WHEN SHOULD YOUR CHILD FIRST VISIT THE DENTIST?

WHEN SHOULD YOUR CHILD FIRST VISIT THE DENTIST?

For many years it has been our philosophy that a child’s first dental visit should be around age 3.  Based on recommendations of the American Dental Association and mounting research, our recommendation is age 1 or within 6 months of the eruption of the first tooth.

Newly erupted teeth are hypomineralized (not fully hardened) and vulnerable to poor oral hygiene and nutrition.  In-office fluoride treatments are both safe and essential.  The fluoride, which is easily applied to your child’s teeth with minimal patient cooperation using a fluoride varnish, strengthens the tooth enamel making it more decay resistant.  It’s important to identify if your child is at an increased risk for dental disease, and if so, work with you the parent or caregiver to decrease this risk.  A key component in caries prevention is beginning fluoride treatments at an early age. 

Establishing good dental habits at an early age is important.  Dental caries is the single most common chronic disease of childhood, and it is also almost 100% preventable.  We will discuss oral and dental development, homecare, fluoride, oral habits, and nutrition with you the parent or caregiver.  This part of the appointment is just as important as and will most likely take longer than the actual examination and treatment.

Reference: Fall 2012 Journal of the Massachusetts Dental Society