With today’s busy lifestyles, it’s reassuring to find a dentist who can reliably see all your family members, from young children to seniors. Our office warmly welcomes patients of all ages, while providing them with the preventative and restorative services they need to ensure good oral health, and natural smiles, throughout their lives.
Dr. Bhandaru is highly-trained and licensed to deliver care for children, teenagers and adults in an office setting that’s friendly, comfortable and relaxed. As a family dentist we offer services from routine dental disease prevention and education, to restorative cosmetic and orthodontia care.
It’s always our goal at Carrollton Smiles that when you walk through our doors you’ll immediately know that you’ve found the perfect place for your entire family’s care!
At Carrollton Smiles, Dr. Bhandaru offers comprehensive dentistry not just for your teeth and gums but to improve your overall health. Our goal is to help you understand how oral health affects and is affected by your general health.
In addition to dental crowns, fillings, oral hygiene appointments for dental cleaning, we offer laser dentistry, ozone treatments, obstructive sleep apnea treatment for children and adults. Comprehensive dentistry connects your oral health to systemic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea, ADD and ADHD.
Dr. Bhandaru understands that with our busy lives, it is important to provide comprehensive family dentistry for everyone in your family from children, adults to the seniors in your family. We provide dental care for everyone in your family with a lot of specialized services to help you get healthier.
The continuity of care for children ( sealants, dental expanders, preventative treatments, early detection of dental cavities and treatment) adults ( laser treatment for gum disease,crowns fillings, sleep apnea treatment, clear aligner treatment) and seniors ( LANAP, dental implants, dentures and partials) will make your family healthier.
Mouth and body connection is the key to family and comprehensive holistic dentistry at Carrollton Smiles. This approach recognizes that oral health is deeply interconnected with overall health. Conditions such as gum disease (periodontitis) have been linked to systemic issues like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even pregnancy complications. Chronic inflammation in the mouth can increase the inflammation in your body and interfere with the treatment for other diseases.
It has been proven that periodontal disease or infected gums make it harder to control diabetes as it increases the inflammation in your body. Bacteria from unhealthy and infected gums can enter the bloodstream and increase the cardiovascular risk commonly known as heart disease. Gum disease during pregnancy has also been linked to low birthweight babies.
Dr. Bhandaru at Carrollton Smiles is an airway centered practitioner. She has trained extensively to treat adults and children suffering with obstructive sleep apnea.
Common dental symptoms of OSA are grinding your teeth, clenching teeth, breaking teeth, fillings, crowns.
Dr. Bhandaru evaluates your general health history in addition to all the medications you take and helps you identify oral systemic links.
We can treat adults who are intolerant to CPAP with oral appliances. Dr. Bhandaru is trained to expand the airway of children suffering with pediatric sleep apnea with dental expanders and myofunctional therapy while working closely with your pediatrician.
Our goal is to improve the quality of your life and overall health outcomes for you and your family.
Dr. Bhandaru is one of the few dentists trained in Laser dentistry to provide minimally invasive and regenerative treatment for aggressive and advanced periodontal disease.
One of the most advanced applications of lasers in dentistry is the PerioLase system, used in the Laser-Assisted New Attachment Procedure (LANAP) for treating gum disease. This technology targets infected tissue while promoting the regeneration of healthy gum and bone, all without the need for traditional cutting and sutures.
This is the only Laser currently FDA approved to regrow bone loss due to poor oral hygiene and periodontal disease. This is a holistic approach to treat the infected gums with laser which helps grow the bone lost due to the disease process by generating stem cells and elimination the harmful bacteria.
LANAP is a painless process with reduced bleeding, faster healing and complete elimination of the necessity to cut the gums and suture them.
At Carrollton Smiles we offer comprehensive and holistic general dentistry , a complete approach to dental care.
We ensure that all family members receive the care they need. By focusing on the oral-systemic connection, Dr. Bhandaru can help prevent and manage health conditions that extend beyond the mouth.
Dr. Bhandaru is highly-trained and licensed to deliver care for children, teenagers and adults in an office setting that’s friendly, comfortable and relaxed. As a family dentist we offer services from routine dental disease prevention and education to cosmetic and braces care.
Our goal at Carrollton Smiles is that when you walk through our doors you will immediately know that you have found the perfect place for your entire family’s care!
My husband, daughter and I have been patients of Dr. B for about two years. We’ve had many positive experiences. The staff is friendly and patient. Michelle does an excellent job with cleanings. She’s gentle in her approach and thorough. Dr. B has a great sense of humor and has an obvious passion for dentistry. Lastly, I appreciate the way the staff works together. They seem to enjoy what they do and who they work with. – M
Pediatric dental health also known as children’s dentistry not only prevents dental cavities, but also development of good oral/habits of the mouth, posture and development of jaws and face. This aids in proper growth and development of muscles of cheek lip and mouth.
