Children 1st Dentist visit!
By ToniaBowen
@ToniaBowen (92)
United States
March 9, 2007 7:57am CST
Hello! I'm a Dental Assitant working in a Pediatric Dental Office. I wanted to let those myLot people on here have some important information on Dentists..
Your childs first visit to the dentist should be around age 1 or when they have their first tooth. A first visit around that age, would be mainly for an exam, and to get some really good information on how to properly take care of your little ones teeth and gums. Plus you will learn ways to help prevent cavities and future problems with pacifiers and thumb sucking.. Any questions, please feel free to ask..
4 responses
@silvermoonmyst (943)
• United States
10 Mar 07
My dentist didnt want my son coming in untill between 2 and 3. But THANK YOU, as you reminded me hat i need to make him an appointment on monday with her hehe. And one for me as well!
Thanks lol
@ToniaBowen (92)
• United States
10 Mar 07
Most general dentists unfortunately won't see children as young as 2 or so... But, glad that I could remind you to make appointments. Best of Luck...
@cjthedog64 (1552)
• United States
10 Mar 07
We have full dental coverage and could take DS to the dentist before he got any teeth if we wanted. He sees the pediatrician every 3 months, minimum, and she checks his teeth then. I asked her about going to the dentist, and she said that even though the ADA recommends at the 1st tooth, they don't really do anything until around age 3. Now, if she sees anything unusual, she'll recommend it earlier, but as long as things look ok and the teeth are coming in fairly straight, there's no problem. DS is 15 months old and is starting to get his 2nd set of molars. No problems here!
Thanks for the other advice on brushing though.
@ToniaBowen (92)
• United States
10 Mar 07
Well, it's good that DS is seeing a pediatrician, however they don't know what to look for detail wise. I highly suggest that DS see's a pediatric dentist as soon as you can. And seeing that you have dental coverage, that makes it easier. Reason #1: The younger DS is when he begins to see the dentist, the easier it will be for DS to get use to establishing a good habit of going every 6 months. By age 3 children should be confident enough, and trusting of the dentist and staff to go and have cleaning and exam without parent. Reason #2: The earlier DS gets an exam, the easier it will be to look for any abnormalities, and see things and catch them while they are small. Any questions please feel free to ask.
@trinitec2000 (118)
• Trinidad And Tobago
9 Mar 07
Thanks for the insight my son tooth chip and we have look at it but how to you control a fuss child who dont want you to toucch them...
@ToniaBowen (92)
• United States
9 Mar 07
Just lay him down on your lap or the couch.. And make it a game and count his teeth.. They usually like that. That way you can look at it. Maybe even have him hold a mirror so he can watch you count his teeth and look at it.
How did he chip it? If it's a small chip, you can just watch it, if it's a pretty big chip you'll want to have him see a dentist for a possible x-ray. If you don't take him to see a dentist, watch for discoloration of the tooth, which is possible if it was "bumped". And also watch for a white "pimple" on the gums above the tooth. If you see that, you need to get to the dentist right away to get some anitbiotics. That's a sign of an abscessed tooth.
@theempress (408)
• United States
9 Mar 07
Hello. Thanks for the info. My son is now 2, his first visit to the Dentist was when he was about 8 months old. In my area, the Child Development Center here conducts Screening for Children ages 0-5. Part of the screening is they have Dentist to check on the kids teeth, it's a great program and I love it.
Okay now, my problem is, it's hard to brush my son's teeth he fights all the time. What's the best thing to do?
@ToniaBowen (92)
• United States
9 Mar 07
Well, in our office when the child is under 3 yrs old, we have the child lay between the assistants and moms lap so that the child can be close to mom (or dad) and they usually are pretty comfortable with it. So, you could lay the child down on one of your lap and have your husband or someone help hold him while you brush. Try to make if fun. With a cool toothbrush and some toothpaste that he likes. Make it a game...
