General & Family Dentistry
General and family dentistry at Emerald Dental focuses on maintaining your oral health through regular dental checkups, professional cleanings, preventive care, and treatment when problems develop. Routine visits give your dentist an opportunity to monitor changes in your teeth and gums and identify potential concerns early, when treatment may be simpler and less extensive.
At Emerald Dental, that care can continue through different stages of life, whether you’re bringing in a child for an early dental visit, keeping up with your own preventive care, or helping a parent manage changing oral health needs. Our Lakewood and Littleton offices are built around the same goal: helping your family understand what’s happening with their oral health, address problems before they become more complicated, and find a dental team they can feel comfortable returning to for years.
Curious what your smile could look like in six months?
Smile Fact
Enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, yet it cannot repair itself once it is lost.
Our General & Family Dentistry Services
General and family dentistry covers the everyday care that keeps a mouth healthy long before anything hurts enough to notice. That means twice yearly cleanings and exams, sealants for kids’ molars, gum therapy for adults dealing with early bone loss, and everything in between. Here is what is included when you choose Emerald Dental as your family’s dental home in Lakewood or Littleton.
A cleaning and exam is where prevention starts, catching problems before they turn into something bigger. Our hygienists clear buildup you can’t reach at home, then your dentist checks for cavities, cracks, and early gum disease.
Children's Dentistry
Kids need a different approach, starting with how we talk to them about what’s happening in the chair. Short, low-pressure visits build a routine your child won’t dread and let us track how their teeth and jaw are developing.
What happens between visits matters as much as what happens in the chair. We tailor brushing, flossing, and diet guidance to what’s actually going on in your mouth, not generic advice.
Sealants coat the chewing surfaces of molars, where cavities tend to start in kids and teens. Application takes minutes per tooth, no numbing required, and closes off grooves a toothbrush can’t fully clean.
When gum disease has already started, a regular cleaning isn’t enough. Scaling and root planing clears buildup below the gumline and smooths the tooth root so gums can reattach and heal.
Once gum disease is under control, periodontal maintenance keeps it that way. These visits run every three to four months, focused on the areas most likely to flare back up.
How Choosing Emerald Dental Benefits Your Family
Good dental care is about more than clean teeth. It’s about walking into an appointment without dreading it, trusting the person across from you, and knowing your family’s smiles are actually being looked after, not just checked off a schedule.
Less worry between visits, because small problems get caught while they're still simple to fix
A dentist your kids don't fight you about seeing, and one you don't mind seeing either
Treatment plans built around your mouth, not a one-size-fits-all script
Fewer surprises and lower costs down the road, since prevention is almost always cheaper than repair
One family, one dental home, whichever Denver metro office is closer that day
Why Emerald Dental
Families choose Emerald Dental because the practice is built around treating people who would rather be anywhere else than a dental chair. Anxious patients and kids get the same patience and explanation as anyone else, and appointments aren’t rushed to hit a schedule. Every treatment plan comes after an actual exam, not a standard script, so what we recommend reflects what is really going on with your teeth and gums. Because Emerald Dental operates two offices in the Denver metro area, in Lakewood under Dr. Stephanie Paswaters and in Littleton under Dr. Christina Spady-Montoya, your family gets the same standard of care no matter which side of town is more convenient. Meet both doctors on our About Us page.
What Families Are Saying
Real feedback from real patients across our Lakewood and Littleton offices.
Areas We Serve
Emerald Dental serves families throughout the Denver metro area from two locations, in Lakewood and in Littleton, CO. Patients travel to us from neighborhoods on both sides of town, and each office offers the full range of general and family dentistry described above. Find the office and appointment type that fits your family on our Lakewood or Littleton location page.
Have Questions About General & Family Dentistry
How do I know if my child is ready for their first dental visit?
Most dentists recommend a first visit by age one or within six months of the first tooth coming in, whichever happens first. Early visits aren’t really about treatment, they’re about getting your child comfortable with the environment and letting us track how their teeth and jaw are developing. Waiting until a problem shows up usually means a harder first experience for everyone.
What actually causes gum disease to progress?
Gum disease progresses when plaque is left in place long enough to harden into tartar below the gumline, which a toothbrush can’t remove. That buildup irritates the gum tissue, and over time the irritation can break down the bone and ligaments holding your teeth in place. Catching it at the earlier, reversible stage is the entire reason regular cleanings and exams matter.
Is it normal for gums to bleed when I brush or floss?
Occasional light bleeding usually points to gum inflammation, not something to ignore but also not an emergency. If it’s happening most times you brush or floss, that’s usually a sign plaque has built up along the gumline and an exam is worth scheduling. Bleeding that shows up with no change in your routine is worth mentioning to your dentist too.
Is it bad that I only remember to floss the week before a dental appointment?
ou’re far from the only one who does this, and dentists can usually tell, but it’s not something to feel embarrassed about. Flossing right before a visit still helps that appointment go better, it just doesn’t undo months of buildup in a week. The bigger win is picking one small habit, like flossing three nights a week, that you’ll actually keep up between visits.
How often should my family really be coming in?
Twice a year works for most patients, but it’s not a universal rule. Kids with new teeth coming in, anyone with a history of gum disease, and patients in active treatment like scaling and root planing often need to come in more frequently. Your dentist will tell you what makes sense based on your exam, not a generic schedule.
Find Us
Two Convenient Locations
Both offices are open Monday through Thursday and accept new patients of all ages.
Lakewood
Emerald Dental Lakewood
12093-A West Alameda Pkwy, Lakewood, CO 80228
Littleton
Emerald Dental Littleton
2731 W Belleview Ave, Littleton, CO 80123
Give Your Family One Less Thing to Worry About
Staying ahead of dental problems means fewer surprises, simpler appointments, and less time wondering whether something small is becoming something bigger. With routine care in one place, keeping everyone in the family on track becomes easier too. Emerald Dental provides general and family dentistry at our Lakewood and Littleton offices. Schedule your next visit and make your family’s dental care one less thing to worry about.