Getting Ready for Your Child’s First Dental Visit

As a parent, you want your children to have healthy teeth, and you try to instill healthy dental hygiene habits to protect them from cavities. Of course, regular brushing and flossing are essential to dental health, but just as important are regular check-ups from the dentist. At what age should you schedule that first appointment?

Paving the way to good dental hygiene

Make dental hygiene fun!

Your child’s first dental visit is a big deal for a number of reasons. First, it gives your child the opportunity to meet the pediatric dentist and get comfortable with the process. Second, it instills the value of regular visits at a young age. Third, it provides parents an opportunity to ask questions and make sure they are doing the best they can to protect their child’s dental health.

Typically, experts say it is important to make that first appointment within six months to a year of the first tooth coming in. This will vary by age for each child, and in some cases can mean the child is very young when they make their first visit. That’s okay. Early childhood cavities are far too common, so putting off the visit until they are older is not worth the risk.

There are things you can do to prepare them and make it a positive experience. First of all, as a parent, you have a huge impact on how your child views the upcoming visit. If you have a positive attitude about it, if you treat is as something fun and exciting and important, your child will too. Even at a very young age, a child can pick up on your attitude, and it will sway how they feel about it.

Second, if your child is old enough, you can talk to them about what to expect. Put it in terms they can understand and always be positive. Avoid any negative words, such as pain, discomfort or needle, and explain why the visit is good for their health. Don’t be afraid to ask your dentist for advice or materials to help educate your child.

Third, you should already be teaching your child good oral hygiene habits before you make the appointment, so just connect the two. If your child is already familiar with brushing, they won’t think it strange when the dentist starts examining their teeth. You are instilling the idea of healthy teeth early, and even if they are so young that they can’t quite communicate or understand what is happening, they will at least get a sense that it is okay.

Very young children can be fussy when they visit the dentist for the first time. On the other hand, if you prepare them and help them feel positive about it, you might be surprised at how well that first visit goes. Even an infant can enjoy the experience, and, as a parent, you can take pride in the fact that you are starting your child on an early path to good oral hygiene.

Call Haddon Family Dentistry for more information on home dental education. If you haven’t yet scheduled an appointment for your child, make one today!