Did you know 75% of parents miss the key milestone of bringing their kids to the dentist by the age of one? To keep your kids happy and healthy, you’ll want to find the right pediatric dentist. The best dentist for kids takes care of your little one’s smile and plays a valuable role in ensuring your child’s lifelong oral health habits.
It can be overwhelming to find the right fit for your family. That’s what this guide is for. These tips will help simplify your search and leave you with only the best options.
Ready to learn more? Let’s get started.
1. Ask For Recommendations
One of the best ways to find the ideal pediatric dentist is to ask for recommendations. This is when you reach out to all of your friends who also have children and see who they go to. You might notice that everyone has a favorite dentist to go to or if there’s a specific place to avoid.
Family, friends, and professional acquaintances wouldn’t recommend a dentist unless they know they’ll take care of you and provide a worthwhile experience. Go ahead and make a couple of calls, you’ll have a handful of dentists to research in no time.
2. Know the Qualifications of a Pediatric Dentist
Once you have a list of dentists, you can begin to narrow down the options. Remember that there’s a difference between pediatric and family dentists. Family dentists treat people of all ages and pediatric dentist specializes in treating children.
Both pediatric and family dentists go to four years of dental school but pediatric dentists require two to three years of additional training. These extra years are important because they learn how to better serve children. There are specific tactics to address children’s behaviors and make them feel more comfortable.
This specialization in children’s dental needs provides a more welcoming environment for your little ones. Pediatric dentists are better adept at explaining procedures so children understand. When looking at your list of dentists, look for a pediatric option.
3. Consider Cleanliness
Having dental work done involves having a wide variety of things going in your mouth. This includes irrigators, tools, and even fingers. The mouth is one of the entryways for bacteria and germs which is why cleanliness is crucial for a dental office.
If you have the opportunity to observe the cleanliness of a pediatric office, it’s for the best.
Tools should be laid out on a sanitized staging area. The dentist and staff should always be wearing gloves when they’re working. Those gloves should be tossed then replaced in between treatments and patients.
When working on your child’s teeth, the dentist should never touch any surrounding objects. Don’t take any risks when it comes to your child’s health.
4. Don’t Forget Location
Although this may seem like a no-brainer, you’ll want your child’s pediatric dentist to be conveniently located. It’s highly recommended that you find a dentist in your area. The last thing you want to deal with during a busy day is rushing to make it to an appointment.
Short drives will also help reduce any anxiety that your child might have on their way to the visit. As you look for pediatric dentists, find one located near your home or work.
5. Check Online Reviews
Getting recommendations from people you know is helpful to start writing names down but checking online reviews is what will help you narrow your search. Grab your list of local pediatric dentists and start to look at what other parents have to say about them. Online reviews offer valuable insight into how professional a dentist is.
Reading a balance of negative and positive reviews is ideal but be sure to take certain reviews with a grain of salt. The important thing to notice is how a dentist is reviewed overall.
6. Notice the Atmosphere
There’s no reason why your children’s central treatment should feel impersonal or rushed. You should feel like a client and not just another patient. The right dental office will not only make the effort to know your family but they’ll understand your child’s dental history and preferences.
As soon as you enter the pediatric dentist’s office, you should feel at ease and happy to interact with the staff. This isn’t a relationship you’ll feel instantly but you can trust your intuition during the first visit.
7. Have Questions Ready
One of the best signs of a professional and reliable pediatric dentist is how knowledgeable they are. When finalizing your options, call and have some questions ready to ask. The right place will have no problem answering all of them with ease.
Your child’s health is a priority and if a dentist is unable to answer your questions or seems to rush an answer, it’s time to look elsewhere.
Find the Best Dentist for Kids
It’s no secret that poor oral health is a detriment to your children. It can lead to missing more school and receiving lower grades than kids who go to the dentist regularly.
Finding the best dentist for kids may seem like an overwhelming task but once you know what to look for, it becomes easier to narrow it down. It may take a bit of extra work but the best children’s dentist is sure to have you and your little ones smiling.
If you live in Suwanee, GA, your search for the best dentist for children is over. Suwanee Pediatric Dentristry is sure to exceed your expectations. Be sure to contact us to make an appointment today!