Taking care of your children’s teeth early may help prevent future dental problems. A Santa Cruz pediatric dentist may help your kids maintain good oral health and hygiene through education and preventive procedures.
What is a Pediatric Dentist?
Pediatric dentists provide dental care for infants, children, and teenagers. They receive two to three years of additional training after graduating from dental school. They may help prevent, detect, and treat different dental problems and oral diseases. They may also provide educational materials to help your child develop better dental and oral hygiene habits.
Many pediatric dentists in Santa Cruz may focus on making their young patients’ visits as pleasant as possible. This may help them feel comfortable about visiting a dentist, and may prevent them from feeling nervous about dental procedures as they grow older.
What Services do Pediatric Dentists Provide?
Many pediatric dentists focus mainly on preventive dentistry. These may include:
- The use of orthodontic appliances like spacers to prevent tooth misalignments
- The application of sealants to prevent cavities
- Using fluoride supplements to strengthen teeth
Educating children and their parents about proper oral hygiene is also part of preventive dentistry. Dentists may teach you about correct brushing or flossing procedures and proper diet. They may also provide materials on sports safety. This helps your children avoid dental injuries while engaging in sports and other physical activities.
Children may get nervous or anxious during dental procedures, so pediatric dentists may offer sedative dentistry. Most children may require conscious sedation using sedative medication or nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Children with severe dental phobia may undergo general anesthesia or sleep dentistry upon the dentists’ recommendation.
Your children may suffer from accidental injuries while participating in certain sports. Many pediatric dental clinics offer emergency care for children who end up damaging or losing teeth in accidents.
Finding a reliable pediatric dentist when your children’s first teeth emerge is a good way to help them avoid dental problems as they grow older. Look for dentists with years of experience, good educational credentials, and a pleasant personality to ensure your children receive quality dental care.
Call or visit our clinic for your kids’ first dental check-up so we may start them young on proper oral care.
As a second-generation dentist,Dr. Matiasevich was raised in Santa Cruz. Dr. Matiasevich completed his undergraduate work in economics at the University of California Irvine and then attended the University of Southern California for his dental degree.