A pediatric dentist is a dental specialist who deals with the specific oral health care needs of children, from infants to teenagers.
The Smile Town Langley team is often asked, ‘what, exactly, is the difference between a pediatric dentist and a regular dentist?’
Parents often wonder what qualities, training, and education make a pediatric dentist specially qualified to treat children. So here's a quick review of what we do, and how we're different.
Qualifications & Training
Pediatric Dentistry is one of 9 dental specialties that are recognized by the Canadian Dental Association.
Each dentist goes to dental school, and some of them move on to practice as dentists right after they graduate.
To qualify as a pediatric dentist in Canada, dental school graduates must 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 are trained in the specific oral health care of children, including all ages from infants to teenagers.
Some of the areas that pediatric dentists deal with on a daily basis include the following:
- Infant oral health exams - including risk assessment for cavities
- Preventive dental care - including oral hygiene, check ups, fluoride treatments, and nutritional and dietary recommendations
- Habit counseling - thumb sucking and pacifier habit breaking
- Early orthodontic assessment & treatment - straightening teeth and correcting an improper bite (malocclusion)
- Fillings for tooth cavities or defects
- Diagnoses of oral conditions associated with diseases, such as asthma, diabetes, hay fever, congenital heart defects, and ADD / ADHD
- Management of gum diseases
- Treatment of dental injuries (for example, fractured, broken, or knocked-out teeth)