Kids Dentist in Raleigh, NC
Dino Kids Dental is a children’s dental practice on Tin Roof Way in northeast Raleigh, designed from the ground up for kids — bright, friendly, Dino-themed, and never sterile-feeling. We see infants for their first checkups, toddlers learning to brush, school-age kids getting their first cleanings and sealants, teens managing braces and sports mouthguards, and children with special healthcare needs who deserve patient, individualized care.
Trusted Children's Dental Care for Raleigh and Surrounding Communities
Our office sits in northeast Raleigh near the I-540 corridor — convenient for families in Wake Forest, Rolesville, Knightdale, Wendell, Zebulon, and the surrounding Wake County communities. The way a child experiences their first few dental visits shapes how they feel about dental care for the rest of their life, and that’s the framework we built the entire practice around.
What that means in practice: small touches that matter to kids. Child-sized chairs and instruments. A team that knows how to talk to a 3-year-old without sounding condescending. Visits that move at your child’s pace, not the schedule’s pace. Honest, helpful answers for parents — the kind you’d give a friend, not the kind that sound rehearsed. The Dino theme is fun for kids, but underneath it is a serious commitment to building lifelong oral health on a foundation of trust.
Why Parents in Raleigh Choose Dino Kids Dental
Built for kids only
Children are the only patients we see — not an afterthought or a side specialty.
Bilingual care
English and Spanish-speaking staff available so every parent can be fully informed.
Gentle, patient team
Trained in childhood development, comfortable with anxious or first-time visitors.
Special healthcare needs experience
Quieter scheduling, desensitization visits, visual supports, individualized care plans.
Sedation when appropriate
Discussed honestly, based on each child's age, health history, and treatment needs.
Same-day emergency slots
Toothaches, broken teeth, and injuries can't wait — and we don't make families wait either.
Convenient location
Easy access from I-540, serving families across Wake, Franklin, and Johnston counties.
Honest answers for parents
Practical guidance on brushing, diet, habits, and what to expect — not upsells.
Meet Dr. Lydia Oyegunwa
Dr. Lydia Oyegunwa is the lead dentist at Dino Kids Dental of Raleigh, providing children’s dental care to families across Wake County and the surrounding communities. A graduate of East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine, she’s spent the years since dental school focusing her entire practice on caring for kids — the population she’s chosen to serve full-time because she believes early positive experiences with the dentist make the biggest difference for lifelong oral health.
With more than five years of dental practice dedicated to children, Dr. Lydia has developed the kind of unhurried, child-paced approach that turns nervous first-time visitors into confident return patients. She’s a general dentist whose practice is built around kids, not a specialist program that sees children occasionally — and the difference shows in how she works.
Parents who visit us often mention her patience with anxious children, her willingness to take time explaining what’s happening in language kids understand, and her practical advice for the everyday questions every parent has — when to start brushing, when to schedule the first visit, how to handle thumb-sucking, and what to do about that loose tooth that won’t fall out.
Her approach is grounded in something simple: kids do better when they trust the adult taking care of them. That trust is built one visit at a time, by listening more than talking and meeting each child at their pace.
Dr. Lydia is licensed to practice dentistry in North Carolina.
Children’s Dental Services at Our Raleigh Office
We provide a full range of dental care for children, all under one Dino-themed roof. Click any service for a deeper look at what to expect, what it costs, and how we approach it.
Pediatric Exams & Cleanings
Routine checkups, gentle cleanings, fluoride treatments, and the steady rhythm of preventive care that keeps small issues from becoming big ones.
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Dental Sealants
A thin protective coating applied to the chewing surfaces of permanent molars to prevent cavities in the deep grooves where decay typically starts.
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Tooth-Colored Fillings
Modern composite fillings that match the natural color of your child's tooth — no silver, no metal, no obvious reminders of cavities for years to come.
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Pediatric Crowns
For baby teeth too damaged for a simple filling, a crown protects what's left of the tooth and keeps it functioning until the permanent tooth comes in.
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Baby Tooth Extractions
When a baby tooth has to come out — usually because of severe decay or to help orthodontic timing — we make the experience as gentle as possible.
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Space Maintainers
When a baby tooth is lost early, a space maintainer holds the room open so adult teeth come in straight rather than crowded.
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Emergency Pediatric Dentistry
Toothaches, broken teeth, knocked-out teeth, swelling, dental injuries from sports or falls — call us first. Same-day slots held every weekday.
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Sedation Dentistry for Kids
Sedation options when a child needs extra support — discussed honestly, never recommended casually, always weighed against your child's specific situation.
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Special Healthcare Needs Dentistry
Patient, individualized dental care for children with autism, ADHD, sensory differences, and other special healthcare needs.
