When Is It Time for 1St Dentist Visit?

It really all depends on you.

Are you brushing them now at least once a day? Our dentist recommends focusing on the night brushing.

Is she going to sleep with a bottle?

How much juice is she drinking?

Added sugar?

How are you and your husband's teeth?

I waited until my daughter was nearly three (she didn't get her first one until she turned a year) but I bordered on hyper-vigilant. I had been cleaning mouth pretty regularly since well before a year old. I started flossing periodically at two because her second molars coming in caused her teeth to have pretty tight contacts. We drink tap water so I felt she was getting sufficient fluoride.

I have to tell you, she did great at her first appointment. I explained what would happen during the visit. She was so used to me being in her mouth that she opened right up and let him clean and floss her teeth. She wouldn't even sit on my lap! She said, "I do it myself!"

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I started taking my kids to the dentist when I had my own appointment as soon as they got their first tooth. They would lay in my lap for the first part of my exam, get their own little 2 minute exam, and then I would have a helper with me to keep them in the waiting room for the rest of my exam. At two years old, I started making their own appointments for "true exams." By that time, they had already been to the dentist a few times with me and were not in the least bit worried about it.

Good luck!

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I have had two different dentists for my 3-year-old. They both told me to bring them in at one year. My 1-year-old has been already. Clayton even had an x-ray at 18 months. Our insurance pays 100% of the check-ups, so why not? Really, everyone seems to have different recommendations, but how could it hurt to take them earlier? I do medical transcription and do several reports each week for kids under 3 who have multiple cavities and multiple teeth pulled, et cetera, so it is very important to me to not put my children through that.

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Personally, if you don't see any problems or have concerns I don't think you need to go to a pediatric dentist until they are about 3 or 4.

Our regular, adult dentist will "see" the kids for free. He says, hello, has them open their mouths, talks about the instruments, counts their teeth and go for a chair ride. His logic is it's all about making them comfortable and have some fun.

We only went to the pediatric dentist when we noticed a "dark spot" on one of her molars. It turned into a major deal. My dentist looked at it and referred us to a ped. The peds office was awesome and I am so glad that we took our kids to a "kids dentist" when they needed to go.

NOTE: don't forget to add them to your dental plan before you take them.

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the magazines say to go at 1 year, but I've had some dentists look at me strange when I brought the girls in that young... even a pediatric dentist.

My oldest had 12 teeth at a year and 16 teeth at 13 months... so i brought her in at a year and a half to my regular dentist. He cleaned her teeth, but she screamed the whole time.
Then at age 2, I brought her to a pediatric dentist, and he looked at me strange. She threw a fit again, and he said not to bring her back for at least a year!!!
so I brought her again at 3, but she didn't let him clean her teeth until she was 3.5 years.
My younger daughter I brought at 3 years 3 months and she let him clean her teeth that visit, but not the next. go figure!

anyway, at 1 year with only 2 teeth, I think i would wait. maybe at 2 years, just bring her in so they can take a peek, but they probably won't do any cleaning.

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You should take your little one to the dentist within the next month or 2 :) its great that you are even questioning it so many moms dont realize how important it is! there are alot of reasons why a dentist should see her so early in age...baby teeth are soooo important to keep heathly and sadly enough kids can get cavitys as toddlers and those cavities need to be taken care of even though they are baby teeth...I had to learn all of this the hard way so please please please take my advice and start her new experience at the dentist :) good luck

M. D

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As a dental hygienist Starr's post is spot on!! Take her to your apt sit on your lap for a little while...at the end I will give them a ride in the chair, a toothbrush maybe put a little mirror in their mouth (for me to look) and count their teeth. Unless you suspect a dental problem they really don't need to be "seen" until 2 or 2 and a half. Make sure your brushing babies teeth EVERY night! A wash cloth will work too!

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Even though I was told I should take my daughter to the dentist at age 1, I really did't see the need when we cleaned her teeth really well at home. It helped that my daughter loved brushing her teeth and sometimes would try an brush them multiple times throughout the day. We also read Elmo goes to the dentist- I think that helped too because in the book it talked about everything that happens at the dentist.

I finally took her when she was almost 3 and she loved it(She's 4 now)- it might have helped too that I love going to the dentist. Anyways, she jumped up into the chair and layed down and opened her mouth. During the checkup she told her dentist that her visit was just like Elmo's. He was very surprised on how well she did and said he wished he had all of his patients were so excited to see him. She goes every 6 months and every time she loves it. This past time she was even the dental hygienist's helper when I was getting my cleaning done.

Make it enjoyable! Because if they realize it is a fun thing to do then in the future they won't dread it.

after all primary teeth are erupted. Or there is an issue like decay(caries) Start brushing your daughters teeth 2x daily. She needs to know this is a daily thing to do and she won't fight you later. Mother of 5. and a Dental Hygienist. Good luck.

American Academy of Pediatric dentists, aapd recommends first dental visit by the time the first tooth comes in or at least by 12 months.

Do not wait until all the teeth primary have come in because early child hood caries is on the rise in 2-5 years old, read the 2000 Surgeon general;s oral health report. Children get cavities between their teeth also and just looking at the 6 front teeth with no cavities may not mean that they are caries free.
aapd.org
aap. org
has ample info on infant oral health care
caries is a preventable disease.

Our doctor told us to start going at age 1 since my son had teeth already. But when I called the pediatric dentist, he said to wait until my son was three...unless there was a problem (chipped tooth, spots, etc). I thought this was odd, but a mom at our daycare works for a dentist and she said the same thing. Go figure.

My doctor told me to take my daughter as soon as her first tooth appeared.

Both my daughters were 3 when they first went to the dentist. It helped that I was always keeping their teeth clean. They were both in preschool and a dentist would come to their school. I made an appointment for a ped dentist the following day. Both experiences were wonderful. They enjoyed it and learned a lot about what they should and shouldn't eat. So did I!

My pediatric dentist said the guidelines have been revised and that they are recommending age 1 now. I started bringing my daughter at age 2.

all mom's and doc. will tell you different things. I was a dental assistant before I started having kids so when my first started getting her teeth i just made sure I brushed them twice a day and I just kept an eye on them to make sure I didn't see anything that was a concern. I just took her now that she is 3. I felt that was a good age because she is old enough to understand what is going on and she did great. And her teeth are healthy with no cavities.