About us
About All Star Children's
A parent calls on a Tuesday morning because a four-year-old woke up pointing at a back tooth and won't finish breakfast. Another family is new to Harker Heights, still unpacking boxes after a transfer to Fort Hood, and needs a first checkup for a toddler who has never sat in a dental chair. A teenager needs a sports mouth guard before the season starts. These are the mornings that fill our schedule, and each one deserves the same thing: a calm explanation, a plan that makes sense, and a child who leaves feeling a little braver than when they walked in.
We built this practice around children exclusively — infants, toddlers, grade-schoolers, adolescents, and teens. That focus shapes everything from the pace of an appointment to the words we choose. A two-year-old at a first visit needs a lap exam, a gentle count of new teeth, and a chance to touch the mirror before it goes anywhere near their mouth. A nine-year-old with a cavity needs to know exactly what will happen, step by step, before it happens. A sixteen-year-old wants to be spoken to directly, not over.
Our approach is what we call treat and teach. Treatment is only half of a good appointment; the other half is education that sticks. We show children how to angle a brush along the gumline, talk honestly with parents about which snacks and drinks cause the most trouble between visits, and explain why a sealant on a newly erupted molar can prevent a filling later. Parents are always welcome in the treatment room, because the coaching that happens at home matters more than anything we do in a single visit, and it works better when you have seen and heard the same explanation your child did.
Most first appointments follow a predictable rhythm, and knowing it ahead of time helps. We start with a tour-and-talk, move into a cleaning and exam at a pace your child can handle, and finish with findings explained in plain language — what looks healthy, what we are watching, and what, if anything, needs attention now. Preventive care is the backbone: exams, cleanings, fluoride treatments, and sealants, scheduled at the intervals that make sense for your child's risk level.
When treatment is needed, we keep it straightforward. Here is the range of care we provide in our office:
- Exams, cleanings, fluoride treatments, and dental sealants
- Fillings, crowns, and other restorative care for primary and permanent teeth
- Simple extractions and space maintainers to hold room for incoming teeth
- Molar root canal therapy and frenectomy procedures
- Custom sports mouth guards for athletes
- Emergency dental care for pain, swelling, or injury
Comfort, Anxiety, and Sedation Options
Dental anxiety in children is normal, not a character flaw, and it rarely improves by pushing through. Some children do beautifully with nothing more than a clear explanation and a chance to hold a mirror. Others need more support, and we offer a genuine range so that a child's fear never becomes the reason care gets delayed year after year.
That range includes nitrous oxide, oral conscious sedation, and IV sedation administered by an anesthesiologist. We talk through the options with parents honestly — what each one involves, who tends to benefit, and what the visit will look like — so the choice fits your child and the treatment actually being planned. Our practice files insurance claims as a specialist in both pediatric dentistry and dental anesthesiology, and we are glad to walk you through how that affects your benefits.
We also care for children with special healthcare needs, where comfort, sensory considerations, and extra time are often as important as the clinical work itself. Tell us what helps your child and what sets them off, and we will build the appointment around that information rather than asking your child to adapt to us.
Our Team and Our Community
Dr. Vinay Pilly, DDS, MPH, MSc, FRCDC, leads our practice as a board-certified pediatric dentist. Beyond dentistry, his training includes public health and research, and that perspective shows up in how we think about prevention — not just one tooth at a time, but how habits, diet, and regular visits add up over a childhood.
We serve families throughout Harker Heights, Killeen, Nolanville, Copperas Cove, Belton, Temple, Lampasas, and Fort Hood. Military families move often and on short notice, and we understand what that means practically: records that need to transfer, treatment that needs to be completed before a PCS date, and the need to establish care quickly in a new town. We accept all major PPO plans, Medicaid, and self-pay patients, and we offer CareCredit and flexible payment plans. For families paying out of pocket, we have a $125 new patient special.
What makes a visit here different is not one feature but an accumulation of small, deliberate choices — a waiting room built for kids, a team that explains before it acts, parents welcomed into the room, and sedation options available when they are genuinely needed. Our goal is a child who grows up without dreading the dentist, and a parent who leaves knowing exactly what comes next.
Ready to Schedule Your Child's Visit?
Call our Harker Heights office to book an appointment for your infant, child, or teen — we accept PPO plans, Medicaid, and self-pay, including a $125 new patient special.