When to Take Baby to Dentist - El Paso,TX

I am a Registered Dental Assistant and usually Dentist prefer to see children at the age of three. There is always an exception to the rule though. If you see dark spots or abnormalties in the tooth enamel take them in before. Not all childrens tooth enamel forms correctly making it easy for them to get cavities.

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Hi P.,
I work for a dental office, so I hope that my input is helpful to you. General dentist will not always see young children, so you will get varying answers on that.
It is recommended that a child see's a dentist (Pediatric Dentist) starting at age 1.
Not that many problems develop at such a young age.
When you take a 1 yr. old to see a dentist it's not for a check-up. It is to develop a relationship between that child and his/her dentist. They really may only count teeth! But it is important so that the child will not grow up with a fear of the dentist as so many people (both children and adults) do. So, it is more for developing life long healthy habits. If you have trouble finding a pediatric dentist in your area, please call me @ ###-###-#### (Castle Dental) our specialist travel to areas all over Houston and I would be more than happy to help you find a location that is convenient for you. GOOD LUCK!!

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Well...if she doesn't have teeth...you definitely don't need to worry about it yet.

I've gotten a couple of different opinions...everything from 1 year to 2-3 years. I've not taken my 2.5 year old to the dentist yet. I have been cleaning her gums since she was 4 or 5 months (she didn't have a tooth until she was a year) and have been pretty dedicated to brushing at least once a day since she got teeth. I also have the pediatrician take a look on a regular basis and make sure everything looks good.

I would say that if your child sleeps with a bottle of milk/formula/juice (after getting teeth), you're not dedicated about brushing, and you will allow sweets at a young age that you should take her around a year. Also, consider how the family history looks--my teeth and daddy's are very healthy so I worry less about hers.

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No teeth, no worries:) I don't think you would need to think about it until a year, but then if she doesn't have many teeth, then I wouldn't worry too much. Everything I have read says sometime by their third birthday. My son just turned two and has about 20 teeth now so I am planning on taking him in the near future. We brush teeth morning and night and his teeth are beautiful and healthy. The main reason I am holding off is because I am wanting to give him more time to be mature enough to handle the visit! I think he is ready now:) As another poster said, just clean her gums daily and you should be good for now. You can base your decision on how many teeth she gets and how fast she gets them. If she has a mouthful at age one you may have to take her sooner than later, just depends on her.

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You've had good responses so I guess I'm not saying anything you haven't heard...
I started taking mine around 2 1/2 to 3 years...I made it fun, light hearted, and more like a "field trip" so they would learn to "enjoy" the dentist.
Both my kids have been lucky so far..I think, as they have only had 1 cavity each, and they were fairly minor cavities.
Today both my kids have been going every six months since they were 2 1/2, to 3 years, and they love going. even after the fillings...they still love to go.
I am sure their dentist and hygienist like the fact that they like it so much. Other than the fact they can't get them quiet long enough to get in their mouths!! LOL

Good Luck deciding, your baby girl is lucky to have a thoughful careing mother!

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I've always been told that the time to start taking children to the dentist is when they have teeth. All the juices and milk they drink tend to affect their teeth as food affects adult teeth. I hope this helps.

I took my son right when he turned 3.

I see you are getting a multitude of ages. Let me say that by age 3, children can already be well on their way to having multiple cavities, especially if you are not diligent on brushing. I would definitely start now brushing her gums. You can get a fingertip "brush" and use baby toothpaste that does not have fluoride in it. I did this with my boy and I've never had a problem getting him to brush his teeth. He's always been used to it. My sister, on the other hand, has a little girl a year younger. They have always had problems with her, I think because they didn't start her at a young age and once they did start weren't consistent about it. Consequently, she has had to have a tooth capped because it had a cavity, filled, then got worse.

Fluoride can be harmful if too much is swallowed. This I don't completely understand since most public water sources are fortified with fluoride. However, I have read a report that childrens' teeth are not as healthy as they once were even though more public water sources are adding fluoride. Dentists think that it may be because more people are drinking bottled water instead of using tap water.

When my son was a baby he was on Medicaid. They had me take him when he was 1 year old. He already had a few teeth, so the dentist looked at them. Plus, he did X-Rays to make sure the other teeth buds were looking good. The dentist we go to, a pediatric dentist, said as young as 6 months old is not too young. That way the dentist can check the teeth buds. I would call around to your local pediatric dentists and ask them. My son is 7 1/2 now. He has never had a cavity and I have no problem getting him to brush in the morning and before bed.

Some will say as soon as the baby gets teeth (seemed a little early to me). Others say at a year. That's a good time to get an early start.

I took my son when he turned 2. It was great for him, and we've had his twice a year check ups ever since.

I took my daughter for a first visit (no x rays nor exams, just look in the mouth and get her comfortable with the dentist) at 2. He looked her over and told me that I could wait until she was closer to 3 to bring her again. She's very shy and since her teeth showed no signs of decay, he said, "Keep up the good work brushing!" and said we could wait.

We have great dental coverage, though, so I didn't hesitate to take them early.

At this age, no, you don't need to take her. If you brush her teeth, don't let her go to bed with a bottle (what they call "baby bottle-itus") and she has no accidents, you can probably safely wait until 2. Or even later. Many don't take their kids until 3 or 4.

I personally wanted my children to be very used to the dentist, and I wanted dental care to be completely preventative (as in, preventing problems instead of fixing problems). I didn't want to wait until 3 or 4 and find that my kids already had decay and cavities. By taking them early, i feel like we've gotten a great start and we're not having to react to any tooth problems, KWIM?

Not until age 3 and even then its really just to count the teeth.