During your Pediatric dental appointment, in addition to the complete mouth and teeth exam at Carrollton Smiles, Dr. Bhandaru evaluates your child in a complete, holistic approach for tongue tie, restricted development of jaws, development of muscles of mouth and chewing, dental crowding, poor posture and any airway obstructions. Early intervention and working with qualified MDs combined with guidance for good oral hygiene like brushing and flossing and nutrition will help your child have a solid life long oral and general health.
To ensure your child is getting the best results, please follow these guidelines:
But teens listen more than we realize, and pestering parents can make a tremendous difference in the dental future of these young adults. Oral home care habits tend to slide, sometimes to the point of complete neglect. Increased independence may lead to eating and drinking habits that harm oral and overall health. Don’t underestimate any encouragement given to help your teen avoid the long-term effects of cavities and gum inflammation.
Preventive visits every six months provide us with an opportunity to coach your teen and reinforce the efforts you’re making with them. Sometimes the rapport we establish in a professional, yet friendly, setting proves especially effective. Plus we can share problems with them through visual aids while reinforcing any positive efforts they’re making.
Tips for home efforts that protect your teen’s dental health:
It’s an infection.
Millions of bacteria swarm our mouths, many of them harmless and even beneficial. But a few bad characters wreak havoc on the hard and soft tissues of the mouth in many people. Like all living creatures, they need an energy source. Sugars are their snack of choice, and they use simple carbohydrates from our diet to manufacture energy.
Like all living creatures making energy, they also produce waste. These acidic wastes deposited on the teeth erode the hard enamel surfaces and form holes, known as cavities.
Some bacteria produce a toxic waste that causes bleeding gums and destruction of the bone around the teeth. In fact, this is the leading reason people lose their teeth and end up with dentures. It’s all part of an infection.
Most infections can be treated with antibiotics, but mouth bacteria require a different approach. Regular checkups help us identify new cavities, and periodic cleanings remove mineralized deposits that harbor millions of harmful bacteria. Fluoride varnishes harden tooth surfaces, and high-risk patients benefit from customized approaches with our team.
The complex interaction of infection and inflammation extends beyond the gums and mouth. In fact, research continues to uncover the many ways that problems in our mouths can reach into critical areas of our bodies. For example, mouth bacteria penetrate through bleeding gums and enter the bloodstream. Like a river, blood flow carries the bacteria to the small vessels of the heart and brain. As this happens, bacteria can damage the intricate vessel lining and cause a blockage of the vessel. This increases the chances of getting a heart attack or a stroke..all because of bleeding gums.
The same process deposits mouth bacteria and their toxins in other areas of our bodies and appears related to arthritis, diabetes, and some cancers. In the last few years, we’ve learned that a healthy mouth can affect our overall health in many ways.
Although the majority of cases involve teenagers, braces can play a role for some kids in their earlier years. Since permanent teeth are typically larger than baby teeth, space may need to be opened with the gentle force of braces. This allows teeth to move into place properly, helping avoid more extensive treatment later.
A narrow jaw or a large overbite may create a similar dilemma. Guiding jaw growth while your child’s developing can make a tremendous difference in the long-term outcome. Once the growth stops in teen years, the only corrective measure often involves surgery…always a good scenario to avoid when possible.
The Usual Track
Many youngsters benefit the most from orthodontics after baby teeth fall out and permanent teeth move into place. This classic case may start in the early teen years, leaving a nicely aligned and highly functional set of teeth going into adulthood. The length of time spent wired-up can vary, but average treatment time often falls around two years.
A variety of methods allow orthodontic treatment to solve nearly every possible scenario that appears, but successful treatment relies on good patient compliance. Wearing elastic bands consistently, keeping follow-up appointments for adjustments, and practicing outstanding home care can lead to a positive outcome. This commitment involves frequent preventive visits with your hygienist as well, a strategy that helps avoid cavities around brackets. We specialize in helping our orthodontic patients enjoy a successful outcome: a gorgeous, healthy smile.
Sealants give us a tool that can dramatically reduce the number of fillings placed in permanent teeth during critical stages of growth and development. On the chewing surface of molars, deep grooves reach into the center of the teeth. Under a microscope, these crevices might look like a deep canyon. In fact, most of them are narrower than a single toothbrush bristle but wide enough for bacteria to hide. It’s easy to see how cavities can form in such a perfect hideout.
If the grooves in permanent molars are sealed at a young age, the risk of decay occurring on the chewing surfaces decreases dramatically. Fortunately, this procedure can be done quickly and without any discomfort. If the grooves are free of cavities, they can be gently cleaned out and conditioned for bonding. Then a resin material is flowed into the grooves and sealed quickly with a blue activating light. Within a few minutes, the permanent molars receive a protective measure against cavities.
