Who is a pediatrician?
A pediatrician is a medical professional handling the needs of newborns, kids, teenagers, and young adults. From birth until age 18, a pediatrician serves as most young patients' primary healthcare provider.
When a child is ill, parents often contact a pediatrician first. In general practice, a pediatrician must be able to handle minor injuries and common childhood illnesses like ear infections. Pediatric subspecialists may require additional training in treating children with chronic or severe diseases, ranging from childhood cancer to developmental disorders.
Pediatricians are responsible for more than just treating illnesses. Ensuring that kids meet developmental milestones regarding their growth, behavior, and abilities is essential to a pediatrician's job. It also includes educating parents on how to care for their children properly. Pediatricians advise parents on safety, fitness, nutrition, and general health.
The education and training of a pediatrician
Before specializing in pediatrics, a pediatrician must first complete medical school. Four years of undergraduate study, four years of medical school, and three years in a recognized pediatric residency program are required. The residency further broadens their knowledge of the best medical treatment for infants, kids, and teenagers.
Pediatricians in the US can become board-certified by passing the residency program; the American Board of Pediatrics grants this certification. Every seven years, pediatricians must undergo recertification to maintain their licensure.
What are the services offered by a pediatrician?
Pediatricians are responsible for a range of tasks. From wellness checkups to managing chronic medical conditions, they handle it all. Pediatricians diagnose and treat illnesses, injuries, and infections and offer preventive care. They provide numerous services, including:
- Giving vaccines
- Referring families to specialists as needed
- Performing regular health and wellness checkups (well-baby or well-child visits)
- Conducting physical exams
- Prescribing medication
- Listening to parents’ concerns and answering their questions
How is a pediatrician different from a family physician?
Family doctors treat individuals of all ages, including infants, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. It's frequently a personal decision whether to take a child to a family doctor or a pediatrician. On the other hand, pediatricians have received specialized training in caring for children's emotional and behavioral needs in addition to their medical needs. They might also have more extensive knowledge of diagnosing and treating illnesses in children.
What are well-child visits, and why are they essential for your children?
Well-child visits are essential for parents to stay updated about their kid’s health. These visits start a few days after your child is born and continue until they reach adulthood. Schedule timely wellness visits with the best pediatrician near you to ensure your child hits all standard developmental milestones.
Your child’s pediatrician will do the following during these visits:
- Perform a physical exam.
- Track your child’s growth.
- Give your child the necessary vaccinations or immunizations.
- Gather information about your child’s behavior and development.
- Guide you on handling medical emergencies and sudden illnesses.
- Discuss health and safety issues, nutrition, physical fitness, and illness prevention.
Listed below are some essential milestones pediatricians check for:
- Six months: Your child should roll over, respond to their name, and have decent hand-eye coordination.
- One year: They should be able to take a few steps and utter simple words.
- Two years: They should start to run, be able to say two-to-four-word phrases, and be ready to start potty training.
- Four years: They should start socializing with other children, have good language skills, and copy letters and numbers.
Well-child visits are the best time to clear doubts about your child’s health. So, do not be afraid to ask questions. Note any queries you might have between these visits and discuss them with your child’s pediatrician when you see them. This way, you also provide them with a more comprehensive picture of your child’s growth and development.
Oral health problems in children
Children's oral health often becomes a concern as several problems affect oral health, including tooth decay, thumb sucking, lip sucking, and early tooth loss. Maintaining oral hygiene is essential as it affects the well-being and overall health of the child.
Tooth Decay in Babies
Infants or toddlers cannot manage their oral hygiene by themselves and are at risk of tooth decay. Baby bottle tooth decay happens due to frequent consumption of sugary drinks like fruit juices, milk, or any other beverage with sugar content as bacteria inside the mouth feed on the sugar from those drinks and cause decay. Tooth decay can cause pain, and if baby teeth are damaged, they can affect the positioning of the permanent teeth and make them crooked.
Parents can prevent tooth decay in children in several ways:
- Replacing sugary drinks to calm the baby with plain water or a pacifier during the day.
- Reducing sugar-like honey intake through the pacifier.
- Reducing sugar in baby food.
- Providing fluoride supplements for the babies.
- Use a wet cloth to wipe the baby's teeth after feeding to prevent bacterial build-up inside the mouth.
