Anyone Else? I Feel Guilty

I don't take my kids in for things unless they need it. There is just no reason for it. I keep fairly educated on health and nutrition and my kids don't NEED a doctor. I have been fortunate.

My son will be three in august and we have not taken him yet. I went for the first time when I was 5. Don't worry about it.

it's not a bad thing to take them early. just not totally necessary, at least not in all cases.
remember many things that hammer us to be 'good', whether it's as parents or pet owners or americans, are about money.
i have a great-niece whose baby teeth were appallingly rotten. her parents basically fed her sugar and never brushed her teeth. she needed early dental intervention, and now as a teenager you can see the toll it has taken on her adult teeth. such a shame.
but most kids who are being raised to eat in a healthy fashion and whose parents oversee their brushing and flossing are fine until their baby teeth start coming out. i took my kids when they were 4 or 5.
don't stress, mama!
khairete
S.

My son just turned 4. He hasn't been yet. We don't have dental nor health insurance.

I used to look in my kid's mouths on a regular basis. Never saw anything that warranted a dental check up. I believe they were 4 and 5 at the first check up, mostly to get that coating on their molars to prevent cavities.

I think it's a newer trend to take them so young. I have taken mine who are 6 and 3 several times at this point, but I really didn't think about it until the oldest was 4. I'm sure your child will be fine. I think most of us started going when we started going to school around her age.

My dentist said that unless they are having a problem, as long as they will let you brush their teeth, there is no need to bring them in before age 4. My daughter went for her first visit the same day as her 4yr well visit. We took her to a pediatric dentist to insure she had a good experience.

Honey, you are fine. The important thing is you went.

This is something new (past 20 years or so). When I was young I saw the dentist for the first time before going to kindergarten age 4. My kids saw the dentist around 3 or 4 as well. Don't beat yourself up. If you have had him/her brushing and doing a routine it shouldn't cause you much concern.

The other S.

Time spent on regret hurts too much. Be gentle with yourself.

My children were 3 or 4 when they first went to the dentist. All other things being equal, I believe the concern is for early dental decay caused by the wrong choice of foods for the infant. Otherwise, it's just a trendy thing right now. If your children's teeth are fine, you don't need to feel guilty.

I don't recall the 'first' time I took my kids to a dentist...

However, we definitely do preventative check ups and schedule regular cleanings every 6 months when the kids started school. So same age as you 5-6.

The only reason I've gone earlier was for a problem. Anyone going sooner for other than emergencies is probably seeing a high-pressured, sales-oriented dentist and falling ' hook, line and sinker' for unnecessary, non-routine type things.

Don't feel bad about not taking your kids sooner. That being said, I have noticed that Europeans, and most other countries do not practice the same level of dental care that the US does. It's quite obvious when traveling and meeting people from different countries and noticing how brown and crooked their teeth are.

It really doesn't take but a few good habits of brushing twice daily with a flouride toothpaste, flossing daily, and rinsing with a flouride mouthwash to have nice pearly whites. That is all we do in our family and the dentist tells me at every check up what nice teeth we all have. We also eat a lot of fresh fruit.

my son is 5 and will start kindergarten in the fall (see previous question lol) and we will take him for the first time this summer. i don't see the need as his teeth look great, and they are baby teeth, etc. also adding him to our insurance was more $ so we chose to wait. i guess i should feel guilty too...i do a bit but not too much. i guess i'll know whether i should have felt guilty, when i take him and they either tell me his teeth are all rotting out (unlikely! lol) or, he's great, no issues. be easy on yourself. no big deal. when you took your 5-6 year old, were there tons of issues (that wouldn't resolve when the adult teeth came in, mind you)? how about your three year old, is she way better off because you started her earlier?

this is a trend just like a lot of others. it's not a huge deal. to each their own!

