When your baby is born, you quickly fall into a rhythm of regular visits with your pediatrician. But what many parents aren’t conditioned to think about during their child’s younger years is the dentist their child will visit.
While many parents may consider taking their child to a general dentist, Kids Stop Dental recognizes that there are many benefits to choosing a pediatric dentist for your child’s care. If you’ve found yourself questioning the difference between a general dentist and a pediatric dentist, you’re not alone!
What Is a Pediatric Dentist?
When choosing a dentist for your child, there are many things to consider — namely, what type of dentist is best for your child?
You may be considering your own dentist for your child’s care. After all, a dentist is a dentist, right?
While there are many general or family dentist that see children, the truth is that many of them are not trained in this area of care. For specialty dental care for children, it is best to choose a qualified pediatric dentist.
According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists, pediatric dentists are the pediatricians of dentistry. Just as you would seek a pediatrician for your child’s medical needs, a pediatric dentist is uniquely qualified to care for your child’s oral health.
A pediatric dentist has two to three years of specialty training following dental school and limits his/her practice to treating children only. In this regard, pediatric dentists are often regarded as the best primary oral care providers for infants and children through adolescence, including those with special health needs.
Why Shouldn’t Your Child Go to a Regular Dentist?
Regular dentists, sometimes known as “family dentists” or “general dentists,” don’t specialize in a specific form of dentistry. Instead, general dentists treat a wide array of patients for generalized procedures and treatments.
Treatments such as reducing plaque buildup, removing tooth decay, filling cavities, and supporting gum health would be addressed by most general dentists, however, for more sensitive issues, many general dentists often refer their patients to specialists.
Though some dentists do treat both adults and children, pediatric dentists familiarize themselves with the unique conditions that often plague children.
That’s why you should always choose someone who has specialized in pediatric dentistry if you have the choice.
Benefits of a Pediatric Dentist
Your Child Feels At Ease
Pediatric dentists are trained to help your child relax.
Pediatric dental offices tend to cater to children more than a general dental office. As your Fort Worth pediatric dentist, we are proud to cater to our young patients’ needs with engaging play areas, child-sized equipment, and staff that are trained to explain dental procedures and terms to patients in ways that aren’t intimidating.
This means that your pediatric dentist has really gone the extra lengths to protect and care for children’s mouths and teeth. When it comes to choosing a dentist for your child, it’s always a good idea to visit an office in person to help your child get accustomed to the new environment.
Tooth Care Can Be Fun
Going to the dentist can be scary for a child, so a large part of our pediatric dentist’s job is putting the patients at ease.
Pediatric dentists understand the importance of communicating well with children and their parents. When treating children, our pediatric dentists will talk to them in a way they understand.
We know that medical terminology can confuse and frighten very small children. That’s why we try our best to use special terms to make something sound less scary. For instance, instead of talking about plaque and decay, we may talk with your child about the terrible “sugar bugs” that can live on our teeth if we don’t brush and floss properly.
This is a great, fun way to get the message across to kids that oral hygiene habits are important!
Issues Can Be Spotted More Quickly
Pediatric dentists actually go through 2-3 more years of schooling than a general dentist in order to be able to treat children. This means a regular dentist who is straight out of school may actually have less experience overall than a newly-minted pediatric dentist.
Because of this, they understand how to identify issues that may be unique to children. Even if the conditions are early on in their progression, pediatric dentists will typically be able to pinpoint it before it becomes too problematic.
This means your child will be able to receive treatment earlier than they might at a general dental office, potentially sparing them greater discomfort.
Are You Ready to See What Kind of Pediatric Dentist Fort Worth Offers?
Now, you know many of the benefits associated with taking your child to a pediatric dentist.
So, are you ready to start the search for someone who can care for all of your child’s oral hygiene needs?
It’s important that you choose a dentist your child trusts and even looks forward to going to.
So, do you want to know about the best pediatric dentist Fort Worth has?
Here at Kids Stop Dental, we are dedicated to giving your child the best service available. Schedule an appointment today!