Ulrike Uhlmann - Dentistry for Kids

Dentistry for Kids

Rethinking Your Daily Practice

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this book to Dr Christiane Gleissner. She was the first and only one who read the complete and raw manuscript, dedicating many hours while contributing some important suggestions from the viewpoint of a general dentist. She always motivated me and dispelled doubts. She will forever be an inspiration for me. May she rest in peace.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Uhlmann, Ulrike, 1986- author.

Title: Dentistry for kids : rethinking your daily practice / Ulrike Uhlmann.

Other titles: Kinderzahnheilkunde. English

Description: Batavia, IL : Quintessence Publishing Co, Inc, [2020] | Translation of: Kinderzahnheilkunde : Grundlagen für die tägliche Praxis / Ulrike Uhlmann. [2019]. | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “This book offers professional and practical tips on communicating with parents and sets out to illustrate the responsibility involved in treating children”-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020007937 | ISBN 9781647240134 (hardcover)

Subjects: MESH: Dental Care for Children | Child | Infant | Oral Hygiene | Dentist-Patient Relations | Pediatric Dentistry--methods

Classification: LCC RK63 | NLM WU 480 | DDC 617.60083--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020007937

This book was originally published in German under the title Kinderzahnheilkunde: Grundlagen für die tägliche Praxis by Quintessenz Verlag (Berlin) in 2019.

© 2020 Quintessence Publishing Co, Inc

Quintessence Publishing Co, Inc

411 N Raddant Road

Batavia, IL 60510

www.quintpub.com

5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. This book or any part thereof may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher.

Editors: Leah Huffman and Samantha Smith

Design: Sue Zubek

Production: Sarah Minor

About the author

Ulrike Uhlmann studied dentistry at Leipzig University from 2005 to 2010. Even during her studies she showed a keen interest in children’s dentistry. After her examinations in 2010, she worked in Halle/Saale for 4 years, during which time she learned about and came to love the whole gamut of pediatric dentistry. Interdisciplinary work with midwives, pediatricians, and speech therapists was and is a cornerstone of her professional ethos. At present she works on the staff of a family dental practice in Leipzig. As a speaker, she is also involved in the continuing professional development of midwives, speech therapists, educators, and other related professional groups in the field of pediatric dentistry. Together with a Leipzig midwives practice, she has also launched a parents workshop where relevant topics concerning children’s oral health are explained to pregnant women and parents, raising their awareness. She is married and has four children.

Courtesy of Sabrina Werner, smirkART Photography.

contents

Foreword

Preface

Resources

1

Introduction and Basics

2

Successful Communication with Kids and Parents

3

Educating Parents: Oral Hygiene and Prophylaxis

4

Dental Examination and Tips for Increasing Compliance

5

Diagnostics in Pediatric Dentistry

6

Findings

7

Treatment Considerations and Approaches

Epilogue

Index

foreword

So it’s 8 am on a Monday morning, and you get into work early to help the staff prepare for the day and to review the schedule. All good so far. Then you see at 10 am you have a new patient who is 2 years old, the child of a great patient of yours. You digest this and then start to sweat and get a bit stressed. You are not great with children, and the back door is blocked—you cannot escape! You would love to have a drink, but that is an after-work thing. You take a deep breath and call in your head assistant to help you with prep. She is amazing, as is the rest of the staff, because you trained her. Your procedures are all set up, so now what?

The child comes in and is a bit nervous, as are you. Well, fortunately you read this book and so did your staff, and you are ready to go ahead with the appointment. You smile and bend down to greet the child and hand him a sticker and ask for a hi-five. You get one in return and you now calm down—you’ve got this, and you will be great! Now you can take the time to enjoy the whole experience.

Working with children should not be an ordeal but a fun, rewarding experience for you and your team. Play kid music, make a balloon, and be silly like you are with your own kids. Remember that sometimes it is a slow process and you may need one or two appointments to get things done. That is fine. Also, remember that if you are good with this little one, your favorite patient will now be an even better referrer and will extol your virtues as the best dentist in town. Oftentimes, too, parents will test the waters of your office with their children, and if they do well you now have two parents as patients for life. It’s helpful to appoint someone in your office to be the children coordinator. This person’s job is to be the direct point of contact and help the parents and the child to have a great time and prepare them for their visit. This is the person who calms you and the patient down and is the one in charge of the fun!

This book will help prepare you for all the potential challenges and energize you for all the fun of pediatric dentistry. Remember: You would rather have a child make some noise and have no decay than have a mouth full of decay that could have been avoided. Read the book, and it’s that easy. With every child you can handle, there are parents who will become your raving fans. Ulrike Uhlmann is a dear friend and colleague, and her pediatric skills and knowledge are beyond reproach. She has spent many hours creating this book to help inspire you, reward you, and help you have some fun at the same time. Take your time reading it, and make notes or highlight it when and where you can. Let your staff read this as well, as this is a great resource for them. I had a staff meeting in my practice to review it, and the response was a unanimous GREAT!

Lee Weinstein, DMD, FASDC

Pediatric Dentist and Consultant

Scottsdale, Arizona

preface

I was more or less pushed into pediatric dentistry in 2010, shortly after starting to work as a general dentist. The early stages were fraught with a succession of small challenges. Of course we had learned how a pulpotomy works in our studies, but hardly any of us really had the opportunity to treat young patients ourselves.

A lot of questions do not come to light until the little kid is sitting there right in front of you. As an inexperienced dental practitioner, you constantly face situations that take you well outside your comfort zone. Children, in particular, have a keen sense of the person facing them, and you very quickly notice as a practitioner that the more confidently and purposefully you conduct yourself, the more likely you are to be successful. Back then, I benefited first and foremost from colleagues who shared their many years of experience through observation sessions and continuing education.