Hustle toddlers, anxious parents, and dental exams: When it comes to choosing the right dentist for young children, you want a dental office that’s comfortable caring for their youngest patients from the moment their baby teeth come through.
Your child’s dentist will not only provide hands-on care, but also educate you on how to prevent problems like tooth decay and maintain good oral health. If you are looking for a children’s dentist, here are some tips:
“The first step is to make sure your children start seeing the dentist as early as possible, at the recommended age of 1, so we can help reduce the risk of tooth decay,” says Dr. Jonathan Shenkin, a pediatric dentist with Augusta. Pediatric Dentistry in Maine, and a representative of the American Dental Association.
Make regular visits to the dentist
Visiting a dentist every six months is standard advice. However, the right interval between dental visits really depends on your child’s oral health needs. “Kids should see the dentist regularly,” says Shenkin, but the interval between visits could be more or less frequent depending on their age and specific problems. In some cases, for example, a dentist may want to see a child at high risk of dental disease much more often to allow for multiple fluoride treatments.
As a parent, you play an important role in your child’s ongoing dental health. Your child’s dentist can teach you how to prevent tooth decay in the first place. You’ll get expert advice like these:
- Brushing baby teeth. “At a young age, we really want parents to be brushing teeth,” says Shenkin. You can use a damp cloth or a baby-sized toothbrush with a soft head – soft bristles are important. During visits, dental professionals can demonstrate how parents can position babies to brush their teeth safely and feel comfortable doing so.
- Type and amount of toothpaste. Fluoride toothpaste is recommended – in a safe amount. Young children don’t need an entire strip of toothpaste on a toothbrush, Shenkin says. Children who don’t yet have the ability to spit will likely swallow the excess toothpaste, she explains. “We recommend for children under 3 only a rice-sized amount of toothpaste on a toothbrush,” she says. “From 3 to 6, we recommend a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.”
- thread without bite. Like adults, children should floss. “We want them to start flossing when the back molars erupt, around 2.5 years of age or so, and they start to come into contact with each other.” Younger children do not have the manual dexterity to floss themselves. For parents, the trick is to clean young children’s teeth without biting themselves. Plastic dental floss is a safe option, says Shenkin.
- Dangers of juice and sugar. “Juice in cups is a really big problem,” says Shenkin. “A lot of parents don’t know this is an issue.” Sugar consumption is a “huge” component of tooth decay risk in children, he says. Instead of drinking highly sugary juice, kids are better off getting their vitamin C from whole fruit, which has far less sugar and the added benefit of fiber. Children should drink more water both during the day and instead of juice at night.
- Getting dental sealants. “We recommend dental sealants on permanent first molars,” says Shenkin. These molars, which appear around age 6, are also known as six-year molars. The sealant consists of a liquid material that fills all the cracks and lines in the biting surface of the molar where food and bacteria can get stuck, he explains. Children ages 6 to 11 without sealants have nearly three times the amount of first molar cavities than children with sealants, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Establish a dental care routine. The ultimate goal is to help children develop dental habits that will last them a lifetime. Gradually getting kids used to the feel of flossing and incorporating a twice-daily brushing routine is “crucial,” says Shenkin.
Your family dentist can provide dental care to patients of all ages. By seeing kids earlier, they get a better start, says Dr. Sandy Murad, a dentist with 1st Family Dental, which has several locations in the Chicago area. By the time parents wait for kids to turn 4 or 5, he says, they may already have tooth decay. “Then the experience is more stressful for the kids, instead of just being a fun experience — picking up a toothbrush, picking up a toy and just seeing what we’re doing.”
Family dental practices accommodate children and adults. Many offices with 1st Family Dental include designated areas for children with televisions and play areas with small slides, puzzles and books to keep them entertained while waiting.
Parents enter the clinical area with their children. “The nice thing is that if we have to do X-rays on the child, the parents don’t even have to leave the room,” says Murad. “We have new digital X-rays that don’t emit radiation like before, when you had to leave the room and put on a vest.”
Although children usually come twice a year, some need a little more follow-up. Kids with braces, for example, often fall behind on flossing and brushing, Murad says. “So we try to have them come in maybe three to four times a year, just during the claw season, to help them with hygiene and all that.”
If a child has multiple dental problems and possible behavioral problems that might make it better to treat them all at once, possibly using stronger sedation than laughing gas, Murad says, then she’ll refer that patient to a specialist. pediatric dentist.
For infants and children with special needs, as well as other children, a pediatric dentist may be a good choice. Some family dental practices include pediatric dentists on staff.
Pediatric dentists complete up to three years of residency training after dental school, according to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry website. They work exclusively with children, from infancy to adolescence.
“When you train in pediatric dentistry, you have to train in sedation,” says Shenkin. “You have to be trained in behavior management in children, how to manage very young children and how to manage unique issues like trauma and severe tooth decay.”
Pediatric dentists and staff members such as dental hygienists strive to provide a child-friendly, reassuring atmosphere.
“We try to create an environment that’s fun and friendly, and we try to reduce stress for both parents and kids,” says Shenkin. “We have TVs and video games and fun colors in the office and a staff that is all oriented and trained in communicating with young children and anxious parents to ease those fears and worries.”
Dentists your child can see
In some cases, your family or pediatric dentist may refer your child to one of the following dental professionals to address specific issues:
- Oral surgeon. Tooth extraction, correction of adult teeth, and treatment of injuries are common reasons children visit oral surgeons.
- Orthodontist. Crowded, protruding or extra long teeth, overbites and misaligned jaws are reasons why children visit orthodontists for treatment with dental appliances such as braces or clear aligners.
- Periodontist. Gum diseases such as chronic inflammation (gingivitis) or receding gums occasionally require children to see a periodontist.
- Endodontist. Root canals may be considered for children who have trauma to their permanent teeth from oral injuries or in some cases for severe tooth decay.
- Prosthetic. Complex dental restorations, for example for children born with cleft palates or missing teeth, are performed by prosthodontists.
Treatment of dental trauma
Active children can accidentally damage their teeth. Playground accidents or sports injuries – even with children wearing mouth guards – can lead to broken, cracked or detached teeth. Contact your dentist’s office and have an out-of-hours number to call if your child suffers a dental injury for immediate advice and follow-up.