My pediatricians always tell me the average age to start taking them is 3. I used to take my kids to a pediatric dentist, and when my youngest was a newborn, the receptionist told me to bring him in as soon as he got his first tooth. I laughed right out loud and said "What???". I told her that every pediatrician I'd seen said it wasn't necessary until they're 3.

my oldest daughter went for the first time for her kindergarten check up (the first that's required in Illinois for kids to go)

oldest son and all the kids after went the first time at about 4 just to sit in the chair and have their teeth counted. (really just an excuse for dentist to put a utensil in the kids mouths so they are not freaked out when they go for the first cleaning. )

We started taking our kids in when they turned 3-4yo. 1-2 is too young, my kids didn't even have all their teeth by 2yo. Regular cleanings are so important, so you are doing great, mama!

One of the reasons for taking them in so early is to get them used to it, the dentist's can be a scary place. Our dentist never forced cleanings on my young children, but each time they came in, they would be more comfortable with him than the last time.

To the moms who don't take their kids in for regular cleanings:
Why would you NOT take your kid in for preventative care? I don't take my kids to the doctor for every little thing, but yearly check ups have revealed some health problems I wouldn't have caught until it was very serious. Likewise with the dentist, are you going to wait until the tooth is rotting away before you take them in? It's neglect as far as I'm concerned, and I don't throw that word around lightly. Your job as a parent is not only to treat but prevent things from going wrong with your child, as much as you are able. By not taking them in for cleanings you are failing at that part of your job.

Both my dentist and pediatrician recommend going at 3. Thats when all my kids went for the first time.

My oldest went for the 1st time this year. She just turned 7, and her teeth are great. My 3 year old is not accepted where we take go, and we were suggested to take them in around 5, so don't feel bad!

I took mine at age 3, and I don't consider that "late"...it was at the suggestion/request of my family dentist. Don't feel bad.

My dentist recommended taking them at the age of 3. That's when I started taking them for regular cleanings.

My two younger children had to be seen sooner for emergencies, like a tooth being loosened compliments of another siblings head. The other had a divot in her tooth that I wanted to make sure wasn't anything bad. Otherwise they wouldn't have gone until they were 3.

Some people don't care anything about their kids dental hygiene, so instead of feeling horrible, give yourself a pat on the back. Don't stress, mama! At least you took them to the dentist! :)

I believe I took my daughter aoround 2. Even when she was younger i would take her with me to my appt to familiarize her with the office, smells, sounds, etc.

Around 2 we started the pediatric dentist. One thing I would do if I were you is to get the sealants. Some people say it is a sales gimmick, etc but insurance covers it and my daughter has had ZERO decay. We put sealants on as the dentist deemed necessary. We do go every 6 months for routine cleaning and preventative.

Don't beat yourself up about it, what is done is done and it does not make you less of a mom.

Well, I tried to take my oldest sooner but at 1 and 2 he refused to open his mouth so I may as well have just waited until age 3. My second I took at 2 because she has dental problems.

We have always been told to start taking kids to the dentist at about age 3 (or 4). As soon as they can spit to start using fluoride toothpaste (which for our kids was at age 2). They get check ups twice a year. Our 7 year old has had 2 cavities. Don't feel guilty.

My dentist, who I respect, recommended that we start bringing our kids at age 3. The pediatrician my kids see recommend that they go as early as 6 months...because that is what the AAP recommends and most pediatrician's tend to go with those recommendations. So basically, there's a disagreement between my dentist and pediatrician on what age they should be seen. So long as the child doesn't appear to have any dental problems/pain then waiting til three should be fine.

I took my kids to the dentist at age 2 ONLY because we have dental insurance and it's completely covered once they are 2, so I figured why not. If we didn't have the insurance I would have waited until age 3. I wouldn't feel bad at all, you are being proactive about their dental care now which is important! You are a good mom!!

I took my son at 4... I wanted him to understand what was going to happen, and don't regret it one bit!!!!! Now, if I saw an issue in his mouth ahead of time, then I would have definitely brought him earlier...