Hi P.,

Your baby's first appointment should be at 12 months. At 5 months or even 12 months she probably doesn't have many teeth. The reason for the appointment is so that the dentist can teach look at whatever teeth she has and to provide you with some education about eating and cleaning habits. If I had to guess she has been eating solid foods for a least a month now, and might have a couple teeth. You should be brushing her teeth and gums with a soft brush preferable one that is made to fit over your finger, and tooth gel that DOES NOT have fluoride. She will get enough fluoride from tap water. Other than that the dentist will tell you that juice is pure sugar and that you should limit her consumption of juice. That giving snacks throughout the day will raise the level of "cavity activity". Cavity activity takes place for 30 minutes after you eat something. I personally believe that snacks are important for little ones, and I used to feed my babies about 6 times a day (combo of bottles and solid meals) until they were 12 months. I hope that my advice helps and if you feel unsure about when you should take her in follow your instincts, ask you pediatrician, or call a pediatric dentist's office.

Good luck,

N.

usually u take her at around 1 1/2 yrs old unless u see something wrong make sure u buy the gum cleaner and just brush them

well i didn't take my daughter until she was 18 months but her dentist recommends bring them in as soon as thier teeth start coming in!! I would just call your dentist and ask what he or she recommends.

well your are supposed to take your little one at 1 years old. thats when they like to see them

The American Board of Pediatric Dentistry reccommends that all children see a dentist by age 1. I used to work at Georgetown Pediatric Dentistry until my mother passed away this year. GPD is a awesome office and Drs. Havard and Hildebrand are magnificent with the kiddos. My children are still patients there. They see babies everyday and they have a special room and way to evaluate them, it is called the knee-to-knee exam. The drs. kness touch your kness with the child laying back in your lap...it helps alot to do it this way. You should call them @ ###-###-#### if you are in or near Georgetown, you will not be disappointed, I promise : ) Good Luck, M. H.

I think the norm is about 12 months. Although I didn't take my first until he turned two years. It was a little tramatic for him so our second I took at 12 months and now it is just routine for her. All that they do at that age is count teeth and look for any decay. No xrays or cleanings. It is good to start them early though.

Hi P.
Unless you see something very unusual about the way her teeth are coming in I would think around age of 18 mo would be early enough.
blessings

We just took my 18 month old for her regular check up and our Dr. said that we should think about seeing a dentist for her between now and her 2 year check up. So, it seems like between 18-24 months is good unless there seems to be a problem with teething.

Good luck.
blessings,
Stacy

your suppose to take them when they get teeth. i am waiting till my son is a bit older (2). as he dosent eat much sweets and will brush his teeth. best thing to do is call a few different dentists and take an average. i am thinking an older kid will be able to sit still. i never feared the dentist.

Hi P.,

I got different answers about this as well. I ended up waiting until my son was 3 years old, I felt like a horrible mother for waiting that long but when we went to the dentist it felt like a waste of money, even at 3years old! She looked at his teeth, made sure he had no cavities then counted his teeth, brushed and flossed them. The time with the dentist was about 2 minutes total and we dropped $120 on it! Of course the dentist said that we should bring them in when they get their first set of teeth, but to be honest I think that as long as you don't let her sleep with milk or brush her teeth afterwards, and incorporate toothbrishing to their bedtime routine (we do all of this with my almost 4 year old and our 1 year old)you shouldn't have to take them until they're 4 or 5. Unless of course you see a problem, crooked teeth, cavaties etc... I'm no dentist- but I'm sure dentists will recommend you bring them in at 6months and then every 6 months after that, because that's their business. I probably won't take my daughter in until she 4 or 5, unless I see a problem. Good luck with this- all mother-decisions are hard =)
-esme

I've been told by my dentist that they start seeing kids at 3 years of age, unless there is a problem.

at or around 4 or 5 yrs old.

My dentist recommends that when they have all their baby teeth is when you bring them in. That is somewhere between 2 and 3 years old.

unless there is a problem there is no reason to take a child to the dentist until they lose their first tooth.

Children don't normally need to see the dentist before they have teeth - unless there is a hereditary tooth defect that you are already aware of.

I would recommend you find a pediatric dentist or a dentist that also treats children so that a) you can see if you have a good gut feeling about them for seeing your child and b) ask them questions you have about your child's dental needs.

My family dentist and my pediatrition said to go between two and three years old, earlier if there is a family history of serious teeth problems. Start brushing when she gets teeth. No flouride until she is a good spitter, usually 2 1/2 to 3 years old.

When my children were growing up (now age 33 and 28) I did not take them to the dentist until all of their primary teeth were in. I still brushed their teeth-when they were younger I use a wash cloth. To this day neither one have ever had a cavity. Now that I have Grandchildren, I find they are(were at the dentist at 9 months. He had 4 teeth on top and 4 on the bottom. Although he did not have xrays, they did apply Flouride. Although I'm against the dentist visits at such a young age, my Grandchildren are on Medicaid and that is one of the criteria in order to recieve the assistance.

The recommendation by my pediatric dentist is to start at 1 yr unless you see discoloration or gum issues. You should be brushing them now though! Try to find a pediatric dentist. My son had a ton of dental issues early on - now has crowns and a false tooth - and the pediatric dentist was way more knowledgeable than the family dentist we first started with. And all that started with just discoloration of his teeth after IV antibiotics. The family dentist told me to wait 6 months to see how it progressed. The pediatric dentist actually took me seriously, took xrays, and found all kinds of decay. My then 18 month old son would have had serious damage to his roots and lost more than just the one tooth he lost if I had stayed with the regular dentist. I was so happy to find our Dr. Jenny! And my son loves going to her now, even after all of the major work he has had done. E-mail me if you can't find one. I can call our pediatric dentist to see if she knows of anyone or if there is a pediatric dental network or something. Best of luck!!