Find comprehensive list of the best pediatric dentists in Westchester County. To find a dentist for an infant or toddler, visit Westchester Pediatric Dentists. Dentists that specialize in treating infants, toddlers, older children, and teens, are called Pediatric dentists, or dentists for kids. Find a good Pediatric dentist in Westchester, NY at

Pediatric dentist in Hartsdale, NY
Pediatric dentist in Jefferson Valley, NY
Pediatric dentist in Larchmont, NY
Pediatric dentist in Mahopac, NY
Pediatric dentist in Mount Kisco, NY
Pediatric dentist in New Rochelle, NY
Pediatric dentist in Scarsdale, NY
Pediatric dentist in Tuckahoe, NY
Pediatric dentist in White Plains, NY
Pediatric dentist in Yorktown, NY
Pediatric dentist in Yonkers, NY

Parents often have many questions about how to take care of their children's teeth. When should my child start brushing their teeth? What kind of toothpaste is best? When should a child first go to the dentist? Knowing the answers to these questions can help you keep your children's teeth healthy and cavity free.

Common questions also include:

Is it harmful for a child to get too much fluoride?
Should we use fluoridated toothpaste, and if yes, which brand?
What kind of food will strengthen or harm a child's teeth?

Make an appointment with a good pediatric dentist in Westchester County and get the answers to all of these questions. Find dentists for children, and dentists for kids of all ages at Dental Care for Children in Westchester.

Pediatric Dentists
Pediatric dentists specialize in the oral health of children ranging in age from infancy through their teen-age years. Pediatric dentists are qualified and experienced in caring for your child's teeth, gums, and mouth. Schedule an annual appointment for your child to see a pediatric dentist. Be sure to compile a list of questions about your child's dental care that you can review during your appointment.

Children begin to get their baby teeth during the first 6 months of life. By age 6 or 7 years, they start to lose their first set of teeth, which eventually are replaced by secondary, permanent teeth. Without proper dental care, children face possible oral decay and disease that can cause a lifetime of pain and complications."

Your child's dentist will probably suggest that you gently brush or cloth clean, even a child's first tooth. This can be accomplished with a soft toothbrush and gently brushing; or clean with water and a cloth, rubbing gently.

For older children and adults, the food that we eat directly affects our teeth. Be sure your child eats well. Avoid cereals with sugar, food with preservatives, most fast food, and anything else that is going to harm your child. Generally, foods that need to be chewed are important for healthy teeth and gums. Eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and don't forget to drink plenty of water.

Does your child have crooked teeth? Does your child have cavities? If you have any questions regarding your children's teeth, make an appointment for your child to visit a Pediatric dentist.

Select a Pediatric dentist in Westchester County, NY from List of Children's Dentists in Bronxville, Eastchester, Goldens Bridge, Hartsdale, Jefferson Valley, Katonah, Larchmont, Mahopac, Mount Kisco, New Rochelle, Scarsdale, Tuckahoe, White Plains and Yorktown. Find dentists for kids of all ages throughout Westchester, New York. Visit Pediatric Dentists in Westchester for a dentist in Southern, middle, or Northern Westchester County.

Training and Education - Pediatric Dentistry
To become a Pediatric dentists you must have completed at least:

• Four years of dental school.



• Two additional years of residency training in dentistry for infants, children, teens, and children with special needs.

Pediatric Dentists Provide
Pediatric dentists provide comprehensive oral health care including:

• Infant oral health exams, which include risk assessment for caries in mother and child.



• Preventive dental care including cleaning and fluoride treatments, as well as nutrition and diet recommendations.



• Infant oral health exams, which include risk assessment for caries in mother and child.



• Habit counseling such as the use of a pacifier or thumb sucking.
• Early assessment and treatment for straightening teeth and correcting an improper bite (Orthodontics).



• Repair of tooth cavities or defects.



• Diagnosis of oral conditions associated with diseases such as diabetes, congenital heart defect, asthma, hay fever, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.



• Management of gum diseases and conditions including ulcers, short frenulae, mucoceles, and pediatric periodontal disease.



• Care for dental injuries (for example, fractured, displaced, or teeth that have been knocked out."




Source: HealthyChildren.org

"What should I use to clean my baby's teeth?
A toothbrush will remove plaque bacteria that can lead to decay. Any soft-bristled toothbrush with a small head, preferably one designed specifically for infants, should be used at least once a day at bedtime.

"When should I take my child to the dentist for the first check-up?
In order to prevent dental problems, your child should see a pediatric dentist when the first tooth appears, or no later than his/her first birthday.

