It’s natural to want to introduce only trusted friends to your kids, and your long-time dentist could certainly be one. But your child needs a pediatric dentist the same way they need a pediatrician instead of a general practitioner/primary care doctor.
Here are the main reasons why your child needs a pediatric dentist:
Your child’s teeth are still developing.
Pediatric dentists undergo 4 years of dental school plus two to three years of residency training in dentistry for infants, children, teens, and children with special needs.
A pediatric dentist was trained specifically for children’s dental health needs. These things include early diagnosis, assessment of development, prevention of oral conditions, habit counseling (thumb sucking, pacifier use), and infant oral health exams, which include risk assessment for cavities in both mom and baby. And, maybe more importantly, pediatric dentists are also highly trained in the art of language choice and behavior management for young children, particularly how it relates to the dental environment.
The ADA and the Academy of Pediatrics agree that your child’s first visit to the dentist is at age one. Your pediatric dentist has the expertise for this first visit with babies and the tools to help arrange for the best outcomes in dental health for the rest of childhood to teenhood, when your child undergoes the transition from baby teeth to adult teeth.
Kids have very different dental needs compared to adults.
Kids think differently and are motivated differently. Pediatric dentists have the specialized training in keeping kids not only cooperative but actually comfortable during dental exams and treatments.
They also use different tools and equipment – from kid-sized, comfy chairs to the right-sized shiny tools – during exams and treatment.
Aside from the above, your pediatric dentist can be your pediatrician’s partner. Children have different medical needs than adults and children are a much different size than adults. Pediatric dentists deal with the medical conditions of children daily and are intimately familiar with common childhood conditions, medications and interactions between dental treatment and these conditions. The pediatric dentist can also help with the diagnosis of oral conditions associated with diseases kids can develop, manifest, or have congenitally. General dentists can easily manage these things, as well, but they may not encounter children’s issues day in and day out like a pediatric dentist will.
Your pediatric dentist is an important part of your child’s growth and development.
We love being a resource for the communities that we serve. We are fortunate to have served the southeast Michigan community for the past 51 years and your pediatrician probably knows about us. We would love to meet new friends and family of our current patients and look forward to a time when social distancing requirements lessen and we can help develop and maintain even more young smiles.
About Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Specialists of Michigan
Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Specialists of Michigan has specialized in pediatric dentistry and orthodontics since 1968. Our family-friendly and newly renovated office gives patients and families a more comfortable and consistent experience with dentistry from the very beginning. Our pediatric dentists treat children from newborn to 18 years of age while our orthodontists provide care for both children and adults and are proud to be Premier Providers of Invisalign and Invisalign Teen services. We have the ability to treat all patients with compassion and individuality, including those that may have special needs as we have treatment rooms available for children who require additional privacy and customized care options. We pioneered valued hospital affiliations to allow dental services to be performed at DMC Children’s Hospital and St. John Macomb Hospital, when appropriate or necessary, and our specialists are also proud to be on staff at Henry Ford and Beaumont hospitals.
