Alpine Orthodontics adds pediatric dental care By Jo Moreland ALPINE MOUNTAIN EMPIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Smile!

That’s what everyone did on June 13 at the grand opening of the renovated office of Alpine Orthodontics & Scripps Pediat­ric Dentistry in Alpine.

The ribbon cutting also cel­ebrated the long-time service of orthodontist Dr. Cynthia L. Jackson and the official arrival of pediatric dentist Dr. J. Shah­angian. They’re sharing Suite 212 of the Alpine Regional Cen­ter at 1620 Alpine Blvd.

Smile!

That’s what everyone did on June 13 at the grand opening of the renovated office of Alpine Orthodontics & Scripps Pediat­ric Dentistry in Alpine.

The ribbon cutting also cel­ebrated the long-time service of orthodontist Dr. Cynthia L. Jackson and the official arrival of pediatric dentist Dr. J. Shah­angian. They’re sharing Suite 212 of the Alpine Regional Cen­ter at 1620 Alpine Blvd.

“We’re adding pediatric care to Alpine,” Dr. Shahangian said. “Pediatric dentists are special­ists that know all about the growing teeth and mouth. You see patients between zero and 18 years of age.”

That’s because the American Association of Pediatrics recom­mends that a child’s first dental visit should be between the ages of six and 12 months, the board-certified dentist said.

“Children can stay cavity-free all their lives if preventive care starts early,” said Dr. Shahan­gian.

Patients Martina and Luis Mi­rabal, ages 9 and 6, respectively, and their mother, Martina Mon­talva of Rancho Bernardo, as well as Alpine Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce staff helped with the ribbon-cutting.

“The children have been pa­tients for seven years,” Mon­talva said. “They are amazing here with kids. They make it re­ally easy on them with toys and movies. And the service is very professional.”

Dr. Shahangian said the office technology to make children more comfortable and safer in­cludes digital X-rays with very low radiation, intra-oral cameras for easy diagnostics inside the mouth and single tooth anesthe­sia.

Television sets in the office ceiling with wireless head phones and iPads help make the dental/orthodontic experience more pleasant.

Dr. Shahangian said he finds pediatric dental care is truly pre­ventive.

”It’s also very rewarding to see an anxious child become com­fortable,” he said. “We say there’s no way you can become confi­dent if you’re worrying about whether your smile is pretty, nice. You also can’t have pain in your mouth. We’re helping chil­dren have confident smiles for a lifetime.”

Call (619) 445-8883 or visit Al­pineOrthodontics.com for more information.