When did you take LO to the dentist?

Nicole.

I remember reading somewhere that the AAP suggests that children see a dentist before their first birthday...just wondering if anyone does this.  It just seems so young to me...

LVBlvd

I sure hope not.  We have no plans to go anytime soon...but I'm not sure when.

SparklyCutie

Not yet, I heard at least 3 years...interested to hear what others say

ela81

We have not taken dd yet but I do plan on taking her soon. DD is 20 months and she has all of her teeth exctpe her 2 year molars since she was about 13 months old. I'm pretty sure she has at least 1 2 year molar in now.

mel72

We are waiting until around 3 yrs.  When I asked my pedi for a referral, she looked at me like I had three heads.  I asked some friends and they all said that was a good age.  My book also said one!

cmw&tdm

With DS we went at 15 months and with DD we went at 12 months, both times I had a question and probably wouldn't have gone that early without something that I wanted to ask about.  

ETA:  And my kids get their teeth early.  DD had 8 at her appt last month.   

lrrb

The girls go for their first time this Thursday they will be 2 and 2.5.  I asked my dentist and he told me before age 3....

amberleeb

I work at a dental office and we see kids for the first time at 2 1/2 to 3 unless the parent see something that does not look right or something seems to be bothering the child.

sasa625

Our pedi said that they don't really recommend it until between 2-3 unless the parents had problems with their teeth growing up, which I did (he said that studies have shown the more problems the mom had the more risk there is for the child to have issues). So we are going to take DD to a pediatric dentist sometime in the next couple of months.

ela81

amberleeb:

I work at a dental office and we see kids for the first time at 2 1/2 to 3 unless the parent see something that does not look right or something seems to be bothering the child.

That's good to know. I was not really sure. I did ask my pedi and she did not seem to think it was weird that I was asking though she did say I did not have to go riht then.

GypsyEsq

We have a family friend that will evaluate DD's teeth -- she has 7 so far.  No molars yet.

nolachick11

my DH is a general dentist.  He said they say at 1 you should bring them in to get acclimated to the dentist but majority of people don't.  He see's alot start around age 2-3.

crystalgirl

I'm frankly shocked by all the responses to wait.  We took DS at 11 months.  From what I have read, you should take them within 6 months of getting their first teeth (which we were slightly past since DS got his at 4.5 months).  Many parents are (unknowingly) not caring for their kids' teeth properly, so going in early and having them checked is a wise thing to do.

In DS's case, we found out that his upper front teeth had not calcified properly in the womb, requiring extra vigilant care.  I'm very glad we were proactive and not sitting around waiting to take him in...

wvagirl

I have a good friend that is the mother of a toddler, and a dentist.  She said when you take children before the age of three all they do is count teeth and make sure everything looks ok.  She recommends taking them around three, or taking them to an appointment with you before two, and having the dentist look over their teeth then.  I trust her opinion, that said, I just made an appointment for ds.  He'll be two and a half when he goes for the first time. He has a mouth full of teeth, and they may or may not clean them, but he has a little staining I'd like them to look at.  And I'm terrified we're not brushing his teeth correctly, etc...

pamela-matt

We asked our dentist and he said he would not recommend it before 2 years of age.  We are going specifically to a pediatric dentist when we go.  Have not done it yet and probably will wait a while as DS hates to be contained and told not to move

Aliki

crystalgirl:

I'm frankly shocked by all the responses to wait.  We took DS at 11 months.  From what I have read, you should take them within 6 months of getting their first teeth (which we were slightly past since DS got his at 4.5 months).  Many parents are (unknowingly) not caring for their kids' teeth properly, so going in early and having them checked is a wise thing to do.

In DS's case, we found out that his upper front teeth had not calcified properly in the womb, requiring extra vigilant care.  I'm very glad we were proactive and not sitting around waiting to take him in...

This may come off sounding like a selfish, penny-pinching parent who doesn't put her child's needs first, but I called to add my LO to our state health/dental insurance plan and they don't cover children under 2 years old.

I then called the dentist and asked how much a visit would cost, and they said a regular check-up is in the $500 range without insurance.  I'm sorry, but I'm going to wait.