Before you grab antibiotics for your kid… please read this (pediatric dentistry real talk)

okay so I’m just jotting this down kinda quickly because Antibiotic Awareness Week popped up again and we’ve been talking about it nonstop at Smile Explorers Pediatric Dentistry. Maybe this will help some parent scrolling for answers (hi, if that’s you).

So a mom came in the other day, super stressed, kid had cheek pain + tooth pain, and she’s like, “Can we please start antibiotics today? I don’t want him crying all night again.” And honestly SAME — nobody wants their kid miserable. Antibiotics feel like a shortcut, but most of the time (feels like 90% even if that’s not the real number lol) these issues aren’t fixed by antibiotics at all.

Most colds, coughs, sniffles, those random school fevers… all viral. No antibiotic is going to fix “the kid who sneezed in your child’s face.”

And with kids’ dental care, it gets even more confusing. Tooth hurts = parents think it MUST be an infection. But half the time it’s just a cavity or something inside the tooth that needs actual treatment, not medication. Antibiotics won’t magically heal a tooth — the dentist will (promise).

This is a HUGE thing in children’s oral health, honestly. Parents give antibiotics “just in case,” and then when the child REALLY needs them — like real swelling, actual bacterial infection — the medicine barely works because the bacteria got stronger. Like a video game villain levelling up for no reason.

Not saying antibiotics are bad! Sometimes they’re absolutely the hero — like if the swelling is spreading or the kid can’t chew because the pain is too much. Then yes, they help. But even then, they’re not the main treatment… just support.

Also PLEASE don’t stop halfway if your child does need antibiotics. Finishing the full course matters. Half-done antibiotics = bacteria becoming mini-supervillains.

As an Arizona pediatric dentist office, we see this all year, not just during Antibiotic Awareness Week, but this week feels like a sticky note reminder on your fridge saying:
“Hey, maybe don’t grab antibiotics for every sniffle or toothache.”

Just keep doing the simple things: brushing (even when kids turn into tiny drama queens), flossing kinda-regularly, and coming in for checkups before things get worse. A lot of problems never even get a chance to show up when you do that.

Not a fancy article or anything… just real talk the way people actually speak.
If this makes even one parent rethink antibiotics for something that isn’t bacterial, then cool. If not… well, at least I wrote it.