Why should you take your child to a pediatric dentist?
As a parent, you may be asking why choose a pediatric dentist over a general dentist to see your child? Below are some facts to help you to make an informed decision!
- A pediatric dentist completes the normal four-year dental curriculum while in dental school and then goes on to complete an additional pediatric residency program (2 years for most programs) specialized solely in the treatment of children.
- In residency, a pediatric dentist receives more in-depth training for a variety of pediatric restorative dental treatments.
- In dental school, a general dentist receives limited experience doing many of the procedures utilized in a pediatric office.
- Pediatric dentists are taught many aspects of child psychology and different behavior management techniques (pharmacological and non-pharmacological) to help allow a child to be as at ease as possible throughout the appointment.
- Pediatric dentists receive extensive training in working with children with special health care needs.
- Pediatric dentists are taught how to effectively manage and treat dental emergencies that are very common in the pediatric population.
Video: Pediatric Dentistry
What was unique about Dr. Herrin’s residency training?
Baylor is one of the top pediatric dental residency programs in the country and he is honored to have completed his residency there. At Baylor, residents work in eight different clinical sites. The majority of Dr. Herrin’s time was spent at Texas Scottish Rite and Children’s Medical Center. Both are prestigious hospitals that provided him with invaluable training. While there, he built his dental expertise through working with many different physically and mentally handicapped patients. Syndromes that many dentists only read about in journals, Dr. Herrin was actually able to become familiar with and learn how to effectively treat. In addition to the hospitals, he also worked at several other clinical sites. During his time in these clinics, Dr. Herrin gained experience in working with generally healthy children in need of treatment for dental disease and/or children who needed extra behavioral support while in a dental office setting. Additionally, Baylor provided an extensive training in oral conscious sedation, IV sedation, and hospital dentistry (dental cases under general anesthesia).
