A pediatric dental specialist is a dental practitioner that specializes in the care of child patients. These dental specialists address common and unique dental needs of children and are often referred to parents who have children with special oral conditions.
Does your child need the services of pediatric dental specialists? Every condition is unique, but this guide will help you determine if you need this type of care for one or more of your children. You can ask your family dentist for a referral to a pediatric dental specialist.
Your child is lip tied
If your child is lip tied, it means that the piece of skin that sits between their top front teeth is too far extended, making it difficult for your child to move their top lip appropriately. Sometimes a pediatric dental specialist is needed to help sever and repair the lip tie so the patient can speak and eat normally. In other cases, the lip tie is not severe and is repaired when the child reaches an age where they can get braces.
A lip tie situation is not entirely uncommon, and your child's dentist may send you to a dental specialist to have the lip tie inspected even if does not cause your child any type of distress.
Your child has a cleft palate
A cleft palate can lead to a unique tooth eruption situation in your child, and the cleft palate should be monitored as your child grows. As your child gets older and their body changes, so will their facial structure, so have your child referred to a pediatric dental specialist to give your child a special examination as their adult teeth come in. Your child may need a palate spreader, braces, or even a retainer with a palate placement to help them with their oral condition as they age.
Further, a cleft palate can cause other dental issues, including missing teeth. Your child's condition can change as they get older and have other complications with speech and eating, so the sooner you intervene with this common childhood condition, the better your child's overall oral health will be.
Your child has a disability or developmental delay
A developmental delay means your child needs special dental care from a pediatric dentist who has experience working with children who have sensory, social, and physical differences. Your child will be more comfortable in the care of a pediatric dental specialist who will be patient with them and have an understanding of their special needs.
To learn more about the services that pediatric dental specialists offer, check out websites like http://www.childrensdent.com.
Our oral surgery and general dental website offers important information on how to prevent dry socket following a tooth extraction. After getting your tooth pulled, a protective blood clot develops over the extraction site. Many of our blog posts explain how this protective clot helps promote healing after an extraction.
You'll learn that if the clot is accidentally dislodged, dry socket may occur, which can raise your risk for infection and heavy bleeding. We'll provide you with important tips on how to prevent this by avoiding smoking and drinking through a straw. You'll also learn that swishing water around your mouth should be avoided for a couple of days following your extraction because doing so creates a suction that may dislodge your clot, leading to dry socket.