When Should My Child First Visit the Dentist?

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children first visit the pediatric dentist by their first birthday. While this may seem early, the truth is that tooth decay and other oral health problems can develop as soon as a child’s first tooth erupts. It is never too early to help your child develop healthy habits relating to his or her oral hygiene.

How to Prepare for
Your Child’s First Dental Appointment

Many kids often develop the false belief that going to the pediatric dentist’s office is something to be afraid of. In order to help combat these feelings and make your child feel more positive and comfortable about going to the dentist, we’d like to give you a few helpful tips:

Let your child know beforehand about the appointment and build some excitement about it.
Don’t show any signs of nervousness yourself! Kids can pick up on your feelings so make sure to approach the trip to the dentist with a positive attitude.
Reassure your child that this first visit to the dentist is just a chance to take a look inside his or her mouth.
Bring a comforting toy and some extra diapers with you to the appointment.
Our office has TV’s in each room to providing your child with a great distraction.

What to Expect During the Visit

A typical first visit to the dentist will include the following:

First, we will spend a couple of minutes to get settled in and explain what we’ll be going over.
When everyone’s comfortable, we’ll perform a gentle examination of your child’s mouth. We’ll be looking for tooth decay and any signs of possible oral disease in the future.
We will then take the time to discuss our observations from the examination.
Finally, we’ll discuss ways to improve your child’s oral hygiene and how to promote healthy oral habits.

When Should My Child First Visit the Dentist?

How to Prepare for Your Child’s First Dental Appointment

What to Expect During the Visit

Take The Next Step!

How to Prepare for
Your Child’s First Dental Appointment