Sealants only last a few years and may need to be repaired or replaced periodically. But research confirms a 90% reduction in chewing surface cavity activity in sealed molars. This cost-effective, simple step may help your child enter adulthood with fewer fillings and less risk of major dentistry in the future.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends starting oral hygiene practices as soon as an infant’s first tooth erupts. Here are the key AAPD guidelines:
It is easier to form healthy habits at an earlier age than to change the established poor habits. Brushing twice a day, flossing and mouthwash are some of the recommended good oral hygiene habits. Establishing these at an early age can prevent long term harmful consequences. Poor habits can cause gum disease, tooth decay /dental cavities and may lead to extensive and expensive outcomes later in life
The upper and lower jaw, clinically known as maxilla and mandible develop due to the forces on muscles that help chewing and the pressure of the tongue while swallowing. It is very important to encourage chewing with a closed mouth. Feeding different textures and not pureed and soft foods is essential for proper growth and development of the jaws.
This helps prevent crowding and crooked teeth. It is essential for the child to have a proper balanced diet with different texture to encourage and aid in proper growth and development.
The crowded and small jaws not only cause dental problems but also breathing problems. Small mouth directly affects the airway development and increases resistance for the air to enter the body.
These children with crowded teeth usually breathe with their mouth open which makes them more prone to upper airway infections.
Dr. Bhandaru is qualified to diagnose and treat the pediatric patients with dental expander to help grow the jaws and assist in improvement of the airway and breathing.
We all know that uneven, crooked, misaligned teeth are more prone to dental caries commonly known as cavities and gum disease. This is due to food and bacteria being caught between the teeth and making it hard to brush floss and clean the teeth.
Dental crowding happens when the jaws are not large enough to accommodate all the teeth.
The narrow and small upper and lower jaws may be due to open mouth chewing, prolonged thumb/ finger sucking, snoring or open mouth breathing at night and parafunctional habits like biting on nails, chewing the backs of pencils/pens etc.
These deleterious habits do not create enough adequate ideal forces of the muscles to help proper growth of jaws and cause crowding of the teeth.
The crowded jaws make it difficult to effectively apply proper muscle forces to help grow the jaws and airway. Early intervention can help prevent or manage crowding and guide teeth into their correct positions and assist proper overall growth and development
Extended Thumb sucking/ finger sucking and effect the development of the children’s jaws and mouth in a bad way.The harmful habits can lead to deep bite, open bite, crowding and crooked teeth and other orthodontic problems.
It was previously believed that it is recommended to wait till all the baby teeth/primary teeth fall out to start the braces treatment. If your child has crowding or crooked teeth, excessive spaces between the teeth, deep bite or open bite, delayed falling out of the teeth,The American Association of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends early treatment with dental expanders to prevent more complex orthodontic problems later on.
Dr. Bhandaru recommends starting the dental expander process between the ages of 6 to 12 to help grow not only the jaws but also the airway and help with proper breathing, sleep in addition to creating room for the teeth to erupt.
The benefits of dental expanders are not limited to straight teeth but help improve the airways, breathing ability, reduction in allergies and also better development of the face and jaws.
It was previously believed that it is recommended to wait till all the baby teeth/primary teeth fall out to start the braces treatment. If your child has crowding or crooked teeth, excessive spaces between the teeth, deep bite or open bite, delayed falling out of the teeth,The American Association of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends early treatment with dental expanders to prevent more complex orthodontic problems later on.
Dr. Bhandaru recommends starting the dental expander process between the ages of 6 to 12 to help grow not only the jaws but also the airway and help with proper breathing, sleep in addition to creating room for the teeth to erupt.
The benefits of dental expanders are not limited to straight teeth but help improve the airways, breathing ability, reduction in allergies and also better development of the face and jaws.
If your child is snoring while sleeping and has an open mouth to breathe at night, they are prone to dental crowding , spacing or other orthodontic problems. These children are tossing and turning during the night either due to enlarged tonsils and adenoids or small jaws due to myofunctional issues.
Poor sleep in children affects their growth, development and in some instances these children eat a lot of sugar to keep their energy up and finally some of the sleep deprived children with crowded mouths and poor sleep are diagnosed with ADHD.
Dr. Bhandaru is able to help identify these issues in your child and get the help you need.
Increased eating of sugar and processed foods caused a lot of general health and mouth problems. It is a well known fact that increased sugar intake causes an increased chance of developing dental cavities. Excessive sugar intake with poor oral habits will cause an increase in the amount of disease causing bad bacteria in your child’s mouth.
Sometimes children eat more sugar to keep their energy levels up. They do eat sugar to get through school and all the other extra curricular activities, as they have small mouths with narrow dental arches and a small airway which is causing them to have poor sleep.
