Dentist San Antonio THE BASICS OF PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

Pediatric dentistry is the area of dentistry that deals with the dental care of children and adolescents. Pedodontics is also used to refer to this field in some countries although most now go with term, ‘Pediatric dentistry’. This branch of dentistry mainly focuses on oral growth and development in children, disease causality and child psychology.

It may additionally deal with the oral health care of special needs patients. Mental retardation, cerebral palsy as well as autism patients are examples of those who are also catered to by this area of dentistry. A key emphasis of pediatric dentistry is the establishment of trust and confidence in a dentist.

The reason for this is that it trains a child on the importance of being aware of dental health and having regular checkups. Accordingly, one of the main components of pediatric training is child psychology. This involves the use of special office designs, different communication styles and an emphasis on teaching preventive dental habits to children so as to make the dental experience wholesome and enjoyable for them.
Tooth decay in its early stages can be detected by early oral examinations. Early detection of such problems enables them to be nipped in the bud, thereby maintaining good dental health for children.

In a study done in 2005 by The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency in the United States of America, it was found that tooth decay is the most chronic disease affecting children between the ages of 5 and 17. This situation can be attributed to the fact that most children eat sugary treats such as cakes, cookies and candy. In addition, it can be quite a hassle to effectively clean children’s teeth. This situation translates to build up of debris in teeth thus precipitating the growth of bacteria and the consequent onset of tooth decay.

It has also been shown that poor oral health care in children leads to impaired school performance and poor social relationships. Therefore, it is very important to provide children with specialized dental care so as to avoid such a situation. This is where the necessity for a pediatric dentist comes in. This kind of dentist is able to give direction on how to strengthen teeth and cultivate healthy eating habits so as to prevent the occurrence of dental diseases.

Maintaining primary teeth is another objective of pediatric dentistry. Although they are replaced ultimately, they are important for good nutrition as they facilitate proper chewing of food. In addition, they play a major role in speech development of a child and maintain space for the eventual eruption of permanent teeth.

On the part of adolescents, a pediatric dentist must be able to recognize their needs which often centre on self image and appearance. A pediatric dentist deals with this age group by emphasizing on preventive health care as well as giving information on wisdom teeth, the use of tobacco, the use of sealants and oral piercing.

Parents also regard pediatric dentists as educational resources when it comes to the dental health of their children.