When Should My Child Start Seeing a Dentist?
Early, consistent dental care gives your child a strong foundation for lifelong good health. We recommend scheduling your child’s first visit before their first birthday and bringing them in for regular checkups from then on. This will help your child learn to feel safe and comfortable going to the dentist, help them establish good dental health habits, and can prevent some dental problems from ever occurring.
What Should I Do Before My Child’s First Visit?
If your child is old enough to understand, talk with them before the visit. Gently explain that we want to help make sure their teeth are happy and healthy and that we’ll just be taking a look inside their mouth. If they feel nervous, you can reassure them that we’re a friendly bunch and that of course, you’ll be with them the whole time!
We recommend leaving other family members at home if you can so that you can focus your attention on your child during the visit.
What Time Should I Schedule the Appointment?
To help your child have a good experience, we suggest using the following guidelines as a rule of thumb.
Young Children
We strongly recommend scheduling toddlers or preschoolers in the morning.
School-Age Children
We find that older children do well with afternoon appointments (mornings are okay too).
Big Procedures
We recommend scheduling larger or more complex procedures in the morning.
Questions?
Give our friendly team a call!
