March 13, 2017
Our practice has many things to offer to our pediatric patients. We encourage parents to bring in their children beginning when the first tooth erupts. Our hygienists are trained to work with parents to help and educate them about their child’s dental needs throughout his/her development. We also work closely with local orthodontists and refer our patients when the time comes for orthodontic care. A favorite part of my job is working with children. Too often parents don’t realize how important it is to restore the baby teeth and maintain good oral health. Maintaining baby teeth is necessary in the development of the child as well as the eruption of the permanent teeth. Dental treatment can often make children very nervous. Dental anxiety and fear are very common in dentistry especially for our younger patients. One of the benefits we are happy to offer our patients is dental sedation. Children often are in need of some type of sedation during their dental treatment. We offer a few different types of sedation in our practices. The most commonly used sedation for children is called Nitrous Oxide. This is also known as laughing gas. The child inhales the Nitrous Oxide along with oxygen. The combination relaxes the child and allows us to reduce their anxiety while providing their care. For more extensive cases we also have non IV sedation and IV sedation options available. All forms of sedation are carefully monitored and successful in helping our patients relax during their time in the dental chair.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is found in even our youngest of patients. It’s important to say that the main goal in our practice is total body health. Children can present with breathing issues at a young age. Oversized adenoids and snoring can be signs of early stages of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. The staff and I will work closely with parents to refer their child for further evaluation if necessary.
Providing quality dental care to our youth is one of the highlights of our practice. Rest assured that we will take the greatest of care of pediatric patients and when necessary will refer to local specialists. After all, they are the future!
Until next time,
Keep smiling, sharing, and caring!