Our services extend beyond traditional pediatric dental care, using a spectrum of specialized treatments that help develop good dental and oral health in childhood and beyond. Our ultimate goal is to nurture a radiant and lasting smile that not only looks beautiful, but promotes long term health.
The temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, can be crucial to your child’s oral health and overall well-being. TMJ disorders are a group of conditions that affect the temporomandibular joint, which connects the jawbone to the skull. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in the jaw, clicking or popping sounds when opening or closing the mouth, difficulty opening the mouth or chewing, and muscle tension or spasms in the face and neck. TMJ disorders can have many causes, including jaw trauma, teeth grinding or clenching, malocclusion (misaligned teeth or bite), and other factors.
If your child experiences TMJ issues or any of these symptoms, our TMJ expert, Dr. Shira Levy, can help. She specializes in diagnosing and treating TMJ issues, ensuring that your child’s jaw functions harmoniously for a lifetime of healthy smiles.
Airway health issues can cause orofacial myofunctional disorders, or interference with normal growth and development of facial muscles. Proper oral muscle function is vital for a child’s overall health. Our skilled myofunctional therapists work closely with your child to address any muscular issues that may affect their oral health, speech, or airway. We help your child achieve optimal oral muscle function through personalized therapy, ensuring a strong foundation for a lifetime of healthy teeth and a clear airway.
Accidents happen, and sometimes, young smiles require a little extra care. Our restorative dentistry services are designed to repair and preserve your child’s teeth while maintaining their comfort. Whether it’s a cavity that needs filling or a chipped tooth that needs restoration, we utilize the latest techniques and materials to ensure your child’s dental health is always in great hands.
During a regularly scheduled cleaning, my teenage son learned he had a baby tooth that needed to be removed to make room for an adult tooth coming in. He returned with a smile and said, “Mom! I didn’t feel a thing — they took such good care of me!”
Prior to receiving his specialty license in pediatric dentistry from the University of Iowa, he earned an MSc degree from Michigan State University in Human Nutrition and Dietetics. His graduate research interests centered around the impact of commercially-processed foods on dental health and body weight. His Nutrition background has served as a great foundation for the specialty practice of Pediatric Dentistry given that many oral health problems are often associated with unhealthy eating; dental caries (cavities) and early periodontal (gum) inflammation (gingivitis) are two of the most common problems associated with unhealthy snacking behaviors.
Dr. Boyd has extensive training and clinical experience in performing risk assessment, diagnosing, and treating very young children who present with non-self-correcting malocclusions with possibly-associated sleep and breathing difficulties.
He lectures worldwide on the topics of Early Childhood Malocclusion (under 72 months), pediatric sleep breathing hygiene, and the newly emerging healthcare discipline of Evolutionary Oral Medicine, also often called Darwinian Dentistry.
He is married and has two adult daughters. When not working, he enjoys tennis, skiing and sailing.