At Iqaluit Dental Clinic, we believe it is crucial to take your child to visit a paediatric dentist 6 to 12 months after their first tooth appears. In the modern era, about 1 in 4 children have at least one cavity by the age of four and this can be prevented if your child is taught to maintain good oral habits from an early age.
Paediatric dentists are specialised in providing dental care for children ranging from infants to teenagers. Plus, they receive more formalised training to focus on child psychology, growth, and development in infants, normal children, children with special needs, and teens too.
Regular dental visits can help your child prevent common oral problems such as cavities, plaque, and tooth infections, and teach them to create lifelong good oral habits. In fact, taking your child to a reputed paediatric dentist can transform their oral health for the better.
Why choose a paediatric dentist for your child?
Most children don’t like to visit a dental clinic since it can seem like a scary place to them. However, many children love to visit paediatric dental clinics or at least are not scared of them as much since paediatric clinics are designed for kids. As a result, these feature colourful themes such as outer space, woodland scenes, and even aquatic life.
If your child doesn’t like the idea of visiting regular dental clinics, providing dental care for them can become a challenge. Fortunately, you can take them to paediatric dental clinics and provide them with the dental and oral care they require. Here are a few more reasons to choose a paediatric dentist for your child:
1. They have specialised training – A paediatric dentist has to go through the same four-year dental training and receive their Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DDM) degree. And after that, they have to pursue an additional two to three years of specialised training to learn how to treat kids, work with young jaws, and offer the most comfortable experience.
Finally, they have to go through a series of face-to-face exams to receive their board certification through the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CDA). Thus, it makes sense to choose a paediatric dentist for the oral healthcare needs of children.
2. They are trained to treat common childhood habits – Many children develop bad habits such as thumb sucking and teeth grinding from an early age which can cause serious dental issues when they grow older. Paediatric dentists are experienced in handling such problems and can help your child stop such behaviour using creative and safe methods.
3. They can offer personalised and age-appropriate guidance – The entire jaw structure of your child can move and change shape as they grow older right until the age of 18. A paediatric dentist is trained to offer age-appropriate and personalised care and guidance for maintaining the oral needs of your child since they are familiar with all the stages of growth a child goes through on the way to adulthood.
This means that your child will receive the best oral care no matter their age during their entire childhood and teenage years. Plus, they will teach your child the proper eating, brushing, and flossing habits so that they can prevent gum diseases, cavities, plaque, and other oral health issues from an early age.
4. They can help your child create or break oral habits – A paediatric dentist has an extensive background in child development and psychology. Thus, they are equipped to properly persuade a child to develop good oral habits such as brushing and flossing their teeth daily. Plus, they can also persuade young children to discontinue bad habits such as thumb-sucking and extensive pacifier use without causing them stress or eliciting a negative reaction.
5. They are skilled at treating children with special needs – Visiting a dental clinic can be a very stressful experience for most kids. This is especially true for young minds who have emotional, mental, cognitive, physical, behavioural, or sensory needs.
Pediatric dentists are experts at making children with special needs feel comfortable in their clinic so that they can treat them in a fun and welcoming environment. As a result, they can offer kid-friendly restorative care such as pediatric crowns, fillings, and prostheses specific to the age, health, and overall development of your child no matter their needs.
6. They can detect orthodontic issues in kids early on – The American Association of Orthodontics recommends that every kid have an orthodontic evaluation by the age of seven since it is around this time when your child develops enough adult teeth including the back molars.
An experienced paediatric dentist can use modern technology to predict what their bite will look like when they grow up and reveal potential issues with their permanent teeth, jaw, and palate.
Any potential issues detected during this period can be fixed using braces and other means if the treatment is started early on since their skeletal system is still growing and malleable.
However, it can become difficult or even impossible to treat orthodontic problems when their facial growth is complete, and all of their permanent teeth have erupted.
7. They can offer the best care in dental emergencies for your child – Dental emergencies such as a chipped or broken tooth due to an accident or injury, severe toothache, and more can be an especially frightening experience for young kids. It can also become an incredibly stressful experience for parents too!
Skilled paediatric dentists can provide treatment for child dental emergencies promptly in a calm and relaxing manner. Since they regularly treat children, they have the necessary knowledge and dental equipment at their disposal to treat serious child dental emergencies at any time.
8. They have smaller medical tools – Paediatric dentists are trained to use and operate smaller dental tools that are specifically designed to work better in smaller mouths. This ensures that children don’t suffer from any accidental injuries and feel more comfortable during the procedure.
At Iqaluit Dental Clinic, we suggest you choose a paediatric dentist for your child who focuses on preventive treatment and developing good oral habits. Also take note of how the paediatric dentist, dental hygienist, and receptionist of the clinic behave with your child. The paediatric dental clinic environment should be kid-friendly. For instance, the waiting room should have children’s books, toys, magazines, and more.