If you want to give your child the best possible start to good oral health, taking them to see a pediatric dentist is an excellent idea. These dentists offer a wide array of pediatric dental care services to cater to the oral health needs of children from infancy to adolescence.
Highlighted below are some dental care services they usually provide on a day-to-today basis.
Oral Health Exams
Many new parents think that they must wait until their babies have grown a full set of teeth to start taking them to a dentist. Actually, babies should start seeing a dentist as soon as their first tooth appears.
Pediatric dentists perform oral health exams on children to assess the health of their teeth and gums. These visual examinations help to identify any problems that need to be addressed early on so that serious problems can be avoided. The most common problem that pediatric dentists see in children is tooth decay.
Tooth decay is typically caused by acid attacks from sugars and plaque bacteria that are present in the mouth. Treatment options for tooth decay include fluoride treatment, dental fillings, and tooth extraction in the event of severe damage to a tooth.
Dental Cleanings
As aforementioned, plaque bacteria is one of the primary reasons why children's teeth decay. Aside from carrying out a visual examination of their patients' mouths, pediatric dentists also do in-office teeth cleanings. These teeth cleanings are meant to remove any plaque and tartar that may accumulate on children's teeth over time.
Dental cleanings are not usually an indication of poor oral hygiene: they're simply designed to complement daily oral hygiene practices like teeth brushing, which may not be sufficient to remove all the plaque from the mouth.
Habit Counseling
Certain subconscious oral health habits like tongue-thrusting and thumb-sucking can interfere with children's eating, drinking, or speech. If you have a child that exhibits such behaviors, a pediatric dentist can help the child to overcome them.
This can be achieved through the use of orthodontic appliances as well as various forms of oral motor exercises.
The dental care services offered by pediatric dentists are pretty similar to those that general dentists provide. However, the former focuses on the specific oral health needs of children as opposed to people of all ages. To learn more about the dental care services that your child may require, speak to a pediatric dentist close to you.