Tongue thrusting
Tongue thrusting is pressing the tongue against the lips to swallow, exerting pressure against the front teeth and creating an overbite that might lead to improper speech development. In these cases, one should consult a pediatrician or a speech pathologist who can help the child develop new swallowing techniques without exerting pressure on the front teeth.
Early tooth loss
Prematurely losing baby teeth can be caused due to decay, injury, or lack of jaw space. Baby teeth acquire space for permanent teeth; therefore, early loss of primary teeth can cause nearby teeth to shift and tilt, causing the permanent teeth to come out crooked due to lack of space. These teeth cause problems in chewing and can also cause temporomandibular joint problems, i.e., the joint that facilitates speech, chewing, and yawning gets affected.
Thumb sucking
We often find infants with thumbs inside their mouths. Sucking thumbs, pacifiers, or toys is very common and healthy as it provides comfort to the child. But, after a certain age, when the permanent teeth start to grow, the habit can cause dental problems like misalignment of the teeth and overbite. Sometimes, it can also cause speech problems.
Respiratory problems in children
Pediatric Asthma is the inflammation of the airways and lungs, usually occurring due to a cold or an allergic reaction. Although the reason for occurrence is the same, pediatric asthma symptoms differ from adults with asthma. Different signs and symptoms of asthma are:
- Persistent coughing
- Cough spells during exercise, while playing, in cold air, while laughing or crying
- Cough worsens during viral infection
- Trouble sleeping due to coughing
- Rapid breathing
- Chest tightening or pain
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling weak or tired
- Trouble eating
A pediatrician will prescribe tests for children above five years of age to confirm asthma. One must consult the doctor if the child suffers a severe asthma attack, which usually has signs like:
- Using stomach muscles to breathe
- Chest and side that pull during breathing
- Severe coughing and wheezing
- Trouble walking and talking
- Fast heartbeat
- Chest pain
- Widened nostrils
- Blue fingertips and lips Conditions that trigger asthma are:
- Airway infections like pneumonia, common cold, and sinus infections
- Allergens like pollen, dust mites, molds, and pet dander
- Irritants like air pollution, chemicals, and odors
- Exercise can also cause wheezing and coughing
Pediatric asthma requires immediate medical attention to be controlled to allow the children to continue their everyday lives, participate in daily activities, and prevent any long-term symptoms. Regular pediatrician consultation will help keep the symptoms in check and prevent any attack. Asthma symptoms usually go down as the children reach their teenage years. However, it is vital to keep the triggers in check. Asthma can cause complications like fatigue, stress, delay in growth and puberty, or damage to the lungs and airways if uncontrolled.
To treat asthma in children, doctors develop a care plan called an asthma action plan that charts out the medication doses and their timings, how to respond to asthma attacks, and when to seek emergency care.
Find the best pediatrician near you in San Francisco
Dealing with a disease like pediatric asthma requires constant consultations from an experienced pediatrician who can provide proper guidance. Although people rely on their friends or family to contact doctors, Zocdoc gives you a trustworthy platform to reach top-rated pediatricians in San Francisco.
It helps you book appointments without waiting in long queues and saves you the trouble of asking around for proper treatment of your children. Zocdoc provides all the necessary information about the doctors, including their educational background, board certification, the language spoken by the doctors, and their experience. Public ratings and reviews are also accessible to help you with your decision. Zocdoc also provides payment options, using your insurance to pay for the treatment. All these options help you identify the best pediatrician near you and book an appointment with them at no additional cost.
You can book both in-person and online sessions via Zocdoc. While browsing the list of doctors matching your criteria, look for a purple video icon beside their name. The presence of this icon indicates that the doctor offers virtual consultations.
All bookings made via Zocdoc are 100% fast, free, and safe!
Pediatric statistics in San Francisco
Dental problems are predominant in the United States, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than half of children aged 6-8 years have had cavities in at least one of their baby teeth. More than 50% of adolescents aged 12-19 have had a cavity in at least one of their permanent teeth.
According to the San Francisco government statistics, around 28.2 % of children in the age group of 5-17 have lifetime asthma. In a broader picture, approximately 6.3 % of California children who fall in the age group of 0-4 have active asthma. Currently, nearly 11.6% of children in California who fall in the age range of 5-17 carry asthma.
Sources
WebMD[1]
WebMD[2]
SF.gov
Cleveland Clinic
American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
News Medical Life Sciences
California Department of Public Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Healthline
