Are you wondering when it is time to bring your child in for their first dentist appointment? Early treatment can help prevent dental issues as well as dental anxiety in adulthood. When you are looking for quality pediatric dental care, please get in touch with our office right away.
Our Amherst dentist, Dr. Douglas Hamill, has many years of experience caring for pediatric patients. We would be happy to get your child set up with a free consultation when you give us a call today.
What is Pediatric Dental Care?
The job of a pediatric dentist does not vary all that much from adult dentistry. They are there to be able to give appropriate diagnoses and treatments for oral health issues. They can order imaging and x-rays to determine issues.
The duties of your pediatric dentist will vary for your child as opposed to you because they are dealing with patients who have yet to get their adult teeth. Your pediatric dentist will help create treatment plans for your child to help them as their teeth come in, fall out, and grow. They will also be able to watch your child’s teeth as they grow and adjust to make sure there are not any issues during development.
Bite, and alignment issues can be treated in children when they see a dentist. Your dentist should be able to provide dental surgery and dental sedation when appropriate. They can determine if these types of treatments are needed based on your child’s teeth and jaw.
How You Can Care for Your Child’s Teeth
Part of pediatric dental care is what you can accomplish at home as well as in the dentist’s office. If you are concerned about your child’s dental health, you should start teaching them to care for their teeth when they are young.
While they won’t have adult teeth for quite some time, you should not neglect to care for baby teeth that come in. Children who develop healthy oral hygiene habits while they are young are more likely to be healthy adults.
You can start using toddler toothbrushes and toothpaste when they start to get their first teeth. This is not necessarily ideal for, say, a six-month-old who just got their first tooth. This is a practice for a toddler who has several teeth already in. You can include this as a part of their bedtime routine. They can have their bath, brush their teeth, read a book, etc.
Again, an early start is going to set them up to have better oral health in the future. You should aim to get your child in for their first dentist appointment when your child is around 5 or 6 years old to get them used to being at the dentist’s office.
Dental Emergencies
Just like adults, kids are prone to dental emergencies. They are less likely to experience issues like tooth abscesses or periodontal disease if they are very young. Those are issues most common in older patients. However, they are more likely to need emergency dental care because of an accident.
Kids play hard and don’t have as much understanding of consequences. We often see kids come to us with knocked-out teeth, chipped teeth, or even luxated teeth where the tooth gets pushed into the gumline.
If your child has a dental issue and you are not sure whether they need an emergency appointment, please call us right away. We can triage you over the phone and give you instructions on what is the best move.
Call Our Amherst Dentist for a Free Consultation
If you would like to know more about the pediatric dental care that we offer, we would be happy to get you set up with a free consultation. Our Amherst dentist has been treating families for many years. Do not hesitate to give us a call. We would be glad to get you in right away.
