Key Benefits of Children’s Dentists
Your child has teeth similar to yours, and you probably think your regular dentist can care for them as they do to yours. Unfortunately, you don’t realize children’s dental needs are different because their jaws develop from birth until adolescence. The developing teeth and jaws need assistance from a children’s dental services provider. If you don’t realize why children need a different dental service provider, we suggest you read this article for more information on this subject.
Children’s Dentists Exclusively Focus on Children
Although qualifying as dental professionals from the same dental school, children’s dentists focus on children and do not provide dental services to adults. Their focus on children doesn’t indicate they are unqualified to treat adults. It merely means they focus on their specialty of treating young jaws and teeth. Why do children’s dentists in patients?
After completing four years of dental school, professionals practicing as children’s dentists enroll themselves into residency programs to acquire additional training for another two to three years learning how to manage children from infancy to adolescence. They are the experts in detecting developmental issues in children’s mouths and also treating children with special needs.
Dental anxiety exists among everyone, and children are not an exception. In reality, acute dental stress affects children because they usually don’t know what to expect when visiting Kids Dentist in Sault Ste. Marie, ON. Fortunately, children’s dentists are trained to have and invest in kid-friendly offices to ensure children develop a positive association with visits to them.
Besides having kid-friendly offices, children’s dentists also invest in child-sized tools and train their staff to manage children in a friendly and compassionate manner. Whether you visit a children’s dentist for routine dental exams and cleanings or your child needs any children’s dental procedure like fillings or space maintainers, rest assured a children’s dentist will not disappoint you by providing your child with all treatments necessary.
Why Primary Tooth Care Is Essential
You may think your child’s primary teeth will fall off by six or seven and need no attention until then. However, can you risk your child losing their primary teeth too early before their permanent tooth erupts? Do you know the consequences of primary teeth falling off too early? If not, you must realize a children’s dentist is trained to identify the care needed by primary teeth and how to manage them if they are lost too early. In addition, if primary teeth are lost, early children need space maintainers to hold the space for permanent teeth to erupt. Not getting the space maintainers will make your child vulnerable to receiving orthodontic treatments costing a lot more than you expect.
Primary teeth are also susceptible to issues like tooth decay, cavities, et cetera because of the thinner enamel over them. Children’s dentists are adequately trained to identify the problems in your child’s mouth to provide fluoride treatments to strengthen enamel and dental sealants to create smoother surfaces on their molars when they emerge at age 6. Better still, children’s dentists teach your child how to care for their teeth and gums from an early age to ensure they maintain their lifetime to have a beautiful smile.
How Soon Should Dental Visits for Children Begin?
Your child’s first visit to a children’s dentist should occur no later than after their first tooth erupts or their first birthday. If you think age one is too early for four children’s dental visits, you will be surprised to know tooth decay can develop in children even at a young age. Likewise, you may express surprise when informed by the children’s dentist to brush your child’s teeth toothbrush from when their first tooth emerges. The brushing helps prevent plaque buildup on their teeth to prevent other complications.
As your child grows, they develop habits like teeth grinding and thumbsucking. Such practices are detrimental and lead to dental issues later. Children’s dentists are aware of these habits and help you and your child develop creative solutions to prevent the behavior and improve oral health. Teenagers also develop detrimental habits requiring help from children’s dentists because they can deal with such issues and behaviors gracefully and safely.
Children’s dentists treat patients between the age of one and 18, after which they can seek dental care from a general dentist. If you want more information on how children’s dentists benefit your child, Great North Dental can help you in your endeavor to give your child specialized dental care.