Pediatric Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Patient Stories
Hanna's Story: Expert care when she needed it most
For Hanna, age 11, and her family, July 2, 2016, started off just like any other Texas summer day. They were out at their friend's house, the sun was out, and it was hot. The older kids had gone up to the barn to feed the horses while Hanna found refuge from the Texas heat in the shade of a tree. Though it's not clear exactly how it happened, a John Deere Gator™ utility vehicle slipped out of gear and rolled down the hill towards Hanna, crushing her against the tree.
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One-of-a-kind maxillofacial surgical care in North Texas
Children’s Health is the only medical center in North Texas with a fellowship-trained pediatric oral and maxillofacial surgeon. No other surgeon in the region has these additional years of training and experience – specifically focused on children. We do everything we can to give your child the best possible results, on one of the most visible parts of their body. You can rest easy knowing that your child’s mouth, jaw and face needs are being cared for by pediatric-trained specialists at a major medical center, here in Dallas.
Dentists, orthodontists and providers from all over the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex often refer their pediatric oral surgery cases to us because they don’t routinely operate on children. They trust that the Children’s Health team has all the expertise a child may need – at any age.
Partnering with cleft and craniofacial teams for multidisciplinary care
No matter how severe or complex, Children’s Health has the experts to care for all of your child's pediatric oral needs.
We perform pediatric maxillofacial surgery for facial differences or TMJ caused by a condition that causes bones in jaw joints to break down (condylar resorption). And for children who are born with complex structural differences, we collaborate closely with a team of experts. They include experts in our Craniofacial Program and our Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery Program.
Depending on the condition, your child’s care team may include other pediatric specialists, such as:
Dentists: Your child’s care planning will likely start with us talking to their dentist.
Orthodontists: For some mouth and jaw conditions, your child may need braces or other appliances.
Cardiologists: For children with heart conditions, we work with cardiologists and pediatric cardiac anesthesia to help ensure the safest surgery possible.
Anesthesiologists: Our pediatric anesthesiologists have special training to make surgery as safe and comfortable as possible for kids.
Plastic and craniofacial surgeons: Depending on your child’s needs, we may perform surgery with one of our plastic and craniofacial surgeons.
Speech-language pathologists: Our speech therapists provide therapy for any speech and swallowing issues related to jaw or facial conditions and surgery.
Audiologists: Our hearing and balance specialists support children who may have trouble with these skills as part of a jaw or facial condition.
Ear, nose and throat doctors (ENTs): Our ENTs (also called otolaryngologists) may refer a child to us or help treat conditions affecting a child’s ear, nose or throat.
Trauma specialists: For children who’ve had a traumatic (severe) injury, we collaborate with trauma experts including neurologists and orthopedic surgeons.
Making oral and maxillofacial surgery accessible
At Children’s Health, we want all kids to have access to the medical care they need. Our pediatric oral and maxillofacial surgery program accepts most types of health insurance, including Medicaid.
Children’s Health doesn’t charge separate surgeon’s fees for our specialized pediatric surgeries. That means that if your health insurance company approves the procedure that your child needs, you’re responsible only for the co-pay.
Care that’s 100% tailored for children
Our team’s oral and maxillofacial surgeon only performs jaw and face surgery on children. So they understand how a child’s growing jaw and face are different from an adult's. They also understand how to talk to kids and help them feel more comfortable, including kids who have Down syndrome or autism. And, when you walk through our doors, it’s clear that every building on our campus was designed with kids in mind.
We also work closely with Child Life specialists, who have special training to explain surgical procedures to kids in terms they understand. They help kids and their families feel more relaxed and prepared going into surgery. When needed, our specialists also distract children with select games, toys or stuffies – at just the right moments.
During surgery, our pediatric anesthesiologists monitor children’s health and give them anesthesia. That’s medicine to put your child in a sleep-like state and help them feel no pain. These doctors have special expertise in how children respond differently than adults to anesthesia. This expertise helps make surgery as comfortable and safe as possible for each child we care for.
At Children's Health℠, our pediatric oral and maxillofacial surgeon performs all types of oral and maxillofacial surgeries for children who have mouth or jaw conditions. We specialize in surgery to correct jaw problems, repairing broken facial bones, treating jaw growths/cysts, and helping kids overcome a variety of other jaw and face conditions.
When a child’s mouth or jaw condition requires care from a broader team of doctors, we collaborate with orthodontists and other experts in our Cleft Lip and Palate Program and our Craniofacial Programs. And children with more complex needs have access to every type of expert they might need, including cardiologists and speech-language pathologists.
Our pediatric oral and maxillofacial surgeon is one of a small number of surgeons with specific training in how to perform this type of surgery on kids. And every single one of our providers works almost exclusively with children. So you can trust that we’ll help your child feel as comfortable as possible – every step of the way. You can also trust that we understand how oral surgery on a child’s growing mouth and jaw is different from surgery on an adult.
At Children's Health℠, our pediatric oral and maxillofacial surgeon performs all types of oral and maxillofacial surgeries for children who have mouth or jaw conditions. We specialize in surgery to correct jaw problems, repairing broken facial bones, treating jaw growths/cysts, and helping kids overcome a variety of other jaw and face conditions.
When a child’s mouth or jaw condition requires care from a broader team of doctors, we collaborate with orthodontists and other experts in our Cleft Lip and Palate Program and our Craniofacial Programs. And children with more complex needs have access to every type of expert they might need, including cardiologists and speech-language pathologists.
Our pediatric oral and maxillofacial surgeon is one of a small number of surgeons with specific training in how to perform this type of surgery on kids. And every single one of our providers works almost exclusively with children. So you can trust that we’ll help your child feel as comfortable as possible – every step of the way. You can also trust that we understand how oral surgery on a child’s growing mouth and jaw is different from surgery on an adult.