Ask a Family Dentists from Austin, Texas: What is a Pediatric Dentist?
Everybody from children to elders requires a level of dental care. It is just a simple fact of life. We have to clean ourselves to survive and decrease our chances of getting sick. However, it does make some people wonder. How do babies fall into the equation? Thankfully there is a pediatric branch of dentistry that is there to help. What can a pediatric dentist do to help with the development of babies and their dental health? Are they overly specialized or an important asset? Let’s find out.
Why Do We Need Pediatric Dentists?
Children are quite different from adults for a number of reasons. While it wasn’t until the mid-1850’s when the ball started rolling on medical care for children specifically. This most likely was due to scientific conclusions based on objective becoming mainstream in educational circles. Up until this point, culturally and socially, children were treated like “little adults” when they were able to walk, talk, and work.
When scientists were able to observe children as they grew and developed, people immediately took notice that children didn’t have some of the same capacity to handle things physiologically or psychologically like adults. For instance, we know that today we don’t give our children a hodgepodge of drugs and alcohol when they start crying as they did in the early 1900s. We also know that children learn and grow rapidly. They also need education, vaccinations, and proper nutrition to grow into functioning adults.
And because they physiologically grow rapidly, we need pediatricians to address what can be potentially fatal, and what is just part of growing up.
With this in mind, what sort of answers do pediatric dentists offer to children and their parents? What can they do that an average dentist does not do?
A Mother’s Food Choices Affects the Dental Health of their Unborn Children
Dentists in Austin Texas, as well as the rest of the country, are already learning leaps and bounds about dentistry for the last decade. We have learned that oral health is related to things like diabetes, inflammatory diseases, and other conditions. All thanks to the observation of microbiomes in both the stomach and other organs.
So, it would stand to reason that bacteria can travel in utero. There are also nutritional factors to consider. According to an interview with Dr. Tom Turner, managing partner, and pediatric dentist with First Impressions, “What you eat during the nine months of pregnancy affects the development of your unborn child – including their teeth. Your baby’s teeth begin to develop between the third and sixth months of pregnancy. It is especially important to receive sufficient amounts of calcium, phosphorus, and Vitamins A, C, and D, says Tom Turner, managing partner, and pediatric dentist with First Impressions.”
Children’s Primary Set of Teeth Determines Future Oral Health
Most parents are not educated about the importance of oral health when it comes to baby teeth. Mainly because this is another one of these more recent discoveries. Baby teeth, as soon as they arrive, are just as prone to possible bacterial infection. According to Dr. Tom Turner, “Your baby’s first set of teeth – the primary or “baby” teeth – will begin to erupt about six months after birth. Unfortunately, these little pearly whites are susceptible to decay as soon as they appear in the mouth. ”
“Schedule your child’s first pediatric dentist appointment after the first tooth pokes through (and no later than the child’s first birthday). Studies show that children who visit a dentist by age one have 3.5 fewer cavities.”
So, not only is dental care necessary for babies, it is outright imperative for pediatrics to exist in the dental field overall.
Dental Tips for Small Children
If you are taking your child to their first visit to the local dentist in Austin, Texas, what are some of the questions that you should ask them? After all, there is no shame in being prepared. A few of the questions that you might want to ask for your child include:
- What kind of toothpaste should my child be using, and how much?
- Is the thumb sucking, or pacifier a problem?
- Does my child have enough room for adult teeth to come in?
- When should my child start flossing?
- Are there other alternatives to flossing?
If you take an interest in your child’s oral health, your dentist will provide you the information that you are looking for.