In addition to scheduling an appointment at Carrollton Smiles, Dr. Bhandaru encourages good oral hygiene practices which include, brushing twice a day, flossing, using mouthwash and the use of waterpik.
All of us have noticed the “text neck” posture due to an increase in electronics in children.
These children have hunched posture with open mouth breathing. This negatively affects the body.
Proper mouth position with closed mouth and nasal breathing and proper body posture with straight and aligned spine helps proper development of jaws, aids in proper sleep and decreases the chance of developing crowding and other dental problems.
GOPEX is a good informative read to help your child.
Dr. Bhandaru works with the best myofunctional specialists in DFW to help your child. Myofunctional therapy helps your child break the habits of bad posture, open mouth chewing open mouth breathing. This is done by mouth exercises which help strengthen the muscles used for chewing, swallowing,breathing, speaking and breathing. Myofunctional therapy in conjunction with dental expanders will help development of mouth and jaws and help improve the quality of sleep by increasing the size of jaws and airway.
Snoring in the absence of a sickness is not normal in children. Snoring indicates an obstruction in breathing. Airway obstructions in children who snore are tonsils, adenoids, tongue tie, small underdeveloped jaws with crowded teeth to name a few.
The obstruction prevents your cold from getting restful sleep and they may suffer from daytime sleepiness, behavioral problems and difficulty at school.
In some cases the snoring may be a sign of sleep apnea in children.
Dr. Bhandaru is trained to help your child and improve the development of mouth and jaws. At Carrollton Smiles we work closely with multiple MDs who are qualified to help your child.
Multiple ear infections may be due to enlarged tonsils and adenoids. In addition to compromised immunity, these infections affect dental health and mouth tremendously. The obstruction in breathing passage also known as airway, forces the child to breath to their mouth.
We know that mouth breathing makes the jaws crowded and small, further restricting the airway.
In addition to removal of tonsils and adenoids, your child may need help to develop the small and crowded mouth.
Dr. Bhandaru recommends #3D airway scan to measure the airway in your child. This helps determine the amount of constriction of the jaws and the desired growth needed.
Tongue tie is a condition in which the tissues connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth are either too short and too tight, affecting the quality of life. Some children with tongue tie are able to adapt and may need no intervention.
In Some instances the tongue tie restricts the movements of the tongue and interferes with growth and development of the mouth and jaws. This causes not only dental crowding but also the airway making your child prone to sleep apnea as they become adults. Sometimes the tied tongue in addition to restriction causes bereft feeding nursing issues, delayed speech, aversion to certain textured foods. The aversion to chewy and textured foods is due to difficulty in chewing and swallowing due to either short or tight frenulum (tissue attaching the tongue to the floor of the mouth).
In addition to working with some excellent myofunctional therapists to help strengthen the tongue, Dr. Bhandaru is trained and qualified to release the tongue at the Breathe Institute. Dr. Bhandaru is able to do the frenectomy painlessly with a dental laser.
During your Pediatric dental appointment, in addition to the complete mouth and teeth exam, at Carrollton Smiles Dr. Bhandaru evaluates your child in a complete holistic approach for tongue tie, airway, restricted development of jaws,development of muscles of mouth and chewing, dental crowding,poor posture and any airway obstructions. Early intervention and working with qualified MDs combined with guidance for good oral hygiene like brushing and flossing and nutrition will help your child have a solid life long oral and general health.
In pediatric dentistry, addressing habits such as thumbsucking, mouth breathing, and proper tongue posture early can significantly affect a child’s dental health, sleep quality, and overall development. Early intervention with tools like myofunctional therapy can help mitigate issues like dental crowding, poor posture, and airway obstructions. Combined with good oral hygiene and nutrition, these strategies form a solid foundation for lifelong oral health.
At Carrollton Smiles, we recommend tooth sealants. We understand that it is difficult to brush and floss a young child’s teeth, another decay-prevention step you can take is to have a sealant applied to their teeth. Sealants last for years and are effective at protecting hard-to-reach areas. We will evaluate the sealant’s status during a child’s regular checkup.
See the dentist 2X a year. Remember, for happier, healthier smiles the AAPD recommends an exam and cleaning for your child every 6 months. That will help ensure that their mouth stays healthy, and their smiles more natural-looking, as they develop on the road to adulthood!
We love seeing patients of all ages, especially children, and try to make their office experience- and mom or dad’s- as comfortable, fun and relaxing as possible. If you have any questions about how to keep your child’s smile looking naturally beautiful for many years to come, or would like to schedule an appointment for your child with us, call Carrollton Smiles today at (972) 245-3455!
If you're ready to schedule an appointment with Dr. Bhandaru, we invite you to take the next step by clicking the 'Book a Consultation' link below. Alternatively, feel free to email us, and our team will be delighted to assist you in setting up your appointment.
