Pediatric dentist or family dentist for kids? Which one should you choose?
At Cigno Family Dental Milwaukee / Greenfield, we are a family dental practice and can meet the pediatric dental care needs of every child or adult in your family.
While there are some dentists who specialize exclusively in children – called pediatric dentists – at Cigno Family Dental, we love to treat every family member of your family of every age!
We love your kids and we love mom and dad! Really, whether you choose a family dentist in Milwaukee or pediatric dentist is really up to you!
The main thing is to find a dentist who can make your child or children feel comfortable and who can make you feel comfortable as well. Don’t ever feel bad about “interviewing” dentists either!
Your kids are important to you and any good Milwaukee dental office you consider for your kids should be ready and willing to answer all your questions kindly, considerately, and patiently.
A good test for choosing a local dentist for children – whether that ends up being a Milwaukee pediatric dentist or Milwaukee family dentist – is to ask at what age they feel they should start seeing your kids?
A lot of people wonder when they should first take their kids to the family dentist? That’s one of the big questions any dentist who does pediatric dentistry hears a lot! And the answer may surprise you!
Age 1 – The pediatric dentist or family dental visit they won’t remember but will likely never forget
A child’s first dental appointment should be after they get their first tooth, but no later than when he / she turns one. This surprises some parents but it is the current recommendation.
Kids are getting cavities earlier now and are getting more at those earlier ages than kids in the past. To help proactively challenge this, experts are saying the first visit needs to be this early.
While this won’t be a full visit, it will help the dentist become familiar with your child and vice-versa!
It will also allow the dentist to get a head-start on identifying some potential issues and possibly, help prevent them with a specific treatment plan.
According to the Colgate pediatric dental webpage, here are some things that are pretty standard for this visit across pediatric dental and family dental practitioners:
- The dentist or hygienist will show how to clean your child's teeth and give you a chance to practice
- They will give specific advice about home care, including hygiene, diet and use of toothpaste and other fluorides
- They will let you know what to expect as your child gets older and more teeth come in within the coming months
- They will create an ongoing dental care plan for your child or children
To make the first “baby” dental visit go smoother, here are some tips:
- When possible, schedule the visit during non-peak times. This gives your pediatric dentist or family dentist more time to spend with you and your child and ensures that a busy office will not be overwhelming or upsetting to your baby
- If possible, leave other siblings with a sitter or bring another adult (or teen child) to babysit during the visit because the dentist and/or hygienist will want you in the room with baby and will likely want your participation and/or full attention
- In the case of a potential wait (even though we all try hard not to do that), bring hand toys and/or a snack for baby
- To increase comfort level, bring along one of your child’s favorite “security” items such as a blanket, stuffed toy, etc.
- Fill out forms in advance so you don’t have to balance writing with balancing baby
Perhaps the best piece of advice, however, is to just relax and breathe because baby will take his / her cues from you. If you are relaxed and at ease, your child will be as well! And this will set the tone for much smoother pediatric dental visits in the future.
We would love to see you – and your little one – at Cigno Family Dental Milwaukee!
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