One of Dr. Beavers’ favorite parts of her job is treating children. To better care for her younger patients and expand her knowledge, she applied for a Mini Residency in Pediatric Dentistry!
September 29th – October 1st, 2023, Dr. Beavers was at the University of Minnesota College of Dentistry after being selected to attend through a grant from the Arkansas Department of Health! While there, she participated in the mini-residency, which was a combination of lectures and hands-on activities.
What Did She Learn About?
This fantastic opportunity covered various topics she can apply to her young patients. During this intensive three-day course, select dentists from around the country learned about patient management, case selection, prevention methods, and the best materials to use for children. The course also offered specialized training in evaluating traumatic injuries in primary dentition and mixed dentition. The course also covered how to prepare primary teeth for several procedures, including:
- pulpotomy
- pulpectomy
- stainless steel crowns
- anterior strip crowns
- posterior pediatric zirconia crowns
What Does All That Dental Terminology Mean?
We understand that most of the topics and skills listed are very technical, so here’s a quick dictionary to explain what each one means!
- Patient Management: building a good relationship with patients and being able to recognize their issues, tracking their individual progress, and developing the best treatment plan for each individual.
- Case Selection: Case selection is a process where once your dentist diagnoses an issue, they determine if the best option is a treatment to maintain the tooth or to recommend extraction.
- Prevention Methods & Materials: These are tools and products to prevent cavities and tooth decay, like fluoride, toothpaste, mouthwash, dental sealants, and mouthguards.
- Evaluating Traumatic Injuries: Your dentist will find out what caused the injury, then use photographs and x-rays as well as test the pulp of the tooth or teeth for nerve damage. The dentist will then take into account the patient’s age and lifestyle to provide unique treatment and then perform the necessary services.
- Primary Dentition: Baby teeth!
- Mixed Dentition: This is the stage where a child is in the process of losing their baby teeth, but not all have fallen out yet, so there is a mix between adult teeth and baby teeth in their mouth.
- Pulpotomy: This is a procedure where the infected pulp in the main part of a live tooth is taken out, but the roots are left in. It is used to save a severely decayed tooth and is commonly done on children with baby teeth.
- Pulpectomy: This procedure is used to prevent further infection by removing the pulp from all parts of the tooth, including the roots, to treat baby teeth with dead pulp or permanent teeth with infected pulp or abscesses.
- Stainless Steel Crowns: These crowns made of stainless steel are typically used to preserve baby teeth that have become decayed or damaged from cavities.
- Anterior Teeth: These are your 12 front teeth.
- Anterior Strip Crowns: Strip crowns are made of a composite material that is matched to the child’s normal tooth color. These fillings are typically used on the front baby teeth if they have large cavities. They will last for 2-3 years until the baby teeth fall out and are replaced with permanent teeth.
- Posterior Teeth: These are your back teeth – premolars and molars. The teeth you can’t see when you smile.
- Posterior Pediatric Zirconia Crowns: These are naturally strong and durable, making them great for patients who need a crown or multiple crowns on their back teeth so they can chew food like normal. Their strength and durability, as well as easy placement, make them perfect for children.
How Does this New Knowledge Help My Child?
Dr. Beavers is an amazing dentist who always looks for ways to improve and expand her knowledge to better provide for her patients. This course allowed her to grow her skills in pediatric dentistry!
She now has more knowledge and skills to treat your children for different dental procedures, especially in dental cavity treatments and trauma evaluation of the teeth! Baby teeth are unique in that they fall out eventually, but that doesn’t mean fixing cavities isn’t necessary! In fact, baby teeth cavities develop faster than adult teeth. Cavities in baby teeth have long-term effects if left untreated. Untreated cavities and trauma can cause infections and require treatments like root canals, which will affect the adult teeth and cause future issues for your child’s oral health.
Dentist for Kids in Fayetteville, AR
Dr. Beavers is excited to apply her new knowledge and experience to her young patients. If you are looking for a dentist for your child in the Fayetteville, AR, area, schedule an appointment with us. Beavers and Broomfield Dentistry takes time to listen to what you and your family need, and we develop a dental care plan just for you!
