Children and the Dentist

Most adult Americans care a great deal about the health of their teeth, and parents will also be concerned about their children’s dental health as well. After all, a mouth of healthy and attractive teeth will make for a good smile, make eating and speech easy, and healthy teeth won’t present with painful and distressing problems. For these reasons and more, parents are urged to regularly take their kids to the dentist’s office for pediatric dental work, and such pediatric dental work may range from routine cleaning and X-rays to taking care of damaged or infected teeth. Tooth-eating bacteria don’t discriminate; they may create cavities or gum problems in children as well as adults, so a kids dentist should always be on hand. Parents may look up local pediatric dentists in their area to make sure that quality pediatric dental work is done every six months or so for their children.

Kids and Tooth Problems

Many kids get regular pediatric dental work, but some don’t, and studies show how badly this might affect a child’s dental health. It is estimated that one in every five American children does not even get dental care at all, and this puts them at risk for serious dental issues. It is believed that 40% of children have dental cavities by the time they start kindergarten, and children who suffer poor oral health are three times more likely to miss school due to dental pain and distress in their teeth or gums. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report showing that 42% of all kids aged two to 11 have had cavities in their primary teeth. This isn’t something that any parent would want for their child, so finding a dentist to provide pediatric dental work is quite important.

Finding a Pediatric Dentist

Fortunately, parents may have many options for finding a dentist for their children. A parent may conduct such a search when their child first becomes old enough to need dental care, or when the family moves to a new county, city, or state. The parent may conduct a search with queries including their city or town’s name, or even their ZIP code or the region of their city. A search such as “pediatric dental work in Boston MA” is a general search, and something as particular as “kids dentists Pasadena CA” is even more specific, or “kids dentists Lee’s Summit Kansas City.” Such searches may yield a whole list of local results, and the parents may strike out kids dental offices that are deemed too far away or those that aren’t accepting new patients.

For the remaining dental offices, the parents may visit those offices in person and bring their kids with them for a personal evaluation. The parents may check that their health insurance is accepted there, and they may consult the pediatric dentists, dental assistants, dental technicians, and anyone else on staff to check their credentials and experience. The child, meanwhile, may determine if they feel comfortable and safe in that office and around the staff. If the child gets along well with the staff and feels comfortable there, that dental office may be a strong candidate.

General Pediatric Dentistry

Like an adult, a child may go in to the dentist for routine checkups and basic cleaning, and they may also get X-rays of their teeth done. What is more, the dentist may suggest many personal dental care strategies to their young patient. The child may be told to use a bristle toothbrush and toothpaste to brush their teeth after every meal, and to not allow food or sugars to sit on their teeth. And if the child is carefully supervised, they may even use kid-friendly mouthwash for further cleaning and to freshen the breath. Kids may be advised to use mouth guards when playing sports, for example, to prevent damage to their teeth, and they may be advised to not chew or bite on hard items such as ice cubes or toys. And in many cases, parents may ask that their child has sealant put on their teeth to further strengthen and protect them. Children also often get braces put on their teeth to keep them straight and growing in a natural way.

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