Family Dentist vs. Pediatric Dentist: Which One Is Best for Your Child? | Sprout

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Family Dentist vs. Pediatric Dentist: Which One Is Best for Your Child?

Social distancing at home during coronavirus doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice high quality care for you or your child. Many families are finding a lot of the dental services they used to travel to Sprout Kids Dentistry for are now available online from the comfort of your home using our new Telehealth service. This allows parents to provide their child with a soft introduction to their new dentist. Parents can feel relaxed while being educated on the importance of pediatric oral care. They can receive nutritional counseling for their little one, strategies to improve toothbrushing techniques, or simply fact find. Telehealth visits are perfect for new dental symptoms that may need treatment. Remote access to a dentist is also great for baby dental visit during COVID-19. It’s as simple as using a smart phone or a computer screen to tap into our pediatric dental expertise.

When you choose a dentist for your kids, you want to choose one who you can trust. A parent’s relief is in knowing that their child is comfortable with his or her doctor. Handling children in pain is a difficult task. Therefore, making sure that your child is in the hands of the right dentist is very important.

Two dentists can tend to your child’s dental care: a family dentist and a pediatric dentist. But which of the two dentists is the best choice? To make the best decision, you need to understand some of the differences.

Difference between family dentists and pediatric dentists.

A family dentist provides regular dental care services like a general dentist. The main difference between the two is that a family dentist provides dental care services to people of all ages. In contrast, general dentists commonly attend to adults. Some family dentists have special skills, but most of them provide general services like treating tooth decays, preventing the build-up of plaques, and maintaining healthy gums.

A pediatric dentist is someone who attends mainly to children. Pediatric dentists need to go through three more years of training after graduating from dental school. During the three years, the pediatric dentist learns how to handle dental care needs specific to children. They also learn how to handle kids with special needs.

Which is the best dentist for your kids?

The best dentist to attend to your kids’ dental care needs is a pediatric dentist. A pediatric dentist has more experience to deal with children compared to a family dentist. The additional training of pediatric dentists enables them to specialize in treating children with different needs. A child dentistry environment is also more fun for your kids. Pediatric dentists use small dental tools that will not frightened your little ones. They also have adequate knowledge of the preventive measures that will protect the teeth and gums of your kids from infections and any other dental problems.

Family dentists have few advantages that can make a parent consider choosing them as their kids’ dentist. You will generally feel more comfortable with the dentist if you have had a first-hand experience with them. Family dentists can tend to both you and your kids under the same roof. Despite the lack of experience with kids, family dentists are comfortable handling kids because their services are meant for all ages. Furthermore, their work experience gives them a range of multiple specialties that pediatric dentists might lack.

If the information above is insufficient in helping you reach a final decision about the best dentist for your kids, you may want to visit the offices of both a pediatric and family dentist. During the visit, you can ask any unanswered questions that will help you make a choice. At Sprout Kids Dentistry, a pediatric dentistry in Boston, our doctors can help you in making such a decision. You can schedule a consultation with Dr. Anderson that will help you clarify any information you have about the best dentist for your kids.

We’re always here to help. We want to give you peace of mind during these challenging times.

Dr. Anderson

Dr. Michelle Anderson is a pediatric dentist board certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.

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