"What is the difference between a pediatric dentist and a family dentist?
Pediatric dentists are the pediatricians of dentistry. A pediatric dentist has two to three years specialty training following dental school and limits his/her practice to treating children only. Pediatric dentists are primary and specialty oral care providers for infants and children through adolescence, including those with special health needs.

"Are baby teeth really that important to my child?
Primary, or "baby," teeth are important for many reasons. Not only do they help children speak clearly and chew naturally, they also aid in forming a path that permanent teeth can follow when they are ready to erupt.

"What should I do if my child has a toothache?
First, rinse the irritated area with warm salt water and place a cold compress on the face if it is swollen. Give the child acetaminophen for any pain, rather than placing aspirin on the teeth or gums. Finally, see a dentist as soon as possible.

"Are thumb sucking and pacifier habits harmful for a child's teeth?
Thumb and pacifier sucking habits will generally only become a problem if they go on for a very long period of time. Most children stop these habits on their own, but if they are still sucking their thumbs or fingers past the age of three, a mouth appliance may be recommended by your pediatric dentist.

"How can I prevent decay caused by nursing? Avoid nursing children to sleep or putting anything other than water in their bed-time bottle. Also, learn the proper way to brush and floss your child's teeth. Take your child to a pediatric dentist regularly to have his/her teeth and gums checked. The first dental visit should be scheduled by your child's first birthday."

Continue Frequently Asked Questions by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

A Millennium Of Dentistry - A Look Into The Past, Present And Future of Dentistry
Oral disease has been a problem for humans since the beginning of time. Skulls of the Cro-Magnon people, who inhabited the earth 25,000 years ago, show evidence of tooth decay. The earliest recorded reference to oral disease is from a Sumerian text (circa 5,000 B.C.) that describes "tooth worms" as a cause of dental decay. No one can deny that dentistry has made tremendous strides over the years. The past, present and future of dentistry is a topic of conversation for many of the dental experts at meetings of the Academy of General Dentistry.

"Things have certainly changed from the Middle ages to the early 1700's, when most dental therapy was provided by so-called ‘barber surgeons‘," said Eric Curtis, DDS, renowned dental historian and spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry. "These jacks-of-all-trades would extract teeth and perform minor surgery, in addition to cutting hair, applying leeches and performing embalming."

Dental practitioners migrated to the American colonies in the 1700's and devoted themselves primarily to the removal of diseased teeth and the insertion of artificial dentures. In the 1800's, dental practices included such duties as extracting teeth with the turnkey (a primitive tool like a ratchet wrench used for extracting teeth), cleaning the teeth with scrapers and removing cavities with hand instruments. The filling materials used then were tin, gold foil, lead and silver. Dentures were carved from ivory or fashioned from the teeth of cattle.

In the past century, human life expectancy has almost doubled and immense changes in quality of life have occurred. Some of the changes that have had a positive impact on dentistry include increased emphasis on personal hygiene; availability of antibiotics, vaccines, fluoridation; improved diets, electricity and heating, the X-ray, the telephone, computers and the Internet. Present day dental accomplishments include the use of silver and white fillings, fluoridation, air abrasion techniques for the filling of cavities, and more.

An increase in those over the age of 65 who retain their teeth also has affected dentistry, with more attention being paid to the complex needs of this older population. An increase in a more knowledgeable and affluent U.S. population has proportionately increased dental visits for an improved smile, in sharp contrast to the reasons for dental visits 100 years ago, i.e., to alleviate pain and restore function. This consumer trend will strengthen in the next century as more people retain their healthy teeth for a lifetime.

"No one can know for certain what the future of dentistry will hold," stated Dr. Curtis. "I think we will see an integration of dentistry into comprehensive health care and an increased focus on the link between oral health and overall health as we enter the 21st Century. Computer-assisted technology for diagnosis and treatment, and gene-mediated therapeutics, which alters the genetic structure of teeth to make them impervious to decay, will also be important in the future."

2900 Egyptian lower jaw demonstrates two holes drilled through the bone, presumably to drain an abscessed tooth. Egyptians were the first to designate a doctor that specializes in treating teeth.

2700 Evidence that the Chinese used acupuncture to treat pain associated with tooth decay.

1700 Ancient Egyptian papers, the Ebers papyrus, which contains material dating back as far as 3700 BCE, contains references to diseases of the teeth, as well as prescriptions for substances to be mixed and applied to the mouth to relieve pain.

