The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a child establish a dental home by age 1 or within 6 months of the eruption of the first tooth. Most parents read this recommendation and have many emotions and thoughts about taking their child to the dentist for the first time. You might be thinking:
- How could my 1-year-old ever sit still in a dental chair, cooperate to get their teeth cleaned, tolerate x-rays, and do it all with a smile?
- I don’t even like going to the dentist, so how can I expect my kid to like going?
- They’re just baby teeth, so what’s the big deal?
All of these are valid and normal thoughts and questions when thinking about taking your child to the dentist for the first time. I hope we can calm your nerves and answer your questions as we explain our process and show you the benefits of introducing your child to the dentist at a young age.
The First Dental Visit: What to Expect
At NWA Pediatric Dentistry, we want your child’s first dental visit to be useful, informative, enjoyable, and as easy as possible. We also want you to know we are expecting any number of normal reactions from our youngest patients. Some children may be completely comfortable and confident at their first visit. But most are not. They may be shy, nervous, tired, crying, or ready to run out the door to go play. And that’s perfectly fine! Why would they be 100% compliant in a brand new environment, with brand new people and brand new tasks?
Our goal is to slowly introduce them step by step to a complete normal dental visit so that one day they will walk in completely comfortable and confident!
There are 4 basic parts to a child’s first visit.
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- Preventive Care Information
- Dental Exam
- Dental Cleaning
- Fluoride Varnish Application
Preventive Care Information
Discussing oral health and preventive care is usually the most important part of your first visit. We take time to get to know you and your child. We want to understand their health history, find out what their normal diet is like, and see what oral hygiene habits you’re practicing.
When we start this discussion at an early age, we get to build strong habits from the start. We will offer age-appropriate guidance for what to expect with your child’s dental and facial growth development, how to properly care for your child’s teeth, and offer specific dietary practices and recommendations for a healthy smile and healthy life. This is also the perfect time to bring any and all the questions you may have!
Dental Exam
We will do our best to take a quick look at your child’s mouth to assess their growth and development as well as check for healthy teeth and diagnose any signs of dental problems. We introduce this to our little patients by explaining that we are going to count their teeth just like we can count their fingers and toes.
Frequently at the first visit, we will try to perform the exam while the patient is sitting up, as having the patient lie down can be one of the things that invokes fear. We also routinely use a knee-to-knee exam or lap exam [pictured above], where the child will sit in their parent’s lap and lean back towards the doctor for a quick look.
Even if a child is nervous or cries during the exam, they also will remember that nothing bad happened, and when this situation repeats itself in 6 months, they will be slightly more at ease. Typically in 3 or 4 visits, most kids show tremendous growth in becoming comfortable and confident.
Dental Cleaning
With our youngest patients, we always start with a normal toothbrush. This is what they are most familiar with. It’s something they can play with, brush with, chew on, etc. Our team will try to offer some coaching on how to best brush your child’s teeth along the way. Depending on their age, dental development, and mostly their cooperation, we will continue to introduce other instruments that you may be familiar with at your dental check-up. The Mirror, the Straw, the spinning toothbrush, etc. Frequently, it takes multiple visits to build up to a “complete” visit.
Fluoride Varnish Application
Typically, we recommend a fluoride varnish application as “vitamins” or “sparkles” for your kids’ teeth to help strengthen the enamel and reduce the risk of cavities. This varnish can be applied at the end of the visit in just a few seconds with a small paint brush across the surface of the teeth.
We look forward to welcoming you and your child into our office to establish a dental home! Those first few visits can be some of our favorites as we get to help our youngest patients grow up becoming comfortable and confident at the dentist!
Shine Your Light,
Dr. Platt
FAQ’s
#1: “Uh oh, my child is older than 1 and still hasn’t been to the dentist. Am I behind? Or what should I do?”
That’s okay! While the recommendation is to visit the dentist at age 1, many kids may be 2, 3 or even older before their first visit. Wherever you are, start today by reaching out to schedule their first visit. We have to start somewhere! We will make sure to meet them where they are with kindness and patience and help them build confidence for their future dental health.
