A kid-friendly dentist is a dental professional who has the unique skills and experience to provide professional dental care and comfort for children and younger patients. Kid-friendly dentists desire to provide children with positive experiences at the dental office. The office and waiting room are both designed to create a kid-friendly environment, with friendly personnel ready to assuage any fears or concerns.
A kid-friendly dentist is available at Smile Solutions in Pittsburg and the surrounding area. Get your child started on the road to good oral health. Call Smile Solutions today at 620-317-0286 to set up an appointment.
What A Kid-Friendly Dentist Does
Proper care of children’s teeth helps prevent dental issues. As such, kid-friendly dentists focus on areas including:
- Good oral hygiene
- Cavity prevention
- Proper amount of fluoride
- Teething
- Proper nutrition
- Oral health milestones
- Regular checkups
- Education for both children and caregivers
Sugar can lead to tooth decay, so kid-friendly dentists emphasize the potential harm and suggest alternatives. Too much sugar increases the risk of cavities, obesity, and heart disease, says Harvard Health. Water and milk are sensible alternatives to sodas and juices.
- Sugar can lead to tooth decay, so kid-friendly dentists emphasize the potential harm and suggest alternatives.
Frequency Of Dental Visits For Kids
Children should make their first dental visit by the time they are one year old at the latest. By then, a kid-friendly dentist is able to diagnose various dental conditions and monitor their oral development. They also examine the gums and jaw to ensure they are healthy and give individualized instructions for healthy growth. Parents can help ensure their child receives the proper care for healthy tooth development.
Dentists prefer to see their patients every six months unless an issue requires more frequent visits. These six-month intervals let dentists quickly catch any problems before they worsen. They also make children more comfortable with visiting the dentist. Kid-friendly dentists also keep an eye out for oral habits such as thumb sucking that negatively affect tooth development. However, as the American Dental Association explains, most children have stopped sucking their thumbs by four years of age.
- Parents should bring their child in for their first dental visit before their first birthday or by the time they are one year old at the latest.
General Treatments Kid-Friendly Dentists Provide
Kid-friendly dentists offer services in four areas: education, tracking growth, prevention, and intervention. Examples of specific procedures include:
- Practicing flossing and brushing with children and their parents
- Making suggestions for a nutritious diet to prevent tooth decay
- Performing dental cleanings
- Applying sealants or topical fluoride
- Monitoring tooth development
- Developing treatment plans for oral injuries, teeth grinding, misalignment, and other issues
These dentists insert fun whenever possible. For example, they may suggest that children be allowed to pick out their own toothbrushes and toothpaste flavors. Here are other dental care tips for parents and caregivers:
- Use a timer to ensure that kids brush for two minutes or play a song while the child brushes
- Give rewards such as stickers or apple slices for good oral hygiene (avoid sugary treats)
- Read books and watch videos about tooth brushing and other aspects of dental hygiene
- Kid-friendly dentists offer services in four areas: education, tracking growth, prevention, and intervention.
General Treatments Provided
Our team provides general oral health examinations and visits, along with more specialized treatments based on the needs of our young patients. We can provide sealants to help minimize the potential for decay and fillings when cavities become problematic in both baby teeth and permanent ones.
We also keep a close watch on how teeth are coming in behind baby teeth. We can use technology to spot problems before they become an issue. This allows us to perform preventive procedures and to create any necessary game plans early on, such as utilizing braces or retainers to minimize the effects down the road.
- Our team provides general oral health examinations and visits, along with more specialized treatments based on the needs of our young patients.
Areas Of Health Kid-Friendly Dentists Look Out For
When going to a kid-friendly dentist, it is important for both the dentist and the parent to understand the importance of oral health and relay that in children’s terms. Kid-friendly dentists focus on certain areas of health that guide facial and maxillofacial development for proper growth. They look for conditions stemming from the gums, jawbone, underlying bone and tissues, and the teeth themselves.
By looking at the child’s foundation, they are able to curate an individualized treatment plan that addresses the main issues first and subsequently progresses to minor issues. In most cases, they will begin by treating cavities, root canals, and orthodontic irregularities, and then move on to cosmetic and preventative care next. Preventative measures, such as dental sealants and fluoride treatments, are often used simultaneously with other treatments for more effective and efficient oral development.
- They look for conditions stemming from the gums, jawbone, underlying bone and tissues, and the teeth themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quality Dental Services Can Transform Your Smile
By visiting us as soon as possible, our team can help get you the professional treatment you need. Instead of waiting around and allowing the symptoms to get worse, we can provide you with treatment options.
Family Dental Terminology
Dental caries are also known as cavities and result from a lack of proper oral hygiene, leaving plaque that forms tiny holes in the teeth.
Dental sealants are a solution of plastic material that we apply to the crown of the tooth to protect the areas within the ridges of teeth from infection.
A dental prophylaxis is a thorough cleaning procedure that involves preventing the spread or continued growth of periodontal disease and gingivitis.
A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity.
Etchant is a gentle acid to treat the surface of a specific tooth to help the filling material stick to the tooth.
Occlusion describes the mandibular and maxillary rows of teeth meeting when the patient bites down. If a patient does not have a healthy bite, they are struggling with malocclusion.
An overjet is a bite orientation that results from the maxillary central incisors (top center teeth) protruding over the mandibular central incisors (bottom front teeth); this may also be known as “buck teeth” by patients.
Pregnancy gingivitis is gingivitis that results from the common change in hormones during pregnancy that increases blood flow to the gum tissue, increasing sensitivity, irritability, and swelling in the gums.
Learn More About Kid-Friendly Dentists
While early dental care is a priority, it can be intimidating when considering potential expenses such as braces or extractions. However, a flexible spending account, or FSA, is often helpful when it comes to picking up the financial slack. Check with your employer to review your FSA options. It is important to get your child's dental exams scheduled regularly and begin creating a relationship. Contact Smile Solutions in Pittsburg to set an appointment with a kid-friendly dentist.