What Age Should I Bring my Child to the Dentist?
What age should I bring my child to the dentist?
Whether you are a new parent or just wondering when is the best time to bring your child for a dental checkup, the short answer is that sooner is always better, starting at 12 months. Most of our patients we see between 24 and 36 months, but we always prefer to see children closer to 18 months if possible.
Despite sounding scary, early visits for children do not require much and are diagnostic and preventative in nature. For parents who are already brushing their children’s teeth at that age and attempting to floss between teeth that are touching, the primary driver for recommending early visits is to promote familiarity with the dentist. It’s important that this familiarity turns into trust so that future visits for pediatric cleanings or any restorative work become manageable for your children.
Of course, avoiding early dental anxiety and trauma is best done with good daily hygiene habits. However, another important way is to become familiar with basic cleanings and dental exams; this way, any issues, such as small cavities requiring preventative sealants or small fillings, can be resolved with minimal procedures. We typically see that pediatric patients who have the toughest time are those who have avoided the dentist for several years, and issues have been ongoing and growing over time. Because they are not familiar with the dental office, even distractions such as TV shows and toys are not enough to keep their anxiety away. Resulting in a tough procedure for children, parents, and the dental office staff.
What does my child’s first dental visit entail?
If you are ready to bring your child to their first dental visit – you may be wondering what will be done that day. The appointment is quite simple for children under 3 to 4 years old (but crucial in developing familiarity and trust at the dentist). No X-rays are performed for toddler-aged children, nor is a full dental cleaning performed with traditional scaling or ultrasonic tools.
First, the dentist and staff will provide a dental examination to establish the overall dental health and progress of the patient. The doctor will look at how their teeth are growing in, both in terms of spacing and which teeth are more or less developed. Additionally, the doctor will look to see that all surfaces of their teeth have been brushed adequately and recommend flossing in areas where teeth are already touching. When teeth start touching, the doctor recommends beginning a flossing routine using pediatric floss picks. During this examination, the doctor often plays a small game with the child, pretending to “count” their teeth. However, internally, the doctor uses brief moments to visually check for the condition and growth of their teeth.
In addition to encouraging an early start on flossing, the doctor also looks for things that may be detrimental to future dental health or complications. In particular, at 18 to 36 months of age, the doctor looks for signs of continued pacifier use and recommends weaning off so as not to cause issues with teeth straightness or their natural bite (occlusion).
Finally, after an insightful dental exam, the staff will help the patient with a thorough brushing. Partially to help with additional trust and familiarity of a dental professional touching their teeth, but also to help focus on any areas the dentist may have mentioned needing more focus on brushing and flossing well. This is also another opportunity to help educate the parents or caretakers on how to efficiently, comfortably, and effectively help their little ones with their daily dental hygiene habits!
In conclusion, we recommend bringing your children to the dentist as soon as 12 months, but typically, we expect around 18 to 24 months of age to be optimal. While the immediate benefits of a dental visit are to confirm there are no near-term issues and confirmation or refinement of daily dental habits, we want to stress the importance of early familiarity with dental offices. Being familiar early on will help children become comfortable with any future dental needs, making it a better experience for the children, parents, and dental staff. From a practical standpoint, it should lead to fewer dental visits and avoid the need for anesthesia or other more expensive pediatric procedures.