Your Child’s First Dental Visit

Infants should start to visit a dentist starting when they are either 1 years old or 6 months within the first tooth coming in. Dental visits that are started at a young age can help children grow up being comfortable in a dental office. It can also help them to avoid childhood oral health diseases that are so common. Find out what you can expect from your child’s first dental visit and why they need these visits!

First Dental Visit for Kids

If you are a first-time parent (or even a parent with many kids), you may wonder when you should start taking your child in for their first dental visit. Some oral hygiene habits should actually start before that first dental visit, as an infant will start to get teeth sometime in their first or second year. As soon as your infant gets their first tooth, begin brushing their teeth (or tooth) with infant fluoride toothpaste and an infant or gum brush. Then, schedule a visit within 6 months of that first tooth for a first dental visit.

Dental professionals will vary with the time that an infant should have their first dental visit. However, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children have their first dental visit as early as 1 year or within 6 months of the first tooth eruption. This is mostly to see how the teeth are coming in and if a child has any signs of baby bottle tooth decay, which can happen easily. Starting off that first dental visit early can help infants to learn to be comfortable in a dental setting as they grow into toddlers and children.

Some dental professionals will only see children starting at age 3, but you should definitely have your child’s mouth examined before that time, as many of the teeth are in by age 3. Tooth decay from nursing and baby bottles often happens in the first 2 years of life as well, so you can catch that decay early with dental visits when your child is very young.

What Is a First Dental Visit Like?

Upon arriving at your first dental visit with us, we will record all previous medical and dental history. For infant patients, we will start them off fresh with a dental record starting that day. We use this information to track oral health over the months and years to see patterns and to keep track of past oral health and medical issues that can affect your teeth and gums.

Infants will have a quick checkup just to see how the teeth and gums look. For the delicate baby teeth, we look for color changes and any signs of decay beginning to happen. We also teach parents how they should be caring for a child’s teeth and gums until the child can care for them on their own. This information is so helpful for parents to help their children avoid decay and tooth loss too soon. For these examinations, infants can even be in a parent’s lap, where they feel safe and secure.

For adults and teens, we will protect you with x-ray coverings and then take digital x-rays of your teeth. This is so we can see inside your teeth and mouth to spots signs of tooth decay and bite and alignment issues. Any major issues can be reported to an orthodontist. For tooth decay (cavities), we can make a plan to remove the decay quickly and get your teeth healthy all over.

For much of your first dental visit, you will have a dental cleaning, where we clean each tooth gently and meticulously for a sparkling clean. The dentist will examine your x-rays and will do a physical examination of your mouth and teeth, checking for oral cancer and any abnormalities. This first dental visit is very easy and gentle, but is so important to you and your child’s oral health!

Schedule Your Child’s First Dental Visit

Our friendly and gentle team understands that many people feel anxious about dental visits. That is why it’s so important to make sure patients feel at ease in the dental office. We want all of our patients to continue to get their biannual dental exams and check-ups so that their oral health stays good for life. That starts with the first dental visit.

No matter if it’s your child’s first dental visit or your own, we will make you feel welcome. This is a time for you to ask questions—any and all—so that you know what you can expect from your dental care and so that you know what you should be doing to keep your teeth and gums healthy. To learn more specifics about your first dental visit or infant oral care, call Stonebrook Family Dental today at (303) 872-7907!