medically complex patients, areas a general or family dentist studies only briefly. Family dentists can treat children, but pediatric offices are built specifically around them: smaller instruments, staff trained in child-specific techniques, and an environment designed to make dental visits feel safer and less clinical. You can read more about our team’s training on the Meet Our Pediatric Dentists page.

This is completely normal, especially between ages two and five when children are just learning what to expect. Pediatric dental teams use gentle, evidence-based behavior guidance techniques, tell-show-do, positive reinforcement, distraction, and clear kid-friendly language, that help most children settle in and cooperate over one or two visits. For kids with more intense anxiety, a strong gag reflex, or a lot of treatment needed at once, we can talk with you about sedation options ranging from nitrous oxide to oral sedation. What we won’t do is force treatment; the goal is to build trust so your child feels safe coming back long-term.

Insurance participation can change, so we ask families to call our office at (970) 639-9551 to confirm current coverage before scheduling. Colorado’s Medicaid and CHP+ programs both include a full pediatric dental benefit for children under 21, which covers exams, cleanings, fluoride, sealants, fillings, extractions, and other medically necessary treatment. If we aren’t a participating provider for your child’s specific plan, we’re happy to help you understand your options. You can also review our financial policy for details on billing, payment, and self-pay arrangements.

Yes. Pediatric dentists complete residency training in caring for patients with special healthcare needs, and our office regularly sees children with autism, ADHD, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, sensory processing differences, and other medical or developmental conditions. We can adapt appointments in ways that reduce sensory overload, quieter rooms, dimmed lights, shorter visits, weighted lap pads, and pre-visit walkthroughs so your child knows what to expect. When behavior or medical complexity make an in-office visit difficult, we can discuss oral sedation, nitrous oxide, or hospital-based general anesthesia as options. You can learn more about our approach on the Special Needs Children page.

Pediatric dental offices typically care for patients from the eruption of their first tooth through the end of the teenage years, generally up to age 18. Teenagers benefit from continuing to see a pediatric dentist because we’re trained in the specific issues that come up during adolescence, wisdom teeth evaluation, orthodontic monitoring, sports mouthguard fittings, and guidance on the oral-health effects of sports drinks, vaping, and braces care. Many patients transition to a general dentist once their permanent teeth are fully in and jaw growth is complete. For patients with special healthcare needs, we can often continue care beyond the teen years, please call (970) 639-9551 to discuss.

For a life-threatening emergency, uncontrolled bleeding, facial swelling that affects breathing or swallowing, or a serious head or jaw injury, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away. For urgent dental issues after hours (a knocked-out permanent tooth, severe toothache, or dental trauma), call our office at (970) 639-9551 and follow the after-hours instructions on the recording. A knocked-out permanent tooth needs to be re-implanted within about 30 to 60 minutes to have the best chance of surviving, so time matters, keep the tooth moist in milk or saliva on the way in. Our Dental Emergencies page covers what to do for common injuries while you’re waiting.

Yes. Parents and caregivers are welcome to accompany their child into the treatment area, and we especially encourage it for first visits, infants, toddlers, and any child who feels more comfortable with you nearby. As kids get older, some do better with a parent in the waiting area, a bit of separation can actually help an anxious school-age child focus and cooperate, and we’ll always talk it through with you before making that call together. For sedation appointments and hospital-based general anesthesia, there are specific policies about when parents are present versus in the waiting area, and our team will walk you through those ahead of time.

Pediatric Dental Specialists of Western Colorado has two convenient offices serving Grand Junction and the surrounding area. Our Grand Junction office is at 2586 Patterson Rd unit #2, Grand Junction, CO 81505, and our Fruita office is at 101 Jurassic Ave, Fruita, CO 81521. Both locations share the same phone number, (970) 639-9551, and both are staffed exclusively by board-certified pediatric dentists who treat children from infancy through the teenage years. You can see full location details and hours or request an appointment online at whichever office is closest to you.

Yes. Because there are relatively few pediatric dental specialists on Colorado’s Western Slope, families regularly travel to us from Palisade, Clifton, Fruita, Delta, Montrose, Rifle, Parachute, and the surrounding rural communities in Mesa, Delta, Garfield, and Montrose counties. Our Fruita location at 101 Jurassic Ave was opened specifically to make appointments easier for families west of Grand Junction, and both offices can coordinate longer or combined visits for families driving a distance. If you’re not sure whether the drive makes sense, especially for a child with special healthcare needs or extensive treatment, call (970) 639-9551 and we’ll help you think it through.