Just like a medical home, each child must establish their dental home.  Compared to preparing for your child’s arrival with a pediatrician versus a Primary Care Physician (PCP), a pediatric dentist is recommended rather than seeking care from a general dentist or “family dentist”.

Comparable to medical school, a pediatric dentist completes 4 years of undergraduate school, graduating with a bachelor’s degree. 
After much consideration from recommendations, GPA, and scores on the Dental Admission Test, a pediatric dentist then starts their journey to dental school.  Then, after 4 years of dental school and a series of licensing examinations, a pediatric dentist will then graduate with a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS). But it doesn’t end there!

Where a general dentist will then be able to begin practicing dentistry, a pediatric dentist has more to learn! A general dentist may be able to practice dentistry on all ages; however, there is a depth of knowledge and training that can only be accomplished through pediatric residency.

Once accepted into the residency program, over the next two to three years, a pediatric dentist will advance in clinical experience and specialized for infants, children, teens, and those with special needs. They also learn child psychology, child development, child-related pharmacology, and other crucial requirements needed to become a pediatric dentist. Pediatric Dental Specialists also gain clinical knowledge and experience treating medically compromised children, such as children needing chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants, liver transplants, cardiac conditions, etc.

As a parent, it can be challenging to deal with a child’s anxiety, especially nerves about dental visits. This is why the choice of a pediatric dentist over a general dentist may be important in making this visit easier for both the parent and the patient. With expert training, pediatric dentists are better equipped to handle child specific problems due to having more experience addressing challenges associated with children’s oral health.  Pediatric dental offices are designed to make the atmosphere more enjoyable, appealing, and harmless.