Summary:
While we’ve always been taught that prevention is better than cure, over 50% of children between six and eight years have had cavities in at least one of their baby teeth!
It’s such stats that highlight the importance of pediatric dentistry for our young ones.
Pediatric dentistry is the dentistry field that addresses oral health-related issues in
children between infancy and teenagehood. Despite the significance of pedodontic care, this dentistry branch still deals with some confusion and misconceptions.
Keeping the same in mind, this blog explores topics like:
- Pediatric Care – Your Child’s First Step Towards Good Oral Health
- The Right Time For Children to Seek Pedodontics Care
- Different Types of Pedodontic Treatments
- What to Expect on Your First Visit to a Pediatric Dentist?
- Tips to Find the Right Pedodontic Dentist
Let’s learn more about it in the following sections.
Introduction:
Pediatric dentistry is a crucial part of a child’s growth. Visiting pediatric dental care regularly allows your child to develop healthy habits and sound oral health between infancy and adolescence.
Interestingly, however, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are several aspects of pedodontics dentistry and pediatricians, more of which we’ll be learning in the following sections of this blog.
Pediatric Care – Your Child’s First Step Towards Good Oral Health
Pediatric dentistry is a branch of dentistry that deals with the oral health of kids from infancy to their teenage years. These experts are different from conventional dentists since they receive extra training to deal with children.
Most kids tend to grow teeth by the time they reach the approximate age of six months and even lose this initial set of teeth by the time they are six to seven. This is followed by the growth of their permanent set of teeth, making it essential to ensure proper dental care during this period.
Qualifications of a Pediatric Dentist
A pedodontic dentist has to undergo four years of dental school, just like a general dentist. But what sets them apart is the additional two years of residency training related to children’s oral health from infancy to teenagehood.
This training is fundamental to help these dentists better understand children’s psychology and provide essential treatment. ,
The Right Time For Children to Seek Pedodontic Care
There is no perfect time window for a child to seek pedodontic care since every child is unique. But generally, a child grows their first set of teeth by six. Given these considerations, expert dentists at Kansas City recommend getting pediatric care by their first birthday or six months after their first tooth erupts.
Development rates in different kids can vary based on other factors, and early on, establishing a meaningful relationship with a pedodontic dentist in Kansas City, Missouri, can go a long way. This will help your child feel more comfortable with visits and better manage complications like oral anxiety, which is relatively common among children.
Different Types of Pedodontic Treatments
Before you go ahead and fix an appointment with a pediatric dental care expert, you must understand the types of treatments you can avail of from them. Primarily, these treatment types can be classified into three different categories that include:
Treatments for Children’s Oral Problems:
The most apparent treatment you can get from a pedodontic expert is treatment for children’s dental problems. This includes treatment for all oral issues, whether cavities or toothache.
Preventive Care for Children:
Most people make the mistake of undermining the significance of preventative oral care for children. A competent pedodontic dentist can help facilitate practical risk assessment and determine potential issues before they become more severe.
Educating Parents About Maintaining Proper Oral Health:
Your child’s oral health depends on several different factors. A competent pediatric dentist can provide information and guidance to maintain oral health. This includes everything from appropriate diet guidelines to developing proper hygiene habits.
What to Expect on Your First Visit to a Pediatric Dentist?
Ensuring appropriate pedodontic care for your child is no longer an alternative. Every children’s dentist has the necessary skill sets and experience to provide children with appropriate dental care based on their needs. So here are some important things you can expect when visiting a pedodontic dentist.
- The first thing pediatrician dentists will do following your visit is to assess the child’s oral health comprehensively.
- This assessment will help them determine and detect potential problems and create a comprehensive treatment plan.
- This comprehensive treatment plan will cover every aspect of preventive care for kids based on a thorough periodontal risk assessment. This helps facilitate the early detection of issues and ensures appropriate prompt treatment.
- Periodic pediatric dental visits are important for preventing your child from developing oral complications with effective treatment right from the start.
Lastly, your dentist will also provide you with thorough and detailed diet counseling to ensure your child sticks to the ideal diet for proper oral health. This also helps your children develop an effective relationship with dentists and reduces complications such as dental anxiety preventing kids from accessing the appropriate care.
Tips to Find the Right Pedodontic Dentist
Finding the right pedodontic dentist is relatively manageable as long as you follow the right approach to your search. For instance, you can start with an online search for experts in Center Pediatric Dentistry. You can then evaluate the review left by past patients to understand the type of treatment you should expect.
Besides that, seeking personalized recommendations from friends, family members, and acquaintances can go a long way. You must also evaluate the dentist’s qualifications, credentials, and years of experience in the field to make the right choice.
Takeaway
- Pediatric dentistry addresses oral health-related issues in children between infancy and teenagehood.
- Parents should take their kids to consult pedodontics dentists by their first birthday or after six months of their first tooth erupting.
- Overall oral health evaluation, thorough risk assessment, and customized treatment plans are some things you can expect from your first visit.
- Online searches, reading customer reviews, and evaluating the experience and credentials of the dentist are some of the most effective ways to find the right pedodontic dentist.
- Gift your child a smile of a lifetime with the Dental Care Center of South KC.