Welcome to Jungle of Smiles: Sarah I Mathias, DDS, MS

The office maintains flexible hours designed to accommodate busy family schedules. Please contact us directly for the most up-to-date hours. Typically the office is open Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm.

Yes, Dr. Sarah I. Mathias is a board-certified pediatric dentist, ensuring expert care tailored for children’s unique dental needs.

Jungle of Smiles Pediatric Dentistry provides comprehensive preventive and restorative dental care for children, including routine exams, professional cleanings, digital X-rays, sealants, fillings, crowns, and space maintainers. We also offer custom mouth guards for sports and a full range of treatments to address common childhood dental needs.

Our practice focuses on early prevention and uses modern techniques to help protect children’s oral health and support healthy development at every stage.

At Jungle of Smiles, we combine specialized pediatric dental care with a fun, welcoming environment designed to help children feel relaxed, safe, and even excited about visiting the dentist. Our goal is to create a great experience in childhood that will lead to a lifetime of confident dental care as an adult.

Our practice focuses on early prevention and uses modern techniques to help protect children’s oral health and support healthy development at every stage.

Our jungle themed environment and upbeat team create an experience that feels more like an adventure than a chore, this helps children form healthier long-term associations with dental care.

Pediatric dentists are general dentists who complete two or more years of training after dental school. They receive a detailed education in childhood development, orthodontics and child psychology During this training they work only with children. Because of this, they gain experience in dealing with kids during different developmental stages. A pediatric dentist uses special equipment for children such as smaller x-ray film.

We recommend that all children see their pediatric dentist by their first birthday. This policy is endorsed by both the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. At this initial visit, a caries risk assessment is performed so that appropriate preventive strategies can be implemented for each child and reduce each child’s risk of preventable dental disease.

Decay is caused by plaque — a thin, sticky, colorless deposit of bacteria that constantly forms on everyone’s teeth. When sugar is eaten, the bacteria in plaque produce acids that attack the tooth enamel. After repeated acid attacks, the enamel breaks down and a cavity or hole is formed in the tooth.

Any fluoridated toothpaste that is recognized by the American Dental Association is recommended. Children who are unable to spit out the toothpaste after brushing should use non-fluoridated or “training” toothpaste, or a wet toothbrush.

Fluoride has been shown to dramatically decrease the chance of getting cavities. Many of our adult patients who grew up with regular dental care and fluoride supplementation have few or no dental problems!

Each child’s intake can vary greatly. We recommend discussing this during your child’s exam. If your child’s fluoride intake is insufficient, we will often prescribe fluoride supplementation As of 2007, Orange County began fluoridating the public water supply, thus eliminating the need for fluoride supplementation for most patients.

The most important thing to do is to remain calm. If you have the tooth, you should attempt to insert it back into its socket and then contact us immediately. If you have difficulty re-inserting the tooth, place it in a glass of milk and contact us immediately.

Yes! We generally recommend that a soft plastic mouth guard should be used to protect a child’s teeth, lips and cheeks from injuries. If your child plays contact sports, we can create a custom fitted mouth guard for this purpose.

Yes, Jungle of Smiles Pediatric Dentistry uses digital X-rays and advanced laser dentistry to provide safe, accurate, and comfortable care for children. Digital X-rays allow the team to detect issues that are not visible during a standard exam and are prescribed based on your child’s individual needs, following guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

Patient safety is a top priority. The practice uses low-radiation digital X-ray technology to minimize exposure, with radiation levels lower than a typical cross-country flight. These diagnostic tools are essential for early detection and prevention.

In addition, Jungle of Smiles offers laser dentistry, including Waterlase fillings and sealants, as well as treatment for canker sores and gentle frenectomies. This modern technology helps create a more precise, comfortable, and stress-free experience for your child.

There is very little risk from receiving dental X-rays. Our state-of-the-art technology utilizes a fraction of the radiation used in the past. X-rays are highly valuable to find hidden decay, tumors and determine growth patterns. In fact, you are exposed to more radiation walking through an airport than from routine dental X-rays.

Permanent teeth are normally more yellow than primary teeth. This situation is accentuated when adult teeth are next to baby teeth in the mouth.

Generally, the health of your child’s permanent teeth will be affected by the same conditions that affected the baby teeth. This is another reason why it is important for your child to visit our office on a regular basis.

Usually there is no need for concern, and the space will close during the next few years as the other front teeth erupt. We will monitor progress during exams and help you determine if orthodontics may be recommended.

Regular visits help a child get comfortable with the dentists and our staff. These visits also allow us to consistently evaluate your child’s growth and take early corrective measures if needed. Also, regular exams and cleanings help prevent decay and avoid costly problems. Regular dental visits are part of leading a healthy and normal life for your child!

It is unwise to leave any amount of decay on baby teeth. Decay can easily move to other baby teeth or even to permanent teeth. It can also cause pain, infection and expensive orthodontic problems that could have been avoided. We recommend carefully restoring all decayed teeth to optimal health!

This is a very common problem, especially in the front lower incisors. If the teeth are loose, they may come out on their own within a few weeks. If the baby teeth are not loose, your dentist may need to extract the baby teeth. In either case, it is best to make an appointment with your dentist so that the situation can be analyzed and the best course of action taken for your child!

Yes, Jungle of Smiles Pediatric Dentistry provides frenectomy procedures to treat tongue-tie and lip-tie, helping improve your child’s oral function, feeding and speech issues.

Yes, Jungle of Smiles Pediatric Dentistry offers a full range of preventive and restorative services, including fillings, crowns, and space maintainers. These treatments help protect your child’s teeth, restore dental health, and support proper development as they grow. Their team focuses on early detection and prevention to reduce the need for more extensive treatment in the future while keeping your child’s smile healthy and strong.

While orthodontic treatment is provided through our sister office, we make the process simple and seamless for families. Our team can coordinate your child’s care, send records directly, and help connect you with a trusted orthodontist to ensure a smooth transition and comprehensive treatment plan.

We use a gentle, child-friendly approach, explain things in age-appropriate ways, and create a playful experience that helps children build confidence with dental care over time. Our office has an engaging jungle theme that makes it feel more like a trip to a theme park than a trip to the dentist.

Absolutely. We want parents to feel informed and prepared, so we explain the process clearly and make sure you know what your child’s visit will include. We encourage parents to visit our website and look at photos of our office so the patient will feel familiar with us before even walking through the door.

We focus on prevention first, clear communication, and treatment recommendations that are appropriate for your child’s age, needs, and comfort level. We work together with the family to come up with an appropriate treatment plan that best addresses the needs of the patient.

Yes. We use advanced pediatric dental techniques and technology, such as laser dentistry and digital X-rays, to support efficient, comfortable care and a better overall experience for children.