When to Begin Going to a Dentist?

Hi A.,
Dentist usually do not see kids until they are at least 3. Unless somthing is wrong before then. Try to find a pedicatric dentist as in my experince they know and understand how to handle the little ones better.
As long as you brush his teeth, he'll be fine.

A.,

Hello! I am a Dental Assistant, and I work in a pediatric dental office. We recommend taking your son to the dentist around age 1. The only thing that the dentist will do is an exam, check for any abnormal things, and both the assistant and dentist will give you a lot of great informations on how to take care of your sons teeth and gums to prevent any decay and future problems. Then at that point we would recommend that you continue to see the dentist every 6 months from there for cleanings and exams.

If you have any questions you can ask me, I would be more then happy to help.

We went at 3 years, and all was well, he said thats a good time to start, but to make sure you brush with a non flouride tooth paste prior to that age. Flouride is bad for them to swallow until they are 4. If you brush daily before the age of 3 he will have nice healthy teeth. We got xrays, and a cleaning..polish and flossing. Its pretty scary for them, there was this 2 year old girl in the chair next to us, and she was really upset and scared of the machinery in her mouth. I felt bad :(

My dentist told me to bring my kids when they turned 3. However, you are supposed to start brushing as soon as they get teeth. I know that they make special brushes for babies that you put on your finger to brush their teeth, but my kids never liked that! They just bit me and it didn't feel good. So what I did instead was put a little of that baby toothpaste that's safe to swallow on the smallest size toothbrush and let them chew on it.
Hope that helps!

well you have gotten good advice. My suggestion would be to go with the Dental Assistant, seeing how she works in an office. Also, you might wanna try and find where she works.

I am a mother of a soon to be 1 yr old too. I had to go to the dentist last week and asked the same question. He told me to bring her when she is 3. In the meantime I am to continue brushing her teeth and gums, whether it be with a wash cloth or one of those rubber tips that you put on your finger to brush with.

I highly recommend taking your child when they start to get teeth (so if your child already has 6 teeth, now would be a good time to schedule a visit).

Before they turn 3, the dentists usually just schedule a visual exam (no cleaning or x-rays) to make sure the teeth are coming in correctly, and there are no abnormalities or anything that needs to be addresses before the majority of teeth come in. They can also check for dental issues such as Early Childhood Cavities. These visits are inexpensive, and worth it in the long-run to help catch and/or prevent dental health issues.

When my older daughter was between 2 and 3 I took her. The dentist she goes to now won't even take kids until they are 5, so I have no idea what I will do when my youngest is a little older. But the dentist I took my older one to (which was in NJ) was great. Took a picture of her first visit so I could have it. she gave her all sorts of fun goodies.

Hi A.,

The dentist told me that usually they start to see kids around 3 years of age - but closer to 4 - when they will sit still long enough - and let someone put their fingers in their mouth. They will look at his teeth at that point and just make sure everything looks okay - as for an actual cleaning - usually around 5 is what my dentist told me - however... my 3 year old loves the dentist and will allow them to clean her teeth - so if your son is like that - go for it! Another thing the dentist told me - my six year old is really sensitive to toothpaste tastes and will only use a light mint flavored one - none of the cute character ones - Car's, etc... just plain old mint - and the dentist also told me that as long as the kids are brushing after every meal and at bedtime, when they are little like that, it is not imparative for them to even use toothpaste! Hope that helps!

I took my daughter at the age of three at the advice of her pediatrician. The hygienist took x-rays and did a very gentle cleaning. Be sure the hygienist is patient and comfortable with kids. This will help your son to relax. For now, just make sure he brushes his teeth at least twice a day and if he's not taking a multi-vitamin with flouride, ask the pediatrician about it. Flouride will prevent any premature decay. You may already have flouride in your water. Check with the water company to find out.

Normally they start going to the dentist around age 2 and they take xrays and clean there teeth

I believe the first pediatric dentist appointment should be when they turn 2, but some regular dentists will tell you that 3 is an appropriate age.

Hi A.! I took my daughter when she turned 4 and she did very well...they say between 3 and 4..I preferred waiting because she was a little more mature and understood what was happening...so well in fact that after the first visit she now goes in on her own and I wait in the waiting room! They basically count their teeth, clean them and if they are really cooperative they will xray them..usually that is the 2nd visit!

They say you should take your child to the dentist when they first get teeth. I began taking my kids when they were both 2 1/2, though. It's an age when you can explain where you are going and they are too young to really be afraid of the dentist. The place i go sees them every year, and they have a tv screen on the ceiling, as well as hand held games for them. They have lots of things painted on the walls that kids love, stickers for them and a bag of goodies(new brush,kids toothpaste, floss, etc. Kids also get to pick a fairly large toy out of a treasure chest too after they are done. What they do is a mini cleaning. My oldest is 4 now and she got 2 xrays last visit. They teach them how to floss. They also coat their teeth with flouride at age 4. I really like this place-they are very good with children.
The exception to waiting another year for you would be if you see anything unusual with your childs teeth before then, of course.
the place i go is Dr. Favalli off Summerlin in Fort Myers.