What Is A Las Vegas Pediatric Dentist?

A “pediatric dentist” is a dental professional who has gone through all of the training and certifications necessary to practice as a dentist, and who has also gone through additional training in order to specialize in needs of children.  Pediatric dentists specialize in the oral care of children ranging from infancy through their teenage years.  The experience that is gained through their additional training and practice qualifies them to care for children’s teeth and gums as well as the soft tissue throughout the mouth.  Most children will begin to show their baby teeth visually within the first six months of their lives, and keep these teeth for around seven years at which point they begin to lose them.  The baby teeth are eventually replaced by secondary teeth which are permanent, and even though the baby teeth are considered temporary, they still must be treated with this same care that adult teeth are treated if they are to provide the things that they are designed for.  Children with poor dental hygiene will often times suffer from poor nutrition due to an inability to effectively eat healthy food, as well as potentially falling victim to self-esteem issues as a result of speech difficulties brought on by decaying teeth.  Pain in the mouth from cavities as well as infections that can spread to other regions of the body are also problematic during childhood.  Kids preference for sugary drinks and foods, combined with the lack of information and practice as far as oral hygiene in the form of brushing and flossing can cause problems that follow your child well into adulthood.  This is why it is so important to establish a working relationship with a pediatric dentist that you trust, and one who will take the time to develop the best plan of care for your baby all the way through their teenage years.  Your pediatric dentist can be the best source of information as far as maintaining your child’s health that you have access to.

The best way to find a pediatric dentist is to search in your general area around your home, using online sources as well as any references that you can gain.  Try Googling search phrases like “pediatric dentists near me” or “pediatric dentist Las Vegas” in order to find a list of dentists that specialize in children who have offices in your surrounding area.  After you have narrowed the list to the ones that look the best, visit their offices in order to talk to the dentist and the staff in person.  Look at the office through the eyes of your child, assessing its ability to put your child at ease and make the experience of going to the dentist an easier one.  Pediatric dentists can provide a wide variety of services to your child including exams and preventive dental care as well as nutrition and diet recommendations.  They will be able to provide fluoride treatments and counseling as far as habits that can have an impact on teeth like thumb sucking and pacifier use.  They can do early assessment and treatment for teeth straightening as well as repairing cavities and any other defects.  In emergency situations, your pediatric dentist can also help with dental injuries like knocked-out teeth or ones that have been fractured or displaced.