Is It Dentist Time??

I took my two youngest daughters to the dentist at one year old. It is better to do it younger so she gets used to going to the dentist. That way if you have to take her for a tooth ache, she wont be terrified and have a bad experience. The dentist was a pediatric dentist and said it is good to start at one year to teach them to take care of their teeth. My oldest daughter had three cavities at 4 years old, and they were still her baby teeth. She was very scared & it became a bad experience for her. I waited until she had a tooth ache to take her & I regret it. The baby teeth should still be taken care of even though they arn't permenant. Besides, it's always good to introduce good dental hygene at a young age. I hope that helps. Good luck. A. J

Hi M.,

Lisa is right on the money. My mom works in dental and says the same. Cavities, decay etc on the baby teeth will affect the perm teeth, so it is important to have them checked. Also, they want you to get the child in early so that the first few dentist visits will be pleasant (Hopefully!!) in order to avoid a fear of the dentist!! :)

A. :)

M.,

I would take her by the time she is 3. I took my son at 2 1/2. Some of the pediatric dentists say by the time they're 1, but the Amer Accad of Peds says by 3. You want to make sure they don't have any cavities and that they are brushing properly. You also want them to get used to going to the dentist. If you wait until they get permanent teeth it could be too late.

L.

I'm no expert M. but I have been a mom for nearly 30 years. My suggestion is this--if you have good dental insurance go ahead and take her. Be sure to take her to a doctor who specializes in kid though.

It's never to early in my opinion.

My youngest was born with two teeth--18 years ago--and we took her to a dentist for the first time when she was 2 months old--the teeth she was born with were starting to turn brown.

He pulled those two tiny teeth making room for the REAL baby teeth and the permanent teeth behind them. Had we not gone, he said, those premature teeth could have caused damage to her real teeth.

Even if your little girl wasn't born with teeth I don't believe it would hurt a thing to go ahead and take her and let him get a good look at what her future teeth may bring.