For Doctors
Preventative Education
In order to reach the population needed for preventative pediatric dentistry, we must become an integral part of the medical profession. An ideal place to start is with the Ob/Gyn and Pediatrician's office. Prenatal and parenting classes are a perfect opportunity for a pediatric dentist to explain the causes of tooth decay, baby bottle caries, cleft lip and palate, pacifier and thumb habits, and when to expect the first tooth to erupt.
New parents interview pediatricians before they give birth. However, they rarely think about a newborn's dentist. A new parent would not consider, in most cases, taking their child to a general medical practitioner, but routinely bring their children to general dentists. This is not because they do not want to take them to a specialist, it is because they do not know or understand the value of taking children to a pediatric dentist. Only through education will the parent be able to understand the importance of additional training that a pediatric dentist undertakes. It is our duty to explain in detail what our role is in the ultimate care from infancy through adolescence.
