Child’s First Dental Visit
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A child’s first dental visit is an important milestone that sets them up for a lifetime of optimum oral health. Too many of us have grown up with a fear of visiting the dentist and commencing dental checks and routine preventative care at the right time, as well as ensuring that visiting the dentist is a positive experience, is essential.
Regular, 6-monthly visits to the dentist for a check-up and cleaning should be part of every child’s routine, alongside daily brushing. The likelihood of a child continuing with this routine as a teen and into adulthood is much greater when visiting the dentist has been a regular, positive experience from as far back as they can remember – helping avoid dental anxiety and, ultimately, compromised oral health.
When Should Kids Visit the Dentist for the First Time?
The primary purpose of the very first visit is to meet the dentist and enable the child to feel comfortable in the dentist's chair while having their mouth examined.
Dentists recommend that children be brought for their very first dental visit within 6 months of the eruption of the first tooth – and no later than 12 months of age. This may seem very early to a lot of parents; however, this is the right time for the dentist to advise on and offer preventative advice for issues including infant mouth cleaning, infant feeding practices, baby bottle tooth decay, dummy (pacifier) habits, thumb or finger sucking habits, and teething.
The dentist will examine the child’s tooth/teeth, jaws, gums, oral tissues, and bite. Growth and development will be assessed. If required, the teeth will be very gently cleaned and polished.
Young children should not be x-rayed unless absolutely necessary.
Very young children will not remember this first visit, and, as long as it is a calm and happy experience, future visits will not create dentist anxiety.
The Importance of Regular Check-Ups
- Monitor growing teeth, jaws, and mouth
- Identify issues such as tongue-tie as early as possible
- Identify and assess dental issues before they become more serious; it is often easier to treat these sooner than later
- Identify the future need for orthodontic treatments
- Provide preventative dental care for ongoing dental and oral health
- Advise and guide for at-home dental care
Taking Small Children to the Dentist – Tips and What to Expect
- Try to schedule the visit in the morning while small children are fresh and alert.
- Talk to your child about where you are going, and that the dentist is going to look at and count their “big girl/boy” teeth to see how beautiful they are. Make the visit an exciting event from the outset.
- Write down any questions or concerns you wish to address with the dentist.
- Children are adept at picking up on their parent’s anxieties – do your best to remain calm and not transmit your own fears and stresses to your child.
- Many dentists will allow the very young child to lie on the parent’s chest/lap in the dental chair. Furthermore, they may first demonstrate looking in the mouth on mum or dad to show how easy it is.
- Provide the dentist with your child’s complete medical history, as well as whether the child tends to be anxious, fearful, defiant, etc.
- Offer the child a favourite toy to cuddle during the examination.
- Praise good behaviour, and beautiful teeth, and offer a non-sugary (or non-food) reward of some kind after the visit.
Caring for Young Teeth at Home
- Gently clean baby gums with a clean, damp, soft cloth.
- When the first tooth appears, commence cleaning with a very soft baby toothbrush with a tiny amount of age-specific toothpaste. Children under age 3 are unable to spit out toothpaste after brushing.
- Avoid giving babies and toddlers bottles of milk, juice, or other sweetened drinks at naptime or bedtime.
- Children need help with brushing until they are 7 or 8 years of age.
- Avoid giving foods and drinks that promote tooth decay – including chewy, hard, or sticky lollies, fruit juices, and soft drinks.
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As a dentist, it’s important to consider your youngest patients and provide the best possible in-clinic experience so that positive associations are formed with dentist visits from the outset. As well as ensuring you have all the appropriate dental supplies in Australia, consider child-specific dental education and toy products as well as children’s preventative dental health supplies.
Adam Dental Supplies is delighted to offer a wide range of these, including:
Visit Adam Dental Supplies online now and shop with us for fantastic products, outstanding service, competitive prices, and fast delivery Australia-wide.
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