Although adults and children may suffer from similar dental problems, the approach to dental care when the patient is a child is very different than the approach when the patient is an adult. It is not just that the patient is younger but this is the ideal time to teach them about caring for their teeth including cavity prevention, lessons that will stay with them through their lives.
Even as adults there are many people who are extremely anxious when it comes time to visit the dentist, this is true with children and young adolescents as well. Children have no understanding of what a dentist is let alone what a dentist does. Pediatric dentistry is a special area of dental care; a children dentist in San Antonio must possess and practice very different skills when dealing with their young patients, the dentist must be able to put the child at ease from their very first visit so that he or she will not suffer from undo anxiety or trauma that can have a long term effect.
The age at which a child should first see a dentist is somewhat debatable but the Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that the child should make their first visit at 12 months. At this age a great deal will not happen but the dentist can evaluate the child and begin formulating a home care plan. As the child ages; by the time they reach two or two and a half, even though they don’t realize it, they are very susceptible to learning that oral health is something that is becoming a part of their makeup. If at this time the dentist feels the teeth are malformed or he or she spots decay, these problems can be attended too quickly.
The time to instill the need for good oral health is when a child is young. If a baby tooth is decayed it really is not a major issue but by the time the child looses these first teeth and the permanent teeth begin to emerge dental hygiene should be well established.
Pediatric dentistry is a specialty and considerable additional training is required upon graduation from dental school. Children from toddlers through to young adolescents must be cared for differently, the best children dentist in San Antonio knows exactly how to make a visit carefree as well as informative. A children dentist does far more than treat dental issues; the dentist can guide the parents, providing counsel where necessary to stop bad oral habits in their tracks. Thumb sucking for example has a long term detrimental effect on the child’s teeth; it may require an orthodontic appliance at a later date to solve a problem that should never have happened.
As children will be children don’t be surprised if they require repair of chipped teeth and other dental problems that come with being an active, healthy child. Your children dentist in San Antonio can fit your active youngster with a sports mouthguard that can help overcome this problem.
