The Dental Ark 915.855.2337 
Your child’s happiness and health is a priority to you as a parent, which is why choosing the right pediatric dentistry is such an important decision.
Pediatric dentists take care of your little one’s unique needs and play a significant role in cultivating your child’s lifelong oral health habits. Choosing the right pediatric dentistry shouldn’t be a tedious task, so here are some pointers to help you find the right one for your child.
Understand the differences between pediatric dentists and family dentists
It’s important to understand that pediatric dentists are different from family dentists. A family dentist treats people of all ages. A pediatric dentist specializes in treating children. Both dentists go to four years of dental school; however, pediatric dentists require two to three years of additional training.
In these extra years of practice, pediatric dentists learn tactics to better serve children. They learn tactics to make children feel more comfortable, address children’s behaviors, and specialize in children’s dental needs. When it comes to your child’s needs, always prioritize his/her unique needs.
The extra training and knowledge pediatric dentists have, help your child have a better experience at the dentist, making it easier for them to continue an oral care routine with the necessary check ups.
In addition to the extra training, pediatric dentists usually have more welcoming environments for children and are better adept at explaining procedures so that children understand.
Seek recommendations
Reach out to your family and friends that have kids and ask them for recommendations. The best pediatric dentists will be known by other parents. Ask for honest opinions and reasoning behind their opinions. Word of mouth is powerful and it can help you narrow down your search.
Online reviews are the best!
Honest reviews make such a great impact on a business, either positively or negatively. Do your research and read pediatric dentists’ reviews. A little pointer, do not focus on one bad review when there are thousands of good ones. Reading other parents’ experiences will help you choose the right one.
Remember, ideally you want to build a dental home for your little one so finding a good place will mean you get to take your little one to the same dentist for the rest of his/her childhood.
Write down your expectations
Write down what you expect from your child’s dentist. Location, friendliness, cleanliness, years of experience, etc. This often overlooked yet crucial step can help you find the best match. Having these written down will help you once you start contacting potential dental offices, even having questions to ask when you make that call.
Schedule a consultation
Make the call! Once it’s time to take the next step, make the call to schedule your child’s first appointment. First impressions are crucial, if you call and you’re not “feeling it” or the receptionist is not professional and friendly, maybe you should move onto the next in line.
First appointment is over, what are your thoughts?
After meeting with your child’s potential new pediatric dentist, reflect on how the office and the dentist made you feel. Did they meet your expectations? Did your child seem content and comfortable? These are all factors in determining if that pediatric dentist is right for your family.
Loved the place? Time to build a dental home
If after the first appointment your child loved the place and you as a parent had a great experience, then it’s time to grow roots and establish a dental home. Schedule your child’s next appointment and make sure to not miss any of them or reschedule on time.
Looking for a pediatric dentist?
At Stevenson’s Dental Ark and Dental Ark we have the right dentists for your little one. Give us a call today and schedule your child’s first appointment. We look forward to hearing from you!
