Fair comment. I am not saying there shouldn't be a message of prevention you are completely right about that....just that, saying too much to a child is counterproductive...better to go with the flow at the right practice, whether a pediatric dentist or a general dentist who the parent personally already knows, likes and trusts.
This website serves the whole English-speaking world but is UK based - we discuss lots of different systems though and it is amazing how they differ.
UK/Europe/Australasia generally works the old-fashioned way with the patient getting the dentists's full attention from start to finish during the appointment i.e. support staff do not directly provide the patient's care with the exception of a hygienist. We discuss around all the systems and posters are from all over including non-English-speaking countries.
I am not anti-pediatric dentistry...my own child received very good care from a pediatric specialist in an EU country (not UK)....he was the choice because I knew he would intervene but would do so painlessly which he did but just with TLC and local anaeasthetic. I was present. In another country my kids now see an excellent General dentist.
Obviously 'the best dentistry is no dentistry' but even a child with good care from birth may need extractions prior to orthodontic treatment, so a relationship of trust built up with a practitioner over the years who has a painfree technique will usually make that experience tolerable rather than phobia-inducing.
And then there's always 'wisdom teeth' to put people off dentistry, just at the time when they leave home and parental influence!
There probably aren't enough dentists out there of any kind, offering truly painfree dentistry with just TLC and local anaesthetic...by which I mean striving to deliver the local anaeasthetic comfortably as well (and some other factors such as a caring unrushed approach).....if all dentists did do this..there would undoubtedly be fewer people avoiding care for reasons of fear of pain; and fewer would demand to be sedated.
There would still be phobics for all the other myriad of reasons....but the general anxiety level in the population would likely decrease especially if coupled with giving the patient more control and a more pleasant relaxing (distraction) environment..you have to pay extra for the latter usually.
At the end of the day it is a dentist's personality which plays a role..in how kind, caring and interested they come over as to the child or adult...this coupled with the right techniques is what really matters rather than whether a dentist is a pediatric specialist or not.
There will always be different treatment philosophies with kids though especially for baby teeth...do you treat, do you just watch and wait....? If your child has something unusual going on or is especially afraid for some reason then it would be sensible to seek specialist pediatric care, even in a country where pediatric dentists are few and far between.
NB In some European countries access to a pediatric dental specialist is generally, although not always, via referral from a medical doctor or general dentist. In Australasia the school dental service employs dental therapists more than dentists, to provide free dental checks and some care, to school age kids..in this situation if you want more control over who they see and the type of treatment, you could opt to have your children see your own General Dentist instead if finances allow.
As I understand it, in the USA, it is much more common to simply use a pediatric dentist for your kids from the start and a General Dentist for the adults, since there is no shortage of pediatric dentists.
Max,
Please feel free to answer questions on the website especially from the pediatric dentist's perspective, if you are the book's author...or from your personal perspective if not.
Cheers
