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Choosing the right dentist for your child
Be Sure “The Choice is Right” for your Child - by Nanette Feuling, Floss.com Writer
“Kicking and screaming, the patient was ushered toward the operatory . . . .” Sounds like a bad novel depicting child torture from the Middle Ages, doesn’t it? Problem is . . . I know many 45-year-olds whose mental image of themselves matches that behavior every time they go to their dental office! Past experience, beginning as children, has colored the reality of “dental office” angst for the rest of their adult lives.
No more! Today’s choices include a dental protocol that will introduce your child, instead, to a lifetime of regular, worry-free, pain-free dental care, and it is “Now Playing in a Neighborhood Near You!”
WHERE???
General Dentists
One of the best Children’s Dentists I have ever known was not a specialist. His office was filled with large, oversized pictures of his own children; and when his wife stopped by the office, his two-year-old wished to be held by her father during the entire visit. She was plainly and simply devoted to him. The feeling was plainly and simply mutual!
Quite without specialist training, this man was a “children’s dentist.” It was reflected in every interaction by that office, the staff, and by the doctor himself in his dealings with children. In his domain – children – their care, their feelings, and their parents were clearly VIP’s! If you ask around your own neighborhood, there is probably a Dr. Sid there, too.
Pedodontists
The pedodontist specializes in dental care for children. (S)he may be an appropriate option for even routine dental needs. Often the pedodontist is the correct choice when parents themselves have dental fears for their children or when there are special circumstances concerning their child’s need for treatment at a very young age, particular medical or dental health concerns, or an emotional make-up issue. Pedodontists routinely use oral sedation to treat small children based upon the child’s weight. The sedation, while it does not usually render the child totally unconscious, allays the fears, anxiety, and irritability-quotient for the experience. Typically, protocol for a pedodontist, as with other practices, may include parents’ presence in the operatory during a procedure. The specialty training of a pedodontist gives him/her the educational emphasis to deal exclusively with a child’s dental needs, the size of a child’s mouth, deciduous (baby teeth) and mixed (baby and permanent) dentition, and with graduating dental issues as a child grows.
Orthodontists
Although this specialist is not the one to see for everyday dental care, orthodontists often share a practice with pedodontists. Any functional problem with the overall bite and alignment of the dental arches and teeth falls under the care of an orthodontist. Many young people are candidates to consult an orthodontist, and it is important and beneficial that the timing is right to begin this process. Before the cartilage structure of the arches is completely solidified into bone, a type of “preventative” orthodontic treatment can be optimal in some instances and for some young patients. Initiation of orthodontic treatment at this stage of growth, when children still have their deciduous teeth, will often minimize both the length of time, as well as the overall degree, of orthodontic treatment necessary.
WHEN???
Unless there are special dental needs that would involve the use of a pedodontist at an earlier age, two years of age is a recommended time to start your child with a formal visit to the dentist. This initial introduction to the doctor, the office, and the staff, with its surroundings and equipment in a setting that does not include any real “treatment,” can set a template for life. It is a fun and exciting “preview” that will allow your child to try on the chair for size and to make friends with the doctor and staff. It is a preview that will be a positive influence in the dental “big picture” – a fearless and painless dental experience for an entire lifetime.
