At Palmetto Smiles Pediatric, Orthodontic, and Family Dentistry, we’re a family ourselves, and each doctor has their own unique personality and specialty. This helps us understand the families that come to our office and cater to their needs. In fact, we offer dentistry for all ages and our team of experts provides pediatric, orthodontic and family dentistry. What does that mean for patients? It means we can be the dental home for the entire household — from infants to grandparents — which makes keeping up with your family’s care extremely convenient. Here’s how we do just that.
Care for Little Smiles
Dr. Kevin Raines and Dr. Rob Nieders are our Lexington pediatric dentists. Children have unique dental and behavioral needs. That’s why a pediatric dentist receives an additional two years of specialty training and certification after dental school in order to treat infants, children and teens, including those with special healthcare needs. At Palmetto Smiles, we place a huge emphasis on prevention and we educate our young patients and their parents on how to have a cavity-free future. In addition to preventative services like routine exams, cleanings, fluoride treatments and sealants, we also offer restorative dentistry. We monitor growth and development, and we work closely with out orthodontic specialist, Dr. Heather Hopkins, for appropriate timing of care. If our child or adolescent patients need braces or we identify some early growth and development issues, we have a certified specialist in orthodontics, Dr. Heather Hopkins, on our team. 
As dentists for kids, Dr. Raines, Dr. Nieders and the Palmetto Smiles team know how to talk to children and teens on their level and use words they can understand to help them feel relaxed and at ease during their appointments and treatment. Our office is welcoming and we make the experience fun. However, if children are still extremely anxious, have certain health needs or have a case where they need extensive treatment at a very young age, we do offer in-office dental sedation and hospital dentistry, allowing kids to safely get the care they need.
Designing Straight Smiles
Our orthodontist Dr. Hopkins is a specialist in diagnosing, preventing and treating issues with the size, positioning and alignment of the teeth and jaw. She can straighten teeth and create a more functional bite using orthodontic appliances, including braces and Invisalign. After finishing dental school, she completed two more years of specialty training to become a certified specialist in orthodontics and received her master’s degree in oral biology. At Palmetto Smiles, Dr. Hopkins treats children, teens and adults using modern treatments and techniques. She’s also a Premier Invisalign provider.
Because we know how busy today’s families are, Dr. Hopkins is committed to offering advanced care to help you or your child get your dream smile more quickly. With options such as custom clear aligners and a 3D-printed braces bracket system, our patients experience better outcomes, improved comfort, decreased treatment time and fewer appointments. Having straight teeth isn’t just cosmetic; it helps to improve your oral health as well as your ability to eat, chew and speak and creates a more comfortable bite.
Dental Treatment for the Grown-Ups
Rounding out our practice is our family dentist, Dr. Jamie Cross Gomez. She offers comprehensive general and cosmetic dentistry for adults. Dr. Gomez received her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree and also takes continuing education courses on pediatric dentistry, orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry. She provides our patients with general dentistry services, including cleanings, x-rays, fillings, crowns, veneers, endodontic treatments and more. Dr. Gomez also utilizes advanced materials for cosmetic treatments, such as cosmetic crowns, bridges, veneers, bonding and teeth whitening. For patients with missing teeth, she is experienced in a variety of teeth replacement options. Dr. Gomez strives to make each appointment as pain-free as possible. Nitrous oxide conscious sedation is always available for treatment.
We use the same high-tech approach for our family dentistry as we do for our pediatric and orthodontic care. Dr. Gomez utilizes computer-aided dentistry to offer cutting-edge services like digital impressions, and same-day crowns and onlays. This enables us to restore your smile quickly and let you get back to your life.
It’s not only the range of specialties we offer under one roof that enables us to be the dental home for the entire family; it’s also our atmosphere. The team at Palmetto Smiles loves what they do and it shows. We treat our patients with care and respect, and we make visiting the dentist or orthodontist a positive, fun experience. Our state-of-the-art office is comfortable so you’ll always feel at home. We strive to build lasting relationships with our patients and you can see the same doctor at every visit. However, if a referral to another specialist is necessary, you can visit with another practitioner at our office for the best possible continuity of care and a seamless experience.
If you’d like to learn more about how Palmetto Smiles can help out bring out the best in your family’s smiles, schedule an appointment at our Lexington, SC dental office today!
