We like to see kids by their 1st birthday (or within 6 months of their first tooth coming in), but it’s never too late for your child’s first visit. We are happy to see all kids aged 0 to 14.

Don’t freak out. We’re going to get through this.

If your child has been seen by Dr. Pete within the last 24 months:

Dr. Pete provides emergency call for all of our active Good Life Smiles patients 24/7. Active patients are patients who have been seen within the last 24 months.

After normal business hours, please call 402-502-1700 and dial 2. Leave a brief message about the nature of the emergency, and Dr. Pete will call you back within 10 minutes. Bonus if you Email a photo of the concern to hello@goodlifesmiles.com for Dr. Pete to review before calling you back! We’ll discuss the emergency, determine when your child needs to be seen, and if any treatment is necessary.

If your child does require an emergency visit to Good Life Smiles after normal business hours, an After Hours Office Visit Fee will be assessed to your account.

If your child has not been seen by Dr. Pete within the last 24 months:

We cannot see your child on an emergency basis outside of normal business hours, and we are not able to provide any medical advice before care is established at Good Life Smiles.

If your child is having a dental emergency, please call the dentist who has seen your child previously. If your child has never seen a dentist, call the 24-hour Children’s Hospital Find-a-Doctor Hotline at 1-800-833-3110 and ask to speak to the pediatric dentist on call. If your child needs immediate dental care, you may need to go directly to Children’s Hospital Emergency Department located at 84th and Dodge Streets in Omaha.

Sorry, Charlie. We specialize exclusively in kids’ oral health, but we know lots of dentists around Omaha who are especially great with grown-ups. We’d love to introduce you to one of our friends if you’re looking for a dentist!

Pediatric dentists are the pediatricians of the dental industry. They have at least two years of residency training beyond dental school. That additional training focuses on the management and treatment of developing teeth, growth and development of children, childhood behaviors and behavior management, and caring for children with special healthcare needs. While both family dentists and pediatric dentists are capable of providing care for your child, pediatric dental practices like Good Life Smiles offer an experience specifically geared towards kids. Call us a little biased, but we’d go with the pediatric dentist.

Dr. Pete recommends that kids come in for their first dental visit by their first birthday (or within 6 months of their first tooth coming in). Missed the first birthday? No problem! We still want to see your kid, and we are accepting new patients up to age 12.

When your kid graduates high school, they’ll also graduate pediatric dental care, and we can introduce you to one of our dentist friends who is especially good with grown-ups and big kids at heart.

While we would love to see your kids forever, there comes a time when a pediatric dentist is no longer the best choice, and we will recommend transitioning to a new dental home with a family dentist (after we’ve set you up with all of the skills to take care of those new grown-up teeth!).

A transition at the right time is crucial. We will recommend a new dental home when your child either turns 16 or completes their orthodontic treatment, whichever comes latest.

While many pediatric dentists will “graduate” patients when they graduate high school, we recognize that there are many other transitions at this time, and we don’t want dental health to slip through the cracks! Establishing care with a family dentist around sophomore or junior year helps to ensure there’s one less thing on the to do list come high school graduation.

We'll start with a toothbrush!

We do this so that we can teach your kid to brush like a dentist. Research shows that a toothbrush is as effective as other tools at removing plaque, and often it's all we need to make teeth sparkly clean for a thorough exam.

When kids have hard buildup (like stain or calculus) on their teeth, we may need to use one of our other tools such as a scaler (metal scrapy thing) or a rubber cup polisher (fancy electric toothbrush) to get the job done.

See the attached chart from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry!

As soon as teeth start coming in, we recommend brushing with a soft bristled toothbrush and a small (age-appropriate) amount of fluoridated toothpaste.

• For children 0 to 3 years-old, use a “rice grain-sized amount” of toothpaste.

• As soon as your kid turns 3, you can brush with a “pea-sized amount” of toothpaste.

See below!

If it’s an age-appropriate amount of toothpaste, totally ok to swallow. If kids eat a little too much toothpaste, it causes an upset tummy. If they eat way too much toothpaste, it can cause discoloration of the developing adult teeth. To be safe, make sure that toothpaste is always applied to the toothbrush by a grown-up, and that delicious-tasting toothpaste is stored out of reach of little kids.

Around age 3 (when we bump up from rice-grain sized to pea-sized amount of toothpaste) is a great time to teach kids to spit toothpaste into the sink. Use the 3 T’s (toothpaste, target, two) to teach spitting.

• Toothpaste: make sure to use the appropriate amount!

• Target: aim for the drain to avoid a mess!

• Two: Say “Two!” This is the sound your kids should try to make when they spit in the sink!

Generally, Dr. Pete recommends changing your toothbrush about every 3 months. After 3 months, the bristles weaken and are less effective at removing plaque from teeth. It’s also important to ditch your toothbrush after you’ve been sick. When you’re ready, Good Life Smiles can help you dispose of your toothbrush responsibly!

Yes! Good Life Smiles is proud to be Omaha's official drop-off site for the Colgate Oral Care Recycling Program. We can help dispose of plastic toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes and caps, packaging, and floss containers of any brand. We'll make sure all of that stuff stays out of the landfills and oceans.

Absolutely! We’re psyched that you’re psyched! We sell additional personalized toothbrushes for $7 apiece. They’re great for the whole family.

After brushing, rinse the bristles under hot water, and then store your toothbrush in an upright position to dry out prior to the next use.

When you’re ready to ditch your old bamboo toothbrush, use pliers to remove the plastic bristles, and repurpose or compost the bamboo handle. Bring your old toothbrush to us, and we can help!

Welcome! Chances are you may be looking for a more than a just pediatric dentist! Our friend Ryan can help you find your way around the city, establish care with doctors and dentists, and point you toward all of the great things Omaha has to offer.

Visit OmahaRelocation.com for more information.

Dr. Pete is in-network with Aetna, Ameritas, Assurant/DHA, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Careington, Cigna, Delta Dental, Guardian, Humana, Nebraska Medicaid*, MetLife, Tricare, United Concordia, United Healthcare, and Zelis, and we're working on adding a few others.

*For patients with Medicaid benefits, we are currently accepting new patients aged 0-7.

If your insurance wasn't listed, we're more than happy to submit a claim on your behalf for out-of-network carriers.

Please be aware that your insurance may require a copay for either in-network or out-of-network visits! Estimated copays are due at the time of service.