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First Visits & Infant Dental Care
The first dental visit is a gentle introduction — not a procedure. Your baby's first checkup should happen by their first birthday.
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Habit Counseling
Thumb-sucking, pacifier use, tongue thrust, mouth breathing — we'll help you understand what's normal, what to watch, and when to intervene.
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Dental Care for Teens
Cleanings during orthodontics, custom sports mouthguards, wisdom tooth monitoring, and the ongoing care that keeps teen smiles healthy.
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Emergency Pediatric Dentist in Raleigh
When your child has a dental emergency, every minute matters. The right call right now can save a tooth, prevent infection, and ease pain. Call our Raleigh office at (919) 341-2257 as soon as the situation comes up.
Common pediatric dental emergencies we treat same-day:
1. Tooth pain that’s keeping your child awake or affecting eating
2. A broken or chipped tooth from a fall, sports, or biting something hard
3. A permanent tooth completely knocked out (call immediately — time is critical for reimplantation)
4. A loose baby tooth causing real pain or making it hard to eat
5. Facial or gum swelling that wasn’t there yesterday
6. A lost filling, crown, or space maintainer
7. Injury to the lips, tongue, gums, or jaw
8. Suspected dental infection or abscess
If a permanent tooth has been knocked out, gently rinse it with water (don’t scrub it), and place it in a small container with milk or your child’s saliva. Don’t put it in regular water — milk preserves the cells on the root surface that allow reimplantation. Get to us as fast as you can. The best outcomes happen within 30 to 60 minutes of the injury.
For severe injuries, uncontrolled bleeding, or any child who’s having trouble breathing or swallowing, go to the nearest emergency room first. Call us once the child is stable so we can plan the dental follow-up.
First Dental Visits: Infants, Toddlers & Baby Teeth
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a child’s first dental visit by their first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth coming in — whichever happens first. That sounds early. Most parents don’t take their baby seriously about teeth until well after the first birthday. Here’s why we encourage the earlier timeline.
First visits aren’t about treatment. They’re about three things:
- Catching issues early. We look for signs of early childhood cavities, developmental concerns, and habits that could cause problems down the road. Most of what we find at first visits is reassurance — but when there’s something to act on, earlier is always better.
- Practical guidance for parents. Brushing technique, fluoride, weaning from the bottle, pacifier and thumb-sucking habits, diet, sippy cup use, what to do when the first molars come in — questions every parent has and most parents never get specific answers to.
- Letting your child experience the dentist as a calm, friendly place. A toddler whose first dental visit is positive grows into a kindergartener who isn’t scared of the dentist, who grows into a teenager who actually wants to take care of their teeth. That’s the long game.
We work at your child’s pace. If a 1-year-old just wants to sit in your lap for the entire visit, that’s perfect. If they want to explore the exam chair, even better. The first visit is positive, not productive.
Pediatric Dental Care for Children with Special Healthcare Needs
Children with autism, ADHD, sensory processing differences, developmental delays, or medical conditions affecting dental care deserve a dental visit built around them — not a rushed appointment that doesn’t account for what they need.
Our team has experience working with children with special healthcare needs. Depending on what your child needs, we can:
- Schedule appointments at quieter times of day when the office isn’t crowded
- Take extra time for desensitization visits before any actual treatment begins
- Use visual supports, step-by-step explanations, and predictable routines
- Coordinate with parents, caregivers, behavior therapists, and medical specialists
- Adjust the sensory environment — quieter, dimmer, no music, no extra people in the room
- Offer sedation options when a child needs them and it’s clinically appropriate
We’re honest about limits. Some children with significant medical complexity or behavioral needs are better cared for at a hospital-based pediatric dental specialist with general anesthesia, and we’ll tell you straightforwardly when that’s the better path. What we can promise is a thoughtful conversation about what your child actually needs — not a one-size-fits-all approach.
Sedation Dentistry for Kids — When It Makes Sense
Most children do beautifully with our regular approach — clear explanations, patience, and the right amount of time. For children who genuinely need more support, we discuss sedation at the consultation rather than assuming one approach fits every situation.
Sedation in pediatric dentistry isn’t a single thing. The right approach depends on your child’s age, health history, anxiety level, the type and length of treatment needed, and what we observe at the visit. Options can range from nitrous oxide (laughing gas) for kids who just need a little help relaxing, to deeper sedation administered with appropriate medical monitoring for more involved cases.
We don’t recommend sedation casually. We use it when it makes a real, measurable difference for the child, and we’re upfront about when a particular case is better handled in a hospital-based setting under general anesthesia. Safety always wins over convenience.
