Think about how much time parents spend evaluating the foods their children ingest, the kinds of teething toys that are safe for their children and which toothpastes and brushes are best for their child’s teeth. Now, consider whether or not your child’s dental restorations are actually safe. Many assume dentist-prescribed restorations – such as retainers, crowns and others – are safe. However, in many cases, dentists are not the ones overseeing the manufacturing process. Dental technicians actually create the restorations dentists give to their patients.
Poorly-made dental restorations – whether made in America or abroad – can lead to a range of health consequences for patients. Dental laboratories located outside of the U.S. may not be subject to the same scrutiny that domestic laboratories receive from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In addition, domestic labs remain unregulated in more than 40 states. Most state dental practice rules do not regulate or set standards for the operation of dental laboratories or dental technicians. Lack of regulation and transparency can increase health-related issues for patients and decrease the level of professional standards within dentistry.
The National Association of Dental Laboratories (NADL) is promoting transparency in dentistry and the role and value of trained dental technicians by increasing public awareness of these issues which affect many dental patients. In order to spread the word about the need for standards, NADL has launched the “What’s in Your Mouth?” campaign to provide dental consumers, dentists and the dental laboratory community with the knowledge they need to make important purchasing decisions.
Dental restorations – often permanent fixtures in the mouth – should be made out of the safest materials, in laboratories that have quality standards and by the most trained and skilled technicians. Know what’s in your mouth and don’t be afraid to ask your dentist the following important questions before your child receives dental work:
- Do you use a Certified Dental Technician for your laboratory work?
- Is the laboratory you work with certified and by whom?
- Where is your dental laboratory located?
- What materials are in the restorations you are prescribing for my child’s treatment plan?
Thanks for the information. Like you said, I evaluate the foods my children ingest, but I don’t really pay attention as to well they take care of their teeth otherwise. I should make sure they brush more. I should also take them to the dentist more often, just like you suggested.
Taking your children to a certified dentist really is something that should be important. Your children are the most important things in your life, and you need to make sure that they are safe, wherever they go. There are only so many things that you have control of when it comes to your children. Dentists would classify as something pretty important for your kids health.
I am going to keep these questions in mind before our next visit to the dentist. My kids teeth are very important to me and we want the best for them. Making sure that the dentist uses a properly regulated laboratory helps me feel more secure about their service.
Now I feel like I’m a terrible parent, because I haven’t even acknowledged a lot of these things. I’m not even positive that my kids are brushing their teeth. I’m a little nervous that next time I take them to the dentist their teeth will be in trouble. Is there anything I can do right now to help their teeth?
Last appointment I had with my dentist, we had a good discussion about oral hygiene and how one can improve it even further than just flossing and brushing. He recommended a mouth rinse that stains plaque pink, which is perfect for my children. In a way, it makes targeting the plaque a game for them. Great article.
These are good questions to ask a dentist about dental restorations. To be honest they are questions I never really thought about much. My daughter is missing one of her permanent teeth and might need to get an implant. I will have to ask the dentist some of these questions.
I don’t have a lot of experience in this area, so this was a valuable read. I’ve been doing research on getting kids to maintain a good brushing and flossing habit, but haven’t thought to talk to the dentist himself. Thanks for sharing.
Some of the questions you mentioned like, “Do you use a Certified Dental Technician?” are questions I would like to ask even before my dental appointment. The dental techs do a lot of the work in you appointment and I think this is something very important to ask your dentist. We just moved to a different city and we are looking for a good dentist. When we start calling dentist offices we will be sure to ask them this about their dental assistants.
Great stuff. Parents must realize the importance of dental hygiene for toddler teeth.
Cool post! Thank you for explaining what questions I should ask during my next visit to the dental office. I like how you said that “Dental restorations – often permanent fixtures in the mouth – should be made out of the safest materials, in laboratories that have quality standards and by the most trained and skilled technicians.” I don’t know much about dentistry but I know that it is smart to trust only the best of the best when it comes to choosing a dentist who knows what he is doing.
Thanks for the post. I wasn’t aware that the dentist is not the one that oversees the dental restorations. I also just figured that they material used was safe for humans. I think the questions you posted are really good questions to ask. I want my kids to be as healthy as possible. Thanks again for the post.
These seem like great questions to ask. I know finding a quality dentist for your kids can be hard. I would look for referrals from family and friends. It takes away a lot of worry when you know you are getting the proper care.
Knowing who you are going to is very important. I have been to people that have made me feel very uncomfortable. I would always go with a referral before anything else.
I never really thought about the safety of the dentist’s restorations. I make sure my child brushes her teeth twice a day and doesn’t eat too much candy. The next time I take my child to the dentist, I will definitely ask about the materials they use. Thanks.
Dentist laboratory regulations in the United States, sound like the safest bet to getting sanitary equipment. I am glad to know that all 40 states have tough regulations to ensure your health. Taking that into consideration is helpful, in knowing the importance of purchasing equipment that is not from outside of the U.S.
I never thought about questioning the quality of dental restorations. I have had several restorations done myself and I am glad that I haven’t had any problems. I’ll be sure to ask about them more in my next dentist appointment.
Thank you for the post. I agree that you need to consider if your dentist is providing safe and effective dental restoration options. These are some great questions to keep in mind when choosing a dentist. Knowing that they have certified dental technicians can really help to know that they take it seriously. I also like the question to know what materials are being used for my kids.
Great content, short and to the point. A lot of people don’t even consider the dental lab, out of sight, out of mind.
I would have never considered finding out where their laboratory is. It may help you to feel more comfortable with the dentist if you know every aspect of their practice including what is outsourced is well maintained. It may also help to contact the laboratory to learn what their maintenance procedures are.
I didn’t know that so many things in the dental restoration industry are not very well regulated. I always trust what my dentist says, and I don’t think we’ve had any problems, but I’ll probably ask about this next time I go in. Thanks for telling me more about what I can do to help my child’s dental health!
I love your suggestion to check the certifications of your dentist before they do restorative work. I didn’t know that there were unsafe materials to be used, but I don’t want them in my child’s mouth. I’ll make sure I check on this next time we visit!
Thanks for tips before visiting the dentist. I was actually getting ready to schedule an appointment for my daughter, when I found your post here.
Prior to reading this I assumed all pediatric dentist were the same. Man was I wrong 🙂
Thankyou for this great dental information so children don’t get scared!
I want my kids to have a good experience with a a dentist. I would like to be able to find the best dentist. I am going to make sure I ask these questions before my kids go to the dentist again.
Great article. Every parents should be educated on this before taking their kids to the dentist. Many parents are misinformed with wrong information.
Some other questions you should ask is does the dentist has experience with talking to kids. You will be surprised how many dentists are horrible talking to kids.
This are indeed a good questions to ask before your child’s next visit to a dentist. Good oral health habits should start early, so as visiting a dentist. By teaching children how to properly care for their teeth at a young age, we can help them understand the importance of maintaining a healthy smile throughout their lives. Keeping an eye on potential problems as early as possible will save you and your child for future dental problems.
I can certainly see how people would assume that the manufacturing of dental parts are done right. I think it goes to show how important working with a dentist you trust is. Someone you can rely on will be open and always provide you the best.
Great advice well written article. We pay close attention to our kid’s diet and we instill the habit of flossing and lightly brushing. Thank you.
You make a good point about how it is important to be sure that you and your children are receiving quality dental work. It makes sense that you would want to make sure they are using a certified dental technician for all laboratory work and what materials they are using for your treatment. I have been looking for a new dentist, so these are some good questions to keep in mind.
I can see why it would be good to know what kind of materials the dental technicians are using for treatment. I can see why this would be helpful to know in case there is some kind of reaction to it. My sister is taking her daughter in to get a chipped tooth fixed. I’ll have to call her and let her to know to ask this before they do it.
You make a good point about how I should get someone who is trained to handle kids. I would want to know that my dentist can help my kids as best as possible. I would like to know that my dentist is used to taking care of kids.
We are getting to the stage where our kids are needing more serious dental work done. Our oldest son was just told he needed a retainer. It is good to know that it is appropriate to ask a dentist if they use a certified dental technician for laboratory work. It would be nice to know that the retainer is well made. I also like knowing that one can ask where the laboratory is located. Thanks for the information.
I like that you mentioned to ask a dentist if the lab they work with is certified. I never thought about the fact that you should check into the people who do their lab work, but it makes sense you would want to cover all your bases. I am trying to find the right dentist for my kids in our new area. I will be sure to ask about this as I search.
I’m glad that you included the certifications of the clinic before your next visit. Should my child need any serious dental surgery, I’ll definitely want a dental facility that has been recognized by the authoritative bodies in their industry. That’ll definitely put my mind at ease knowing that we are working with dentists that have passed and met proper standards.
That’s good to know that the NADL is promoting transparency in dentistry by telling people about things they should be aware of like asking where a dental laboratory is located. My son is 3 years old and his back teeth are hurting so I want to find him a good children’s dentist. I’ll have to ask around and ask what they do for treatment plans so I can make sure to get a good one for him.
It really helped when you said that the quality of the materials used for the procedure must pass the standards. With that in mind, I will be checking and asking about their equipment before I entrust my teeth to them. I just need to have my teeth whitened since it had stains from my extreme love for wines.
I never took into account that one should ask their dentist what materials are in the tools and restorations. My teeth have been hurting, so finding a dentist to help me is really important. These tips will help me make sure that they use safe materials, so thank you for pointing that out.
I really like how you said to ask your dentist is properly certified. There is some sketchy stuff out there. My priority is definitely that my kids have a safe experience at the dentist. I will be sure to ask when I go next time.
Thanks for pointing out that we should ask if potential dentists use Certified Dental Technicians for their laboratory work, since most states don’t have regulated, pre-established standards for that. My husband and I just moved to a new area and need to find a local dentist to trust with our families care. I hadn’t thought to ask about the certification of the laboratory work, so thanks for sharing that advice!
I love what you said about knowing what goes into your mouth by asking your dentist up front. I think that visiting a dentist office regularly is a smart move because it keeps your teeth nice and healthy. My wife and I are moving next month, so I’ll make sure to do some research to find the best dentist office that’s near our new residence.
I like your suggestion to ask if the laboratory that the dentist works with is certified, and by whom. My husband and I will be moving soon and will need to choose a new dentist for our family’s dental care. I wasn’t sure what questions to ask as we search, so your tip to ask about lab certifications should really help.
I like your questions about where the dental lab is located. MY children are finally old enough to go to a dentist. I should figure out what dentist to take them to by asking these questions.
Nice Information. Every parents should aware of her children’s dental health.
It really helped when you explained how to make sure your dentist’s qualified to treat your child! Last week, I visited my sister’s house and realized how her daughter has a toothache! My sister urgently needs to find a dentist for her daughter, so I’ll share your tips with her right away! Thank you for the advice on checking a dentist’s tools and materials when choosing one!
I really love content like this. This is very helpful to people who aren’t that familiar when it comes to going to the dentist. Thank you for sharing this!
It s important to find a dentist you and your child are comfortable with. Here are some questions to ask during your child s next dentist visit: What is the best way to prevent cavities? How can I help my child feel more comfortable during dental visits? What should I do if my child has a toothache? How can I tell if my child is getting enough fluoride? When should my child start using mouthwash?
Regular dental check-ups and good oral hygiene habits from an early age can help prevent cavities, gum disease, and other oral health issues.
Before your child’s next dentist visit, consider these important questions. First, evaluate the safety of dental restorations, such as retainers and crowns, prescribed by your dentist. Many are manufactured by dental technicians, not directly overseen by dentists. Check if the dental lab is regulated, as poor-quality restorations can cause health issues. The National Association of Dental Laboratories promotes transparency and standards in dental care through their “What’s in Your Mouth?” campaign. Stay informed to ensure your child’s dental health.