Family Dentistry

A family dental practice is a place you can take your children with the confidence that they will be receiving the kind of care a child needs. Because the teeth and gums are different in children than in adults, you want to know that the dentist knows this, too. However, it’s one thing to know this basic fact and another to find a dentist willing to treat children.

Some places will only treat adults, which can lead to delayed care for children who need it. Family dental practices will also care for people in all stages of their life. Children may begin seeing a dentist when they are three-years-old and continue to visit the same dentist every year into adulthood. This leads to a bond of trust and care unseen in many other health fields.

Calming Anxiety in Children

As they are with many kinds of doctors, children may be nervous about visiting the dentist for the first time. Parents are encouraged to bring their children to meet their family dentist prior to the first cleaning so that the child has an idea of who will be with them and what they will do. There are often games and other distractions for children in the waiting room to help calm them.

Dentists will also educate your children as to the importance of keeping their teeth and gums healthy, the proper way to brush, and more. The role of family dentists is preventative so that costly future treatments may be avoided.

Children are old enough to see the dentist when they are three-years-old. This is when they will begin learning about the importance of dental health. This can be stressful for children. Bringing children to the dentist when they are this young may also be stressful for adults. Children seem to be able to pick up on this, so it is important for adults to avoid seeming stressed. Another way to keep children from stressing is to explain to them who the Tooth Fairy is and that the dentist is a special doctor who works with the tooth fairy.

A family dental check up includes:

• General cleaning to ensure teeth and gums are healthy
  
  
• Minimizing plaque buildup
  
  
• Tooth decay prevention
  
  
• Filling cavities
  

Orthodontics

Older children and teenagers may find their changing bodies require orthodontics to straighten their teeth both for aesthetic and functional reasons. Of course, adults will sometimes need or want to straighten their teeth, as well. A family dentist will be able to do orthodontia for people of all ages.

Getting your child to the dentist while they are young is an important step in keeping them healthy for life. By educating your child young about the dentist, you are forming habits that will keep their teeth and gums healthy into adulthood.