1300 Aesculapius, a Greek physician, credited by many with the concept of extracting diseased teeth.

500 Hippocrates and Aristotle wrote of ointments and sterilization procedures using a red hot wire to treat diseases of the teeth and oral tissues. They also spoke of tooth extraction and the use of wires to stabilize jaw fractures and bind loose teeth.

100 Roman medical writer Celsus wrote extensively of oral diseases as well as dental treatments such as narcotic-containing emollients and astringents.

Visions of the Future in the 1600 and 1700's

1685 First dental textbook to be published in English, by Charles Allen, "The Operator for Teeth".

1728 Pierre Fauchard published his master work, "The Surgeon Dentist", which described for the first time a vision of dentistry as a modern profession.

1785 John Greenwood served as George Washington's dentist, and helped raised public awareness about porcelain teeth.

The Enlightening 1800's1816 Auguste Taveau, Paris, developed first dental amalgam (fillings from silver coins mixed with mercury).

1839 Charles Goodyear discovered vulcanized rubber. This discovery made denture bases, previously made out of gold, affordable for the average person. Before that time, dental care was typically reserved for the upper class.

1840 Dentist Horace Wells first demonstrated nitrous oxide for sedation.

1840 Dentist Thomas Morton first demonstrated ether anesthesia for surgery.

1840 Horace Hayden and Chapin Harris invented modern dentistry.


• They founded the first dental school in the world, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery



• Invented the modern doctorate of dental surgery (DDS) degree



• Started the world's first dental society, the American Society of Dental Surgeons (ASDA). The ASDA collaborated the first dental journal, American Dental Journal of Dental Science, which revolutionized the sharing of trade secrets and streamlined how dentists looked at their profession and distributed knowledge.




1870s Baked porcelain inlays come into use for filling large cavities.

1866 Lucy Hobbs, the first woman to obtain DDS, graduated from Ohio College of Dental Surgery.

1871 James Beall Morrison patented the first mechanized dental drill, which allowed people to view dentistry as a streamlined profession. This drill twirled very slowly and a filling could take several hours to complete.

1890s American dentist Willoughby Miller in Germany first described the microbial basis of dental cavities, which initially raised cavity prevention awareness, and led the way for oral care companies to market at-home oral health care products.

1895 Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-radiation (x-rays).

1895 G.V. Black standardized both cavity preparation and manufacturing process of silver fillings.

1896 Edmund Kells adapted Roentgen's new x-ray for dentistry.

1896 Toothpaste tube introduced by Dr. Washington Wentworth Sheffield.

Scientific Advances in the 1900's


1900's With Edison's invention of electricity, dental offices use electric drills and the increase became widespread.

1907 Novocaine introduced into US dental offices by Heinrich Braun.

1907 William McTaggart invented his "lost wax" casting machine, which allowed dentists to make precision cast fillings to fill a cavity. Lost wax is a jeweler's technique that allows them to precisely make pieces of jewelry.

1926 Gies Report was issued by the Carnegie Foundation, urging dental schools to become university based.

1929 Penicillin was invented. This had a major impact on treatment protocols for dental infections.

1935 Vitamin C was identified.

1939 Mail order dentures declared illegal in the United States.

1945 Grand Rapids, MI, first city in the world to fluoridate drinking water.

1955 Michael Buonocore invented white (composite) fillings. He also described a method of bonding resin to tooth enamel, enabling dentists to repair cracked enamel on front teeth.

1957 John Borden invented a high speed air-driven hand piece, increasing drill power from the traditional 5,000 rpm to 300,000 rpm, which shortened the time to prepare a tooth for a filling to a matter of minutes.

1958 First fully-reclining dental chair introduced, allowing more patient and dentist comfort and allowed for the dentist to have an assistant help him with the procedures.

1970 Electric toothbrush introduced in the United States.

1970's Sit-down, "four-handed" dentistry became common. Most dentists have dental assistants helping with procedures. This drastically improved efficiency and shortened the treatment time.

1980's Per Ingvar Branemark described techniques for dental implants.

Into the 21st Century

Integrating dentistry into comprehensive health care.

Increased focus on the link between oral health and overall health.

Gene-mediate therapeutics, which means altering the genetic structure of teeth to make them impervious to decay. Some researchers are now investigating the possibility of growing new tooth structure around weakened enamel.

Increased knowledge base and computer-assisted technology approach for diagnosis and treatment.

Community-based health promotion for oral health care.

Sources:
The Academy of General Dentistry a non-profit organization of more than 35,000 general dentists dedicated to staying up-to-date in the profession through continuing education. A general dentist is the primary care provider for patients of all ages and is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, management and overall coordination of services related to patient's oral health needs.

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry