Children are not merely shrunken versions of adults. Just as medicine includes a specialization for meeting the medical needs of newborns and growing children, dentistry has a specialization for responding to the unique dental needs of young people — pediatric dentistry. What special training do pediatric dentists receive? Every pediatric dentist near you completes a two-year residency program focusing on the dental needs of children. That’s after completing a four-year degree program in general dentistry. During those two additional years of training to treat children, kids’ dentists learn: Diagnostic and surgical techniques, especially for children Child psychology and development Dental pharmacology (drug treatment), including delivery and dosage requirements unique to kids Radiology techniques Trauma management and treatment Conscious sedation and general anesthesia Special needs dentistry for children A particular focus of many pediatric dental practices, includin...