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5 Facts Everyone Should Know About Miami Pediatric dentistry

Miami pediatric dentistry

Miami pediatric dentistry is a specialty of dentistry that works with kids up to age 18 or sometimes special needs patients as well.  They can do sedation dentistry, too, to keep kids calm if necessary. Children even as young as infants can go see a pediatric dentist, and all kids can get a wide range of dental care there.

Miami pediatric dentistry

There are some key things to know about Miami pediatric dentistry in Miami FL. You may think that your child is too old – or young – to go to a pediatric dentist, but the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric dentistry recommend that a child first visit the dentist between 6 months and a year old. Ideally you should visit when the first tooth comes in. Your child can visit a pediatric dentist up to age 18.

1. Research shows that dental caries, commonly known as cavities, are quite prevalent in grade school aged children. They may experience pain from these cavities and that can interfere with their sleep or even their ability to eat, and that can slow their growth. The pain can also make them self-conscious or not feel good and that can impact their social life. (Frichembruder K et al.,2020).

2. You should have a Miami pediatric dentistry office lined up to handle regular care, as urgent care and emergency room visits can be very costly, as they are meant for a dental emergency like dental trauma or acute pain. (Roberts, et al., 2000).

There may be times your child will have a dental emergency while at the South Florida dental clinic, which is why a pediatric dentist is skilled at taking care of the necessary details and handling any precautions necessary.  Kids are not adults and their dental needs are different, as are their dental emergencies. That’s another great reason you need to see a pediatric dentist Miami. (Vranić DN et al.,2016).

Miami pediatric dentistry

How does pediatric dentistry help you make your smile better? Miami children’s hospital pediatric dentistry

3. The third thing to know is that pediatric dentistry is a specialty of general dentistry that means your dentist works with the smaller mouths and behavioral needs of children and adolescents. They will have developing teeth and jaws that need special care that is different than an adult needs.

There is a pediatric dental program at Nicklaus Children’s hospital in Miami that offers full dental services for kids from tiny infants up to young adults 21 years of age, as well as special needs clients. They can handle a wide variety of dental issues, from simple to complex. Children who have cleft palates, jaw deformities, tumors, periodontal disease, or bone infections are well treated here.

4. Pediatric dentists can handle regular care as well as restorative care so your child is set up for great oral health for life. They can do checkups and cleanings up to filling cavities, tooth sealants, and extractions or other oral surgery if necessary. Pediatric dentists can also give you advice on how to help your child have a healthy mouth, from coaching on how to end thumb sucking to how to properly brush and floss at any age. Each visit should be a positive experience for your child.

Pediatric dental offices can also use anesthesia if they need to, either general or local depending on what needs to be done. The goal is to make sure your child will feel comfortable during any dental treatment and not fear the appointments. When a child feels fear at the dentist, they are likely to dread going and as adults that can translate to avoiding the dentist entirely. That avoidance often leads to more serious dental issues that could have been avoided by making more regular appointments.

Your pediatric orthodontist South Florida will seek to establish a baseline of where your child is at in terms of their oral health and then ensure that their teeth develop normally. This gives them a chance to see if there are any dental or jaw issues that might turn into problems later so they can be corrected as soon as possible. If they don’t get corrected, your child may end up with speech issues or difficulty chewing which can actually lead to developmental problems, pain, difficulty concentrating on school, or even digestive issues.

Is there any other alternative to dental braces? Pediatric dentistry Miami

5. Yes! There are several alternatives from your orthodontic pediatric practice. Your child may not need braces if some intervening treatments are used. A palate expander may be all that is needed to widen the upper jaw and make enough room for your child’s teeth to come in if crowding is their main issue.

Your tween or teen may also be a good candidate for Invisalign South Florida as an alternative to braces. These clear aligners are great for mild to moderate dental alignment and malocclusion issues. They are almost completely undetectable so your child’s self-confidence can be maintained while they get the orthodontic treatment they need. New Invisalign aligners work great for children and adolescents because they now have markers that give parents a quick way to see if they are wearing the aligners for the necessary 22 hours a day.

Does a chubby face make you look older or younger? Pediatric dentistry Miami

A chubby face can make you look younger because more angular faces can look older. But, some faces with prominent cheekbones may look younger because their skin doesn’t sag as much as they age. Some chubby faces that lead to double chins may even make you look older.

There is a reason why people get implants or fillers in their faces as they age and the collagen fades. They want to keep those fuller cheeks so the volume makes them look younger. Keeping the chin and neck area taut is also key to looking younger.

Do lips get hurt or get cuts due to braces? Pediatric dentistry in Miami

When you first get braces on, the inside of your cheeks or lips may get scraped by your braces.  There is dental wax your orthodontist can provide you that you can put over your brackets to make them smoother and less abrasive to your cheeks. After a while, your cheeks will get used to the brackets and are not likely to get roughed up any more.

New materials are also designed to be smoother, so this is less likely to happen with newer metals used in traditional braces and also with ceramic braces which are much smoother. Invisalign removes this issue entirely, since the clear plastic material is completely smooth and the aligners fit the teeth snugly.

References:

Frichembruder, K., Mello Dos Santos, C., & Neves Hugo, F. (2020). Dental emergency: Scoping review. PloS one, 15(2), e0222248. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222248

Roberts, G., Scully, C., & Shotts, R. (2000). ABC of oral health. Dental emergencies. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 321(7260), 559–562. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.321.7260.559

Vranić, D. N., Jurković, J., Jeličić, J., Balenović, A., Stipančić, G., & Čuković-Bagić, I. (2016). Medical Emergencies in Pediatric dentistry. Acta stomatologica Croatica, 50(1), 72–80. https://doi.org/10.15644/asc50/1/10