Pedatric Dentist Vs. Dentist Pediatriction vs Family Doctor

My daughter went to pediatric dentist from way little until just recently at 16 yrs old.

She still has her pedi and loves her. She will not quit going to her pedi until she is pushed out of the practice.. that's how much she loves her.

I personally think children do need to go to someone who specializes in children. They know more about making them at ease for processes and are more able to adjust to any special needs there may be for the child.

I was planning on just taking my daughter to my dentist, but well, I actually don't like my dentist very much so I didn't want to take her there. So, I found a pediatric that I really, really LOVE! She has so much fun and gets excited about going, unlike Mommy! ;) But, I honestly think either is probably fine. Since she's only 2 and you don't have a dentist yet, I would focus on finding one that you like. Once you are settled in at the office you can decide whether or not you want to take her there. Unless she's having some sort of issue, you can probably wait until 3 to take her the dentist, just remember to brush 2X a day and she should be using flouride toothpaste soon if she's not already.

As far as the doctor, I'd stick with a pediatrician. I find that they are usually more up on the latest studies, illnesses, treatments, etc. that deal with kids b/c it's their business all day long. In fact, I guess I feel this way about most specialists, that's why I seek out specialists if I need it! I would personally seek out a pediatric office for her and a regular doc for you guys. I would also find a specific OB for yourself if you are still going to the family doctor for those needs. I used a fam doctor for that while I was out of insurance and I was so happy when I finally just went back to a regular OB office!

Just my 2 cents! Good luck!

I take my daughter to a pedi dentist. They actually attend additional schooling over general dentists to deal specifically with toddlers/children. Usually their office is very child-centered and they and their staff are fully prepared to handle tantrums, crying, screaming, fears, etc, with extra time and attention.

Given the option, I would take your child to a pedi dentist.

I took my oldest to a regular dentist for the first two visits, but then I found a pediatric one. The mouth pieces they use for x-rays are much smaller and easy for my girls to use. The entire experience is better, and my kids are not afraid to go to the dentist anymore! We also take our girls to a pediatriction. I am a firm believer that they can treat them better because they specialize in children, and they have to go to classes to stay up with all the changes in kids medicine. I love my pediatriction and my kids love going there!

I always just took all my kids to our regular dentist. My dentist recommended one of mine to a pediatric dentist because he had stains on his teeth. The pediatrician cleaned the stains and there were no cavities under them. But the pedatric dentist has a television screen in the ceiling so the kids can watch a movie while they work. They also used nitrous oxide, which I opted out of since my son was 8 and I figured he's old enough to get stains cleaned. But it was an option at the ped, not sure if they do that at my dentist but they didn't feel comfortable treating my son because he kept trying to sit up when they were examining him. My other kids did just fine, even at a young age. I don't have good experiences with pediatricians whether dentist or doc so I go to our family doc and dentist unless they refer them to a pediatrician for one reason or another.

Pediatric dentists specialize in treating children, and have a lot more experience with them. Regular dentists may or may not be well equipped to handle little ones, or be as gentle.
Family doctors vs. pediatrician probably isn't much different, except I would definetly bring an infant to about 5 years to a Pediatrician.
You can always go on line and find doctors in your area, as well as look up any reviews that others might put on them. This way your search will narrow, and you will be able to find one that is recommended. I found my dentist, and my husband's doctor this way.

Well, it depends on the kid.
For the most part, pediatric dentists are best with kids because they have the smaller equipment on hand and they have DVD's for the kids to watch, they usually give balloons and prizes and their offices are very much set up for children.
However, my daughter was not a good dental patient at all and I took her to so many places. She refused to even open her mouth. It simply wasn't going to happen. Desperate, I called a dental office that said he did family dentistry. (Many "family dentists" won't take young children). I explained the situation, they scheduled an appointment and I don't know what it was, but my daughter absolutely LOVED that dentist. There were no cartoons on, there were no little tooth shaped chairs in the waiting room. The dental assistants weren't wearing Barney scrubs.
He was very gentle but straightforward with her. If she asked if something would hurt, he would tell her that yes, it might. It might be uncomfortable, she might feel a pinch, if something hurt her all she had to do was tell him and he would make sure that it didn't. She had a cavity and needed some sealant and he did use nitrous, but she trusted him. Before her appointments, she drew him pictures. She even wanted to make him a sandwich one day and take it to him because she thought he worked really hard and he might get hungry. Something about him just clicked with her.
I suppose the same is true with physicians.
It depends on who you trust, who your child trusts and is comfortable with.
I certainly don't think there is any defined rule.
When you find a good medical care provider, you tend to stick with them if possible. My daughter's dentist wasn't close, by any means, but the drive was well worth it.

