Though baby teeth are temporary, they guide adult teeth into proper positioning. The sole purpose of pediatric dentistry is to treat, diagnose, and ensure the well-being of your infant, child, or teen’s smile. Pediatric dental care focuses on giving your child a head start in achieving a beautiful, long-lasting smile they can enjoy well into the future.

Below is a detailed overview of how pediatric dentistry can do more than promote confidence in your child’s oral health.

How Can the First Visit Create Confident Future Dental Patients

The best way to help your child feel safe and comfortable about the dentist is to introduce them to the dental office early. Children and parents alike are often fearful when it comes to receiving dental care. This is typically due to poor dental experiences or from inheriting the same nervous nature from their parents.

Children that see their dentist on a routine basis are more likely to feel comfortable during their visits and have a greater chance of being proactive about their oral health. With appointments scheduled for every six months, your child’s dentist can better prevent against decay or catch issues before they progress into serious concerns.

With your child caring for their smile diligently, every visit is often a minor checkup and routine cleaning. This allows your young one to develop positive feelings about their oral health and feel great about their smile well into adulthood.

Establishing Good Habits Early: Leading to a Lifetime of Proper Oral Health

Oral health plays an essential role in overall well-being, and this is especially true for children. Your dentist understands that proper nutrition and a keeping up with at-home daily hygiene routines goes a long way for supporting your child’s overall wellness and preventing health concerns from becoming serious.

Your dentist can also spot any telltale signs of early unhealthy oral habits, such as thumb sucking or chronic mouth breathing, working closely with you to help eliminate these behaviors before they lead to decay or other issues.

Child-Focused Care: Dental Services Tailored to Your Child

Since your child’s teeth are not as resilient to bacteria and damage as adult teeth, they are at a greater risk for decay. Further, back teeth also have deeper crevices for trapping food debris and bacteria more easily, which can lead to more instances of decay.

Treatment with sealants creates a safe barrier for greater protection against decay and cavity-causing bacteria.

Because your child’s enamel is not yet as strong as an adult’s, fluoride treatments help to strengthen developing teeth while making them more resistant to cavities, bacteria, and decay.

For active children, customized athletic mouth-guards further protect your child’s smile during high impact activities. They are also a favored solution for addressing issues such as teeth grinding or clenching that can significantly wear enamel.

At the dental office of Stephen T. Stein, DDS, we see children as young and three years old and up. For more information about our pediatric dentistry services, contact us today!