Pedodontist - The Dentist for Children

What's so Special About the Pedodontist?

February is national children's dental health month. How important is children's dental health? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics web site(www.AAP.org), "Dental caries is the most common chronic disease affecting children in the United States. It is 5 times more common than asthma and 7 times more common than hay fever." That is why the AAP and the American Academy of Family Physicians (www.AAFP.org) instructs their members to refer children to a dentist by their first birthday. (The American Dental Association recommend the first tooth or first birthday whichever is first.)

You may take your child to your dentist for their first examinations. Some general dentists relish this episode in the continuum of care of their patients' families. Other dentists and parents prefer for children to be cared for by a specialist. Pedodontists are dentists who have special training to work with patients from the youngest to the late teens. Dr. Golnaz Movafaghi, who will begin practicing in Malden, Massachusetts, spoke of her specialty,

"Unfortunately, many parents do not realize that the specialty of Pediatric Dentistry exists. In addition to the 4 years of dental school, Pediatric Dentists train in a full-time, 2-3 year residency in Pediatrics. The current guidelines from the AAPD recommend that a child's first dental visit should be when the first tooth erupts and no later than 1 year of age. If a toddler sees a pediatric dentist before the age of 1 and then at 6 months recalls, the parent will know how to prevent tooth decay and the child will be very well adjusted to the dental environment by the age of 2-3. During our pediatric training, we are trained to diagnose and treat conditions related to children. We learn many behavior management techniques. We provide interceptive [early] orthodontics by evaluating growth and development to help minimize or prevent the need for braces in the future. We provide treatment for sports/trauma related injuries. And the list continues."