Pediatric Dentist In Northglenn, CO
Mini Miners is 15 miles from Northglenn, in Erie Commons. About 25 minutes with traffic.
That drive buys 3 things you will have trouble finding closer in. Sedation at 3 levels instead of 2. General anesthesia performed in this office rather than a hospital. And a pediatric dentist you can reach by phone at 9pm on a Saturday.
Dr. Alison Grover is a Board-Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. She and her husband designed and built Mini Miners Pediatric Dentistry in 2017.
What Your Child Picks Before Anything Starts
Three things. The flavor of the cleaning paste, the flavor of the fluoride, and a movie from a library of more than 70 titles.
Small choices, and they do more work than the decor does. Most dental fear in a child comes down to having no say in what happens next. Give a 5-year-old 3 real decisions and the appointment changes before an instrument comes out. That is the idea behind how we work with kids.
X-rays are taken in the treatment room with a handheld unit that works like a camera. Your child stays in the chair. The movie keeps playing. No separate X-ray room and no repositioning.
Every instrument and sensor is sized for a child's mouth. Parents are welcome to come back for treatment.
Not ready for a cleaning? Book a happy visit. Your child walks the office, meets the team, and goes home with no treatment done. If there is already a bad memory of a dental chair, start at our dental anxiety page.
Sedation, In 3 Levels Instead Of 2
Mini Miners offers mild, moderate, and deep sedation.
Mild is nitrous oxide. Every room in the office is plumbed for it, so your child is not moved to a special room to have it.
Moderate is oral conscious sedation. Most practices skip this level, and it is often all a child needs to get through a cleaning and X-rays that would otherwise end in a rescheduled appointment.
Deep sedation is general anesthesia, and it happens here. An anesthesiologist from 1 of 2 local firms comes to this office and administers it by gas and IV. No hospital admission. No separate surgery center.
Most offices give parents 2 options: laughing gas, or a hospital. One is too little for a frightened 4-year-old. The other is a facility bill and a day off work. The middle option handles most of what lands in between. All 3 are broken down on our sedation options page.
How to check any Colorado dentist's sedation permit
Colorado issues sedation permits in 3 levels: Minimal Sedation, Moderate Sedation, and Deep Sedation/General Anesthesia. Under Colorado Revised Statutes 12-220-411, a dentist cannot legally give your child any of the 3 without the matching permit.
There is a second requirement almost no parent hears about. Treating a patient under 12 requires a separate Pediatric Designation on top of the permit. A dentist can hold a valid Moderate Sedation Permit and still not be approved to sedate your 6-year-old.
Getting a Moderate or Deep permit is not paperwork either. Colorado's dental anesthesia rule, 3 CCR 709-1.14, requires an on-site clinical inspection first: an equipment review, observation of at least 1 live case, and a demonstration of managing a minimum of 8 emergencies. It repeats every 5 years at renewal.
Ask any practice you are considering 2 questions. Which permit do you hold, and does it carry the pediatric designation? Ask us the same two.
What the Colorado Numbers Say About Your Child's Odds
1 in 4 Colorado kindergarteners is walking around with untreated tooth decay right now.
The 2022-23 Colorado Basic Screening Survey screened 2,773 children at 42 elementary schools statewide. Untreated decay: 25.1% of kindergarteners, 25.2% of third graders. Decay experience, current or already treated: 46.2% and 60.6%. And 6.5% of kindergarteners needed urgent treatment the day they were screened.
Only 57.1% of third graders had a single sealant.
Read that last one again. Sealants are the cheapest and least invasive thing in pediatric dentistry, and 4 in 10 Colorado third graders do not have one.
Why 6 months and not once a year
Enamel on a primary tooth is thinner than on an adult tooth, so decay moves faster through it.
Research in the Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry on caries progression in primary teeth found a cavity took an average of about 10 months to travel from the outer enamel to the point where it enters the dentin, then roughly another 17 months to reach inner dentin. A 6-month schedule catches decay while it is still shallow and still cheap. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry periodicity schedule sets the same interval, tightened for a higher-risk child.
Chalky white patches near the gumline are the first visible stage, and they reverse if you catch them: see white spots on teeth. The CDC's oral health guidance for children covers the home half.
What We Do for Northglenn Kids
Preventive
First visit at age 1, or 6 months after the first tooth, whichever is earlier. That matches the ADA's guidance for babies and kids and AAPD's. Early visits set up a dental home and let us watch development before anything needs fixing.
Cleanings and exams every 6 months, digital X-rays with child-sized sensors, sealants on the molars. If you want reading before that first appointment, Delta Dental's guide to raising healthy babies and toddlers covers the home routine.
Our fluoride varnish lets your child eat and drink immediately. Standard varnish asks families to avoid hot, hard, or sticky food for 4 to 6 hours, which is a hard ask with a hungry toddler in a car seat. Ours hardens on contact with saliva. Lunch on the way home is fine.
We also cover brushing technique and diet. Healthy habits for babies and kids and the HRSA oral health materials are worth 5 minutes before your first visit.
Restorative
White zirconia crowns for back teeth, so nothing metal shows when your child laughs.
