Pediatric dentists are dental specialists who deal with the specific oral health care needs of children, from infants to teenagers.
The team at Smile Town North Delta is often asked what the difference is between a pediatric dentist and a regular dentist.
Parents wonder what aprticular training, education and qualities make a pediatric dentist specially qualified to treat children. Here's a quick review of what we do, and how we're different.
Qualifications & Training
Pediatric Dentistry is one of a range of 9 dental specialties that are recognized by the Canadian Dental Association.
To become a dentist, each prospective dentist goes to dental school. Some of them move on to practice as dentists right after they graduate.
In order to qualify as a pediatric dentist in Canada, Dental school graduates continue their education and training by completing an accredited advanced education program in pediatric dentistry. They must hold this specialty designation from a Provincial Dental Regulatory Authority.
What do Pediatric Dentists do?
Pediatric dentists care for the specific oral health needs of children, including all ages from babies to teenagers.
Some of the areas that pediatric dentists deal with on a daily basis include:
- Infant oral health exams - including risk assessment for cavities
- Preventive dental care - such as dental check ups, oral hygiene, fluoride treatments, and nutritional and dietary recommendations
- Habit counseling - thumb sucking and pacifier habit breaking, for instance
- Early orthodontic assessment & treatment - the straightening of teeth and correcting of improper bites (malocclusion)
- Fillings for cavities or tooth defects
- Diagnoses of oral conditions sometimes associated with diseases, such as asthma, congenital heart defects, diabetes, hay fever, and ADD / ADHD
- Gum diseases management
- Treatment of dental injuries (for example, fractured, broken, or knocked-out teeth)