As adults, we’re used to attending dental appointments ourselves. We schedule them once every six months for a check-up, any treatment we require, and a routine scale and polish. But when it comes to dentistry for children, many of us feel lost.
Do children need appointments? How can you prevent a fear of the dentist or childhood dental anxiety? In short, yes, your little ones do need to visit a dentist.
The answer to all of the rest of your concerns is to ensure that they’re seeing the best local children’s dentist in the best local dental clinic. If you happen to be from Aurora, Colorado, you should register your little one with Dr. Patterson. Here at Epic Dentistry for Kids, you’ll find the best pediatric kid’s dentist in the area.
Let’s review what our specialty does and why it’s important you take your child for a dental checkup.
What is Pediatric Dentistry?
Pediatric dentistry is one of several dental specialties, and it focuses on helping young patients with their dental structures as they fully develop.
The American Dental Association (ADA) defines pediatric dentistry as an age-defined specialty that provides primary and comprehensive preventive oral care for infants through adolescence.
Likewise, another point worth mentioning is that a kid’s dentist has training in providing therapeutic health care for children with special needs. If your kid has any such circumstances, you can trust a pediatric dentist to help them feel as comfortable as possible and avoid most complications that come from a less-than-ideal scenario.
Dr. Patterson and the team have all this training to make your child enjoy each visit to the dentist!
When Should Kids Go to the Pediatric Dentist?
All children require dental care from the moment their first tooth breaks through. We invite all parents to take their kids to a pediatric dentist no later than their first birthday or after their first tooth erupts.
To put things simply, if your little ones have teeth, they should come to see our pediatric dentist. Sure, baby teeth may grow out and get replaced by adult teeth. But you must take the best care to avoid decay, potential pain, and other issues.
Their routine dental care should continue throughout their lives, so it’s a good idea to start taking your little ones to the dentist as soon as their milk teeth come through.
Professionals can help your children familiarise themselves with the environment, as well as the process of a standard checkup. Generally speaking, it’s best to keep them with the same dentist as they grow up so that they can form trust and a bond.
This is where Dr. Patterson can help!
Why Choose Epic Dentistry for Kids?
Most dental clinics are generalized, and staff does not focus on making the experience ideal for children. In many cases, this generalized approach leaves some dental health professionals at the risk of accidentally mistreating a young patient or contributing to a traumatic experience.
By registering with a specialist pediatric dentist, you can rest assured that your child will have the best experience possible. From the moment they enter the waiting room, they’ll notice that the other people waiting with them are children and their parents or guardians.
This change of scene is likely to put them more at ease than sitting in a waiting room surrounded by older people. It’s a comfortable and caring environment from the outset, which gives the clinic the reputation of the best Children Dental Clinic in Aurora.
Likewise, we should mention that our practice and all interior spaces have a design thinking of children. They can play some games, make new friends, and watch entertaining things while they wait.
Using Preventative Dentistry to Help Your Child
As we mentioned before, your kid’s teeth require attention. We want to ensure that your kid doesn’t suffer from tooth decay like so many others in America. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that, in 2016, 45.8% of children aged between 2 and 19 had some type of dental caries.
The goal is to use any tools at our disposal to avoid those cases.
That’s where preventative dentistry comes in.
The Power of Dental Fluoride
We use professional applications of fluoride to reinforce your kid’s primary teeth. Fluoride helps teeth reabsorb minerals to strengthen the protective enamel layer, shielding each piece from the attacks of harmful bacteria.
Your kid can get fluoride from natural sources. Still, if their diet does not take into consideration fluoride sources, they may be at an increased risk of tooth decay.
It’s very likely your kid’s diet already supplies them with sufficient fluoride, but it wouldn’t hurt to consult with a professional pediatric dentist to evaluate if your child needs any high-concentration doses of fluoride to prevent damage from bacteria in their mouth.
Protective Dental Sealants
The many grooves in a tooth’s surface are great for chowing down on food and breaking it into easily digestible pieces. However, these irregular surfaces can also harbor difficult-to-clean food debris.
In such cases, leftover food particles can feed bacteria and promote the production of acidic substances that damage your child’s teeth. Given sufficient time, this situation will result in small fissures in your kid’s teeth, leading to caries, infections, and tooth loss.
Dental sealants help cover the chewing surfaces of any kid’s molars, protecting them from up to 80% of cavities for a couple of years. Ask your kid’s pediatric dentist about the types of materials used for dental sealants and how dental sealants can help your kid.
Why Choose Dr. Patterson as Your Kid’s Pediatric Dentist?
Dr. Patterson is a Colorado native, having grown up in a small town near Boulder, Colorado. He has three sons, so he is used to engaging with children and well-versed in comforting them when they may be feeling stressed or anxious.
Highly qualified, Dr. Patterson received his Bachelor in Medical Science from the University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences and then continued to study at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine.
He then specialized in pediatric dentistry while completing a year of general practice residency at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He honed his knowledge in this field with an NYU-Lutheran Medical Pediatric Dental Residency at the Tucson, Arizona site. He is fully qualified in:
- Oral surgery
- Orthodontics
- Medicine
- Hospital dentistry
- Special needs
- Sedation
- Trauma
- Growth
- Development
- Behavioral management
In short, he knows his stuff and will be able to complete any dental work that your child may need.
Benefits for Your Child
The Best Kids Dental Care in Aurora is bound to have benefits for your child. Good quality dental care means the best experience possible when having anything from general checkups to treatments. Visiting a pediatric dentist won’t be something to fear and can help them maintain the best dental health possible through adulthood.
Benefits for You
Dr. Patterson is fully aware that your child who needs dental care can be a stressful experience for you. But when you use his services, you can rest at ease, as you know your kid is getting the best treatment possible. He’ll talk you through every step of the process, explaining exactly what’s happening with your child’s dental health and running through any procedure they may require with full details.
If this all sounds ideal to you, don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions you may have or book an appointment for your little one to see Dr. Patterson for a first appointment. You can make an appointment here or give us a call on 720-721-3600!