Areas We Serve from Our Raleigh Office
- Northeast Raleigh
- North Raleigh
- Wake Forest
- Rolesville
- Knightdale
- Wendell
- Zebulon
- Garner
- Clayton
- Youngsville
We also see children from across Wake County, Franklin County, and Johnston County. If you live further out and you’re not sure whether the drive makes sense for your family, give us a call — sometimes it does, sometimes a closer office is a better fit, and we’ll give you an honest answer.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. At what age should my child first see a dentist?
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a first dental visit by your child’s first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth coming in — whichever happens first. Early visits aren’t about treatment. They’re about getting your child comfortable with the office, catching any issues early, and giving you guidance on brushing, fluoride, and habits like thumb-sucking or pacifier use.
2. How often should kids visit the dentist?
For most healthy children, every six months. Kids who are at higher risk for cavities, kids in orthodontic treatment, or kids with certain medical conditions may need to come more often. We’ll tell you what makes sense for your child at the first visit.
3. Do you see infants and toddlers?
Yes. We see babies starting around their first birthday, and toddlers regularly. Our team is patient with very young children, and we work at their pace. If a 1-year-old just wants to sit in a parent’s lap for the whole visit, that’s fine. The goal of these early visits is positive, not productive.
4. Do you offer dental cleanings for children?
Yes. Cleanings are part of every routine visit. We use child-sized instruments and a gentle approach, and we explain what’s happening at each step in language kids understand. For very young or anxious children, we adapt the cleaning to what they can tolerate that day.
5. What should I do if my child has a toothache?
Call our office at (919) 341-2257. A toothache that’s bothering your child shouldn’t wait for the next routine visit — it usually means something is going on that needs attention. We hold same-day slots every weekday for dental urgencies.
6. Do you treat dental emergencies for kids?
Yes. Knocked-out teeth, broken or chipped teeth, severe pain, swelling, lost fillings, and dental infections are all handled with priority scheduling. Call (919) 341-2257 as soon as the situation comes up. For a knocked-out permanent tooth, time is critical — call immediately.
7. Do you offer sedation dentistry for children?
We discuss sedation options for children who need extra support — based on the child’s age, health history, anxiety level, and the type of treatment needed. The right approach is different for every child. We’re honest about when a particular case is better suited to a hospital-based setting with general anesthesia rather than our office.
8. Do you see children with special healthcare needs?
Yes. We have experience caring for children with autism, ADHD, sensory processing differences, and various medical conditions. We can schedule at quieter times, take time for desensitization visits, use visual supports, and coordinate with parents, caregivers, and other specialists. Some cases are better suited to a hospital-based pediatric specialist, and we’ll tell you honestly when that’s the right path.
9. Do you have Spanish-speaking staff?
Sí. We have bilingual team members so that Spanish-speaking parents can ask questions, get answers, and feel fully informed about their child’s care. ¡Bienvenidos!
10. What areas around Raleigh do you serve?
Most of our patients live within about 20 minutes of our Tin Roof Way office in northeast Raleigh. We see families from Wake Forest, Rolesville, Knightdale, Wendell, Zebulon, Garner, Clayton, Youngsville, and across Wake, Franklin, and Johnston counties.
11. What dental insurance do you accept?
We accept a range of major dental insurance plans. Visit our insurance information page for the full list of accepted plans, or call our office at (919) 341-2257 to verify your specific coverage. Our front desk handles the verification so the cost conversation is based on real numbers before your child’s visit.
12. What makes Dino Kids Dental different from a general dental practice?
Our practice was built for kids — not adapted from an adult office. The space is designed around how children actually experience the world: bright, Dino-themed, child-sized, and never sterile-feeling. Our team is trained in childhood development and works at each child’s pace. A general dental practice treats kids occasionally; we see kids all day, every day.
13. How can I help prevent cavities in my child’s teeth?
The basics matter more than the latest products. Brush twice a day with a small smear of fluoride toothpaste (rice-grain sized for kids under 3, pea-sized for older), help with brushing until your child can reliably do a thorough job themselves (usually around age 8), limit sugary drinks and snacks between meals, and bring your child for regular checkups. Sealants on permanent molars are highly effective for cavity prevention — we apply them as part of routine care when appropriate.
Schedule Your Child's Visit at Dino Kids Dental of Raleigh
Ready to bring your child in? We make it easy. Call our office, book online, or stop by to see the Dino-themed space your child won’t want to leave.
Address: 5321 Tin Roof Way, Suite 101, Raleigh, NC 27616
Phone: (919) 341-2257
Hours: Monday–Thursday 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM · Friday by appointment · Saturday & Sunday closed
Connect With Us!
Follow us on Instagram @dinokidsraleigh and show us your love with the tag #dinokidsraleigh
⭐ Hear From Our Happy Patients
Thank you ladies for your work!
My child went from being scared at the dentist to laughing. Fun, friendly, helpful, understanding.