Child Dentistry

Pediatric dentistry (formerly pedodontics ) or paedodontics is the branch of dentistry dealing with children from birth through adolescence. This discipline focuses on pediatric/adolescent growth and development, disease causality and prevention, child psychology and management, and all aspects of the highly-specialized Pediatric restorative techniques and modalities. Some pediatric dentists also specialize in the care of “special needs” patients, such as people withcerebral palsy, mental retardation and autism.

For children, pedodontics place special importance in preventing tooth decay. Studies show that poor oral health care in children lead to decrease school performance and poor social relationships. Therefore, pediatric dentists give advice on how to make teeth strong, the importance of developing healthy eating habits, and other ways to prevent cavities from occurring.

Additionally, pediatric dentists work towards the maintenance of primary teeth (baby teeth) until they are naturally lost. This is due to the importance they serve in permitting children to chew properly and therefore maintain good nutrition, its role in speech development, and the way it aids permanent teeth by saving space for them.
Pedodontics not only aids in the dental health of children but serves as an educational tool for parents. It is recommended that a dental visit should occur between shortly after the presence of the first tooth in a child to that child’s first birthday. This is because early mouth examinations aids in the detection of the early stages of tooth decay and can therefore be immediately treated. Additionally, parents are given a program of preventative home care (brushing, flossing, fluorides), a caries risk assessment, the latest facts on finger, thumb and pacifier habits, advice on preventing injuries to the mouth and teeth of their children, and information on growth and development.