Age at first dentist visit?

MissMoxy · April 2010

I just scheduled B's first dentist appt for next month, when he'll be 21 months. I was talking to a friend about what to expect at his first appt, and she seemed surprised that I waited this long to take him in. I feel kinda bad, but he didn't get his teeth until really late and his pedi said to just get him seen before age 3. Am I awful for waiting this long to schedule him an appt? What's the consensus on this?

purplepuggles · April 2010

my dentist told me he doesn't usually see kids until 3 so i have no idea?

MrsJMB · April 2010

I called our dentist and they said they don't need to see her until she's 2. I wouldn't worry about it.

*sallymad* · April 2010

Our dentist, who is also my cousin, said not to bring her in until 3.

~Baby1~ · April 2010

I have not taken DS to the dentist yet. My dentist told me to wait for all his teeth to come in. I go later this week for my teeth cleaning and was planning to ask again since he just has his last molars to come in.

MissMoxy · April 2010

Thanks! I feel a bit better, my friend just seemed so shocked that I hadn't taken him already, I felt so stupid. I can't imagine him sitting still at this age, much less any younger.

columbiamommy · April 2010

My dentist said we could bring DD in anytime to get her used to things. We took her a few months ago when DH and I both had appointments and it was awful. He only looked in her mouth to see her teeth, but she wanted nothing to do with it. