Pediatric dentistry is the branch of dentistry that deals specifically with children’s teeth. It covers standard dental issues, such as preventing and treating cavities and gum diseases, plus issues relating to a child’s development. Here are some reasons why your child could benefit from pediatric dentistry in Lehi, UT.
Making dental visits a pleasant experience for your child
If a child becomes afraid of going to the dentist, they may carry that fear with them into adulthood. This could lead to them experiencing serious (and expensive) dental complications later in life.
If, by contrast, a child learns to treat going to the dentist as a non-event, or even a fun one, they are more likely to keep going to the dentist as adults. By doing so, they give their dentist an opportunity to identify and treat issues when they are still relatively minor (and treatment is at its most affordable). As a bonus, making dental visits a pleasant experience for your child makes life easier for parents too.
Addressing child-specific dental-hygiene issues
Effective dental hygiene is essential to avoiding issues such as cavities and gum disease. Pediatric dentists can help children learn the right way to go about cleaning their teeth at each stage in their development. For example, they can advise what kind of toothbrush to use at what point in your child’s growth. They can also advise when a child should start flossing.
Pediatric dentists can also give your child’s teeth a regular deep clean to get rid of any tartar or plaque build-up. This can make a real difference to their appearance and make them feel a lot more confident about smiling.
Promoting healthy tooth development
It’s better to prevent issues than to have to treat them. Pediatric dentists understand the issues surrounding a child’s dental development. These range from initial teething, to the loss of baby teeth, to the correct positioning of adult teeth.
Your children’s teeth and gums continue to develop for as long as they continue to grow. It’s therefore important that their progress is continually monitored so that any issues can be caught at an early stage.
Catching problems quickly can not only lower the cost of treating them, it can open up a wider range of treatment options for your child.
Helping to deal with bad habits
Extended use of pacifiers, thumb-sucking, and teeth-grinding are all common issues among young children. They will generally grow out of them eventually and the right sort of persuasion can speed up the process.
As a trustworthy authority figure, a pediatric dentist is well-positioned to explain to a child that it’s in their best interests to work on breaking themselves of these habits. They can also treat any dental issues which occur while the child is still in the process of giving up the habit.
If you’d like to schedule an appointment at our pediatric dentistry in Lehi, UT, call our office today.