How to Find the Best Dentist for Kids (in Five Simple Steps)

With February marking National Children’s Dental Health Month, it’s the perfect time to think about how to find the best dentist for kids. When searching for a new dentist, many people may consider things like convenience—how close is the dental office to their home? Or, does the practice offer comprehensive dental care? And, whether they will feel comfortable in their dental office of choice is also often a priority.

But, when it comes to choosing a pediatric dentist, there may be more factors to contemplate. After all, you want to ensure that in addition to your child receiving the best dental care, that she will also have a place to grow—for every stage of childhood.

At Penn Dental Family Practice, we provide pediatric dentistry from toddlerhood to the teens and every age in between. Our highly-trained and experienced dentists are accustomed to treating young children and helping them to feel relaxed and at ease during teeth cleanings and dental visits. To help make choosing a pediatric dentist easier and stress-free, we’ve provided a few key factors to consider.

Five Things to Think About When Choosing a Philadelphia, PA Kids’ Dental Practice

Picking a dentist for your child for the first time, or a new dentist from a recent relocation can spark several questions—some of which we outlined above. Is the potential dentist you’re considering conveniently located? Kid-friendly? Able to treat other members of your family?

To help make the “dentist shopping” process less cumbersome, and increase your chance of selecting the best dentist for your child, we have outlined five things to consider:

1. Family vs. Pediatric Dentistry
   While a family dentist can certainly provide dental care for children, a pediatric dentist has two to three years of additional training targeted to the specific needs of children. This means that they are able to provide a range of specialty oral health care services for infants all the way to adolescence (including special needs dentistry).
2. Atmosphere Designed with Kids in Mind
   Part of the specialty training that pediatric dentists receive extends beyond how to perform certain procedures. For example, at Penn Dental Family Practice, our dentists understand the behaviors specific to infancy and toddlerhood—wiggles, dental, and stranger anxiety. To accommodate these (and other) age-appropriate attributes of this age group, we allow young children to sit on the laps of caregivers while our dentists perform dental checkups and exams.
   Our goal is to make children of all ages comfortable in the dentist’s chair, making future visits less intimidating.
3. Services for Every Stage of Childhood
   Obviously, the dental needs of an 18-month-old are different than those of an 18-year-old. Therefore, it’s important to choose a pediatric dentist who is knowledgeable in addressing each unique stage of your child’s dental development. For example, babies are born with 20 primary or “baby teeth” that usually emerge around six months of age. Children lose their baby teeth most often between ages 6-12.
   Our pediatric dentists will help show you and your child how to take care of baby teeth, setting up a positive and effective foundation for oral health. That way, when permanent teeth take the place of baby teeth, your child will have already developed the skills needed to achieve and maintain optimum oral health. It also means that your child can receive fluoride treatments, dental sealants, and other dental services to reduce the likelihood of cavities and other common dental problems.And, a pediatric dentist will also keep an eye on your child’s jaw and permanent teeth development and alignment. Our dentists work closely with our orthodontic team, providing a seamless transition in the event a referral or orthodontic procedure is recommended.
4. Options for Everyone in the Family
   Many parents and families view PDFP as the best dentist for kids and adults because there are options for everyone in the family. This means that not only can your child receive the best dental care, but so can you!We offer periodontics, endodontics, oral surgery, orthodontics, cosmetic dentistry, and more. It also means that once your child is ready for adult services, they are available—and a relationship will have already been established from his time in the care of one of our pediatric dentists.
5. Flexibility Families Need
   At PDFP, we strive to make dental care for your child as flexible as possible. We offer two convenient locations—Locust Walk and University City—with convenient appointment days and times.One tip we like to offer parents is to choose dental visit times that don’t interfere with meal or nap times. Children are often less irritable and apprehensive at dental appointments when their tummies are full and they are well-rested. We will also do our best to schedule dental visits for other family members on the same day if that’s preferable.

More Than The Best Dental Care for Kids

In addition to providing excellent care on the day of your child’s visit, we also focus on oral health care education and resources as a top priority. For example, if you are preparing for your child’s first visit to the dentist, we encourage you to download our complimentary “Get the Facts About Pediatric Dentistry” fact sheet. You’ll be sure to appreciate the helpful, practical tips to encourage you and your little one to be ready and at ease for a first-ever dental appointment.

And, our website offers a wealth of information and dental tips—an entire section is dedicated to pediatric dental tips.

Ready to book your child’s first dental appointment? Schedule a visit now. Or, call us anytime at 215-898-7337 for questions.