subject: Pediatric Dentist And His Work [print this page] A pediatric dentist works mostly with children from as early as infancy to late childhood. The main objective of this dental professional is to make sure that the kids' teeth are in good working order by the time he or she reaches early adulthood. In order to achieve this goal, a lot of work needs to be done by both the dental professional and the parents of the child, initially.
Goals
The primary goals of the pediatric dentist are to make sure that the milk teeth are formed well and functioning, prevent cavities from forming on them and keep them intact until the permanent ones come out. A misshapen tooth can be detrimental to the digestion and eating habits of a baby. It is important that the dental professional check and see that each one is well formed and in good working order. Cavities should be prevented from forming because these can compromise the oral health of the child and affect the nutrition. In connection with this, each tooth should be kept cavity free or at least maintained well until such time that the permanent teeth come out. Malocclusions, overcrowding and spaces in between teeth can happen if the milk teeth come out too early. These can lead to bigger and more expensive problems in the future.
The goals of both the pediatric dentist and the parents of the child need to be in synch in order to achieve what is best for the child. The parents of the infant or toddler will need to be concerned about the welfare of their child's oral cavity in order to make the move to visit the dental professional. This is the time when the practitioner will discuss his line of work with the parents in order to make them understand it. He will also want to check on the present situation in the baby's oral cavity in order to assess and understand the condition it is in. This checkup will give the professional a chance to see how the milk teeth are coming along and the condition of the gums and tongue. In many cases, the pediatric dentist will recommend a safe and comfortable way for the parents to clean the teeth since the baby is not capable of doing so at the moment. For babies around the age of six months and above, cleaning is not with the use of a small toothbrush. The parents are encouraged to wrap a clean finger with gauze and just rub the surface and back of the tooth with it. This should be done slowly and gently in order not to traumatize the baby. When more teeth come out and the baby has grown up a bit, the parents may be able to use a small, soft toothbrush in order to facilitate the cleaning.
If the baby and the parents are lenient when it comes to cleaning and maintenance, the pediatric dentist may need to clean the teeth monthly or regularly. He will likely schedule a regular visit in order to check on any new milk teeth and maintain the oral cavity.