Best wishes.

I actually talked to my dentist when my kids were little and knew that my daughter was sensitive about certain things and he told me that I should take her to a ped dentist, My kids when they were younger would get laughing gas to help them realx during any procedure. My youngest had a bad cavity and he actually was put to sleep at a surgery center to deal with his tooth. Some dentists don't like to work on kids.

A pediatric dentist is a specialist that is absolutely necessary if she has any issues with her teeth.

Most family dentists did a round in pediatric dentistry during their college years but it's the same for those of us who had to take a general ed class requirement we weren't especially interested in. They know enough to think they can do anything but really don't have a lot of experience is dealing with baby teeth.

I think if she has a good check up that you could use your family dentist but I would not let them do ANY work on her, not even fillings. They just don't know.

I have a friend who decided to not take her daughter to our pediatric dentist and she took her to the family dentist. She had a cavity right in front. He filled it, it fell out, he filled it again, it fell out, he filled it a third time and then just told mom it couldn't be saved and he pulled the baby tooth. She is 8 and just this year the hole got a tooth. She was nearly 3 years without a front tooth. That's just sad.

Our little one fell at her moms on a concrete staircase. She broke off her front tooth and we took her to a kids dentist, Ocean Dental, and they took one look and said no way would they even touch her mouth. They gave us a list of pediatric dentists and I made the appointment. He took good care of her tooth, put her to sleep in an outpatient center at Children's hospital. She woke up and wanted to go eat and play.

Her cap was white, the tooth never fell out and had to be redone, it was still perfect when she lost it. I could not even tell which was the cap without looking very very closely.

That is the comparison between a regular family dentist and a pediatric dentist. I always take them to the pediatric one.

As for a pediatrician vs a regular doc...I am not that worried about the issues. If the child is sick a lot or has some developmental issues then I would only use the pediatrician. We had a DO that I loved, he was on the ball when it cam e to any issues with the adults but as for the kids, he didn't even know they could start eating rice cereal before 10 months old. I showed him the WIC vouchers and he was totally surprised. He wasn't a dad yet so maybe that was something most young guys learns as they raise one of their own.

I think it is a personal decision best based on the doctor/dentist themselves, unless you have a child with a special condition that requires specialized care in a specific area. For us, a regular family dentist and doctor practices have worked best. We love the dentist and agree with his philosophy regarding cleanings/treatments etc (conservative, not jumping in to correct or treat something at the first opportunity) and he has a great chair side manner with our kids, who love him also. They enjoy going to the dentist and have since they were 3 years old (which is when he recommended they come in for their first visits, btw). Family doctor is the same kind of thing. We found a doctor that we like personality wise and philosophy of treatment-wise and we all use the same doctor. It actually is easier for us that way, because the staff/doctor are familiar with all the family's health and we don't have to explain it over and over again each time someone needs to be seen for something. You also can avoid a lot of the "we're not accepting new patients at this time" stuff, by already having one family member as a patient in the practice. So if you choose a family practice for your daughter and a year from now your husband sprains an ankle or gets a sinus infection, you will more than likely be able to get in to see the doctor much more readily than if you cold call a doctor for that one instance.

I happen to think that the entire family using a single doctor/dentist helps the doctor/dentist provide better care for your family, because they have more information about the entire household's dynamic and health situations.

That's what works for us anyway. You may be more comfortable with a pediatric doctor for your child and someone different for you and husband. My husband is more comfortable with a male doctor, and yours may be too. But you may find that YOU are more comfortable with a female doctor for your daughter. So just go with what YOU are comfortable with for your family.

My son now goes to a pediatric dentist, but truthfully, before that, he did just as well with my family dentist. If you like your dentists, take her there.

As for her doctor, I would say find a pediatrician for her--she can be seen there til she's 18! Medically, children aren't "little adults" and I think a pediatrician is best.