When Should Your Child Visit the Family Dentist?

Early development is crucial to ensuring that health is maintained for life. This is true for all aspects of life, whether it’s general health, vision or dentistry. Unfortunately, many parents don’t know the best way to protect their child’s oral health, outside of brushing and flossing. By visiting a family dentist every six months and taking the time to prioritize these visits, you prepare your child for what’s needed to keep their smile healthy and functional well into adulthood.

To start, here’s when you should bring your child in for their first visit.

When Your Child Should Visit

Children should visit their dentist within six months of their first tooth erupting or by their first birthday. Even if they reach one year of age and no baby teeth have erupted yet, you should still bring them in for their visit. Dentists want to make sure that no issues are present with your child’s oral structures overall, not just their teeth.

Furthermore, baby teeth are an incredibly important part of your child’s oral development. While it’s true that they will eventually fall out and be replaced with permanent teeth, tooth decay can develop as soon as baby teeth erupt. If decay breaks down their teeth and causes them to fall out prematurely, it can cause significant developmental and bite issues later in life. Permanent teeth that grow in too soon are likely to come in crooked.

What Will the Visit Entail?

While the visit will involve a brief oral exam, most of your time will be dedicated to having a conversation with the dentist on at-home care and future treatments you may want to consider for your child. During the exam, your child can sit on your lap for moral support, allowing them to feel more comfortable. It is one of the dentist’s highest priorities to make sure your child has a good first impression during the visit. Establishing a good relationship now is key to making future visits, both as a child and as an adult, easier.

At-Home Care Tips Parents Should Know

Routine dental visits help us confirm many facts about your child’s oral health, but at-home care is going to be the largest part of protecting their smile in between visits. That’s why during your visit, you’ll get to go over all relevant steps and tips to make oral care simple and straightforward.

To help you get started, consider the following when helping your child learn at-home care:

• Between three and six years of age, they should be using only a grain of rice-sized amount of toothpaste on a soft-bristled toothbrush designed to fit their mouth. After reaching age six, they can start using a pea-sized amount of toothpaste from now on.
• They should start flossing once they have two teeth that touch.
• Do not let them take a baby bottle to bed, unless it only contains plain water. This will reduce the risk of baby bottle tooth decay.
• Make sure their diets are balanced and not too high in sugar and starch, the two most common ingredients directly related to plaque development.

Looking for more tips to protect your child’s teeth and gums? Schedule an appointment to get started!

About the Author

Dr. Derrick Castleberry earned his dental degree from the Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry. As a father, he understands the importance of protecting teeth and gums at a young age, so you can trust him to provide exceptional care and valuable advice that benefits your child’s oral health. To learn more about his practice, you can contact him through his website.