If you’re looking for a dentist in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs to look after your child’s teeth, you might be wondering whether your own dentist is best suited to also treat the younger members of your family, or whether a specialist might be a better choice. Somebody mentioned Paediatric Dentists to you, which may be why you’re reading this? So, what differentiates this type of dental professional from a regular one?

In a nutshell, a Paediatric Dentist is a dentist with additional training in managing the unique needs of children’s teeth and gums. They specialise in working with children, from babies through to teenagers up to the age of 18 years.

While general dentists can treat children, only those who have undertaken an additional 3 years specialised post graduate training in the field and have had these skills acknowledged by a registration body (the Dental Board of Australia) can call themselves Paediatric Dentists.

As part of this specialised training, Paediatric Dentists also learn how to manage and treat children and adolescents with additional needs, anxiety or behavioural issues. This means that young people that general dentists might otherwise struggle to work with are better able to be cared for by Paediatric Dentists.

This skillset means that Paediatric Dentists are well equipped to take a more holistic approach to the child they are treating, taking into consideration factors such as disease, disability and illness, genetics, individual personality and behavioural traits, and home and school environments, as well as physical and psychological development.

To the untrained individual this wealth of information may mean little: to the trained Paediatric Dentist it can provide valuable insights into the child’s oral health and inform how their treatment is managed.

When a child’s dental care needs are routine and their general health and disposition allow it, a regular dentist may be suited to treating them. When this is not the case, however, and the child has complex treatment needs, medical or genetic conditions, dental injuries, or anxiety or behavioural challenges, a Paediatric Dentist will likely be the most appropriate person to safely and effectively manage their dental care