A pediatric dentist is a dental specialist who deals specifically with the oral health care of children, from infants to teenagers.
A question that we’re commonly asked here at Smile Town Burnaby is, ‘what, exactly, is the difference between a pediatric dentist and a regular dentist?’
Specifically, parents often wonder what qualities, training, and education make a pediatric dentist specially qualified to treat children?
Qualifications & Training
Pediatric Dentistry is one of the 9 dental specialties recognized by the Canadian Dental Association.
Every dentist goes to dental school, and some graduates move on immediately to practice as dentists.
To qualify as a pediatric dentist in Canada, graduates must continue their education and training, by completing an accredited advanced education program in pediatric dentistry, and must hold this specialty designation from a Provincial Dental Regulatory Authority.
What do Pediatric Dentists do?
Pediatric dentists are trained to care of the specific oral health care needs of children, from infants to teenagers.
Some of the specific 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 cleaning, checkups fluoride treatments, and nutrition and diet 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
- Diagnosis of oral conditions associated with diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, congenital heart defect, hay fever, and ADD / ADHD
- Management of gum diseases
- Care for dental injuries (for example, fractured, broken, or knocked-out teeth)