Should Your Dentist Be Working Around Children?

When I was a child, I was terrified to go to the dentist. I used to throw a fit every time my mother would inform me that we had a dentist appointment. It did not help at all that the particular children s dentist I used to visit was not personable in the least.

As I grew older, I realized that I was not alone in this phobia of the dentist and that it is not just pediatric dentistry that produces this fear. In fact, it is classified as Odontophobia in the most recent Diagnostical Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV).

This is why, now that I have children of my own, I made sure to find a children s dentist who was friendly, warm and reassuring, so they never have to experience the terror I did when going to the dentist. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that finding a dentist that both myself and my kids can trust and feel comfortable with.

Once I began looking for a great children s dentist, I learned a great deal about the demographics of dentistry. For example, two thirds of patients seeking cosmetic dentistry are female, according to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD).

I also discovered just how in demand cosmetic dentistry is. Americans spend nearly 1.4 billion dollars on just tooth whitening procedures and products annually. This number is not even taking into account all of the yearly procedures and surgeries for straightening teeth which are performed.

Finding a cosmetic children s dentist was even more difficult than a general one. I decided to look into finding one when my son needed braces and I figured we would look into invisible braces. I had heard a great deal about the Invisalign aligners, which are transparent braces made for purely cosmetic reasons.

In 1960, Dr. Paul Keyes discovered the cause of tooth decay. The cause, as it turns out, is primarily from a strain of bacteria that is known Streptococcus Mutans. This is why cosmetic dentistry is not always merely cosmetic.

In certain conditions, a cosmetic procedure is able to prevent infection. I luckily was able to find both a wonderful cosmetic children s dentist and excellent general children s dentist.

More research here.