Hall technique crowns, placed with no drill and no injection, for the cases that suit them.
A soft tissue laser for tongue tie release. Newborns are seen before any teeth arrive, and the release happens here, with no second referral to a separate tongue tie center.
Specialty
Early orthodontic evaluation to catch bite and jaw development issues while they are still easy to guide.
Special needs care, covered below.
Dental emergencies for patients of record, same business day.
If Your Child Has Sensory or Special Needs
Every chair reclines partially, so a child who will not lie flat still gets a cleaning and X-rays sitting up.
That is the detail parents need and almost nobody publishes. Here is the rest.
Treatment happens in private rooms rather than an open bay. Lighting is adjustable and sunglasses are available. Appointments can be booked during the quieter part of the day. We schedule extra time, work in shorter segments, and take breaks. There are infant exam beds for the youngest patients and seating past the standard dental chair.
Happy visits come first. Your child sees the space, meets the team, and leaves.
Flavor choices and the ceiling screens are deliberate distraction, not decoration. Sedation is available at every level, including moderate sedation used only to get through a cleaning.
Dr. Grover has personal experience with special needs children. She starts from the position that these kids handle more than adults expect, once they get enough explanation and enough patience. Appointments stay short and end on a good note on purpose, because the point is a child who comes back willingly.
Dental Emergencies, Including After Hours
Existing patients call (303) 500-3202 and press 2. That reaches the Mini Miners pediatric dentist on call, including outside office hours.
Patients of record are worked into the same business day. Emergencies come first in the schedule.
Knocked-out permanent tooth, broken tooth, facial swelling, or pain that will not settle: call, do not wait for morning.
About Dr. Alison Grover
Dr. Alison Grover is a Board-Certified Diplomate Pediatric Dentist and the owner of Mini Miners. Diplomate status means she passed the written and oral examination given by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.
She earned her DDS and a General Practice Residency certificate at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine in Aurora, then completed a Pediatric Dental Certificate at UCLA. Her undergraduate degree is from Wellesley College and her master's in broadcast journalism is from CU Boulder. She grew up in Boulder, she is a parent, and she runs the Boulder 70.3 every year. She and her husband built this practice from the ground up in 2017.
She reviewed the clinical content on this page. More about Dr. Grover.
The Drive From Northglenn, and When It Is Worth It
15 miles. About 25 minutes, depending on traffic and where in Northglenn you start.
We are at 61 Erie Pkwy, Unit 101, in Erie Commons at the corner of Briggs Street and Erie Parkway, between I-25 and US-287. Surface lot right outside. No structure, no meters.
Here is the part most location pages leave out. If your child sits through a routine cleaning without a fight, a good pediatric dentist closer to home will do that job fine.
Families drive here from Northglenn for 3 reasons.
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Their child needs general anesthesia and they would rather it happen in a dental office than a hospital.
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Their child has sensory or special needs and the nearer offices have not worked out.
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They want a dentist reachable on a Saturday night instead of a voicemail box.
If one of those is you, the drive is worth it. If none is, we will say so on the phone.
Families also come from Thornton, Westminster, Broomfield, Brighton, Arvada, Lafayette, Louisville, Longmont, and Boulder. We visit schools and daycares across the area, and any school can request a visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age should my child first visit a pediatric dentist? Your child should visit a pediatric dentist by age one or within six months after their first tooth erupts, whichever comes first. Early visits help establish a dental home, allow the dentist to monitor development, and give you guidance on caring for your baby's teeth. These appointments are gentle and focused on prevention and education rather than extensive treatment.
How often should children have dental checkups? Children should visit the dentist every six months for routine checkups and cleanings. This frequency allows us to catch cavities early, monitor tooth development, and reinforce good oral hygiene habits. It takes approximately six months for a cavity to develop on a baby tooth, so regular visits help us prevent problems before they become painful or require extensive treatment.
What should I do if my child has a dental emergency? If your child is an existing patient and experiences a dental emergency, call our office at 303-500-3202 and press 2 to reach the pediatric dentist on call. We prioritize emergencies and work to get patients in on the same business day whenever possible. Common emergencies include knocked out teeth, severe toothaches, broken teeth, or injuries to the mouth.
Do you offer sedation options for anxious children? Yes, we offer all levels of sedation including mild, moderate, and deep sedation. Every room in our office is plumbed for nitrous oxide, and we can provide more extensive sedation when needed. Our goal is to ensure every child receives necessary dental care comfortably and without trauma, regardless of their anxiety level.
What insurance plans do you accept? We accept all major private dental insurance plans. For families without dental insurance, we offer a Mini Miners Membership Plan that makes dental care affordable and manageable. We believe cost should never prevent a child from receiving excellent dental care, and we work with families to find solutions that fit their budget.
Your Child Deserves a Positive Dental Experience
At Mini Miners Pediatric Dentistry, we combine expert training, compassionate care, and a child friendly environment to create dental visits your child will actually enjoy. From your baby's first tooth to your teenager's braces consultation, we are here for every milestone.
Do not wait for dental problems to develop. Schedule your child's appointment today and discover why families throughout Northglenn trust us as their pediatric dentist in Northglenn, CO.
