At what age should I start taking my son to the dentist?

Question

He'll be three next week - and I want to take him....does the dentist just observe his teeth to see if they are in good shape? I just don't think he would sit for a cleaning!!

Answer 1

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentists recommends you take your child to the dentist for the first time at age one. Usually at this visit, they'll just acquaint you to what to do with his/her teeth. By age three, all of his baby teeth have already erupted and it's crucial to visit the dentist. If you visit a pediatric dentist, they will be very receptive in how to handle your son. They may do the dentistry with him sitting on your lap and his head in the dentist's lap. This is a common technique for children who are anxious during the first visit. In any case, it's time to have his teeth checked to ensure everything is developing properly.

You can go to: http://www.aapd.org/finddentist/ to find a dentist in your area! This should also provide some answers to useful questions: http://www.aapd.org/pediatricinformation/faq.asp

Don't fall into the trap of saying, "Oh, well they're only baby teeth!" Decay in these teeth can lead to serious problems with the adult teeth which have already started to develop!

Answer 2

For youur first child you should take them to the dentist as soon as they have teeth. This visit I tell the parents, is mostly for the parents.

I cover oral hygiene, what to expect, how the teeth should look.

Mostly I tell the parents that they are responsible for making sure the teeth are cleaned until highschool graduation. for your second child or more you can wait a bit longer. did you know some teeth come into the mouth with holes already in them? Thats why its important to identify the genetic predisposition and treat early so we can avoid the needles and yelling when the child is 6 or 7.

first child as soon as they have teeth.
2nd or more 3 years old.

If your dentist looks at you and says he has no idea why you are there. then that is sad consider switching. Maybe they don't like working with kids. But I believe they are never too young to start building up posative dental visit experiences.

Hope it helps

Answer 3

As soon as your child has teeth, dentists are happy to see them. From experience, I can tell you that they earlier the better. They will become accustomed to the dentist at an earlier age, they will not have a fear of going to see the dentist, and they will see problems more quickly if they start early. My son ended up being sent to an orthodontist at 7-8 years old, because the dentist noted problems. We are now able to work on correcting the jaw problem conservatively at an early age, instead of waiting for jaw surgery at an older age.
Cavities are often not seen by the naked eye and the baby teeth need to be treated if they have cavities.
Take him and you'll be glad you did!!!

Answer 4

5

Answer 5

They say to start when they are 3 for a check up and a cleaning and then start taking them every 6 months. That's what I do with my twins. They now get fluoride treatments every 6 months and they are 4. It also gets them going early and makes it so they aren't scare of the dentist. But my step-daughter has had caps on her teeth since she was 3 cuz her mom put her to bed with fruit punch in a sippy cup every night and it eat the coating off her teeth. So you need to probably take him in the next 6 months. Good luck!!!

Answer 6

Most dentists think a first checkup should start around 3 or 4 years old unless the child are complaints from the child. The checkup is just to make sure everything is OK. Probabably annual checkups after that only.

Answer 7

i would say 4 or 5 try 2 show him y he needs 2 c the dentist and try 2 make it fun 4 him 2 always go 2 the dentist

Answer 8

There are dentists who train and specialize in dealing with children....called pediadontist. Look in yellow pages for child dentistry specialists. Good to go regularly, esp if you have insurance. Lots of treatments (like fluoride and a protective "resin-like paint or coating" to keep cavities from forming in teeth crevices ) to keep kids' baby teeth healthy so that the adult teeth will eventually be healthy and grow in well. The dentists for kids are very creative in the ways they get their wiggly child patients to behave. Larger urban areas have many pediadontists to chose from. Help child learn to brush even at two years. Talk to them and let them go with you (for a few minutes to take a peek at everything) when you go in for your checkups and show them what they will have done too. These pediadontists often have waiting rooms with lots of toys and fish tanks and TOYS for well behaved children AFTER their appt. Fun dental specialty most the time. American Academy of Pediatrics recommends "the earlier the better", around one, when the baby teeth are coming in in full force. Many babies who go to sleep with a bottle get "nursing bottle mouth disease" and can rot their baby teeth before they can even walk, making it a HORROR for adult teeth emergence later on. Don't let babies go to bed with bottles, esp with apple juice and other sweet drinks. Bacteria that cause dental caries or cavities thrive that way and rot the teeth. Also have kids brush several times a day, before and after eating, not just twice. Avoid giving kids sweets, or if sweets are given it is with the CONDITION that they brush. Countries with low SODA drinking have lower cavity rates than countries without sodas. Average American is consuming about 140# of sugar a year and many it is in the form of sodas. If you want toprevent diabetes, obesity and rotten teeth, avoid the sugar mania! Be a good parent and DON'T give rewards of sugar, candy, sweets, ice cream, cake, etc! If you are into the tooth fairy thing, tell children that the tooth fairy only comes and takes the cavity-free teeth.

Answer 9

4-5 is a good age to start taking kids to the dentist. True, they might not want to sit still, but it is important for them to see a dentist so you can avoid cavities and such.

Answer 10

They won't try to clean his teeth at three-years-old, but just do a baseline exam to make sure everything looks good. I took all of my children for this when they turned 1, but 3 seems like a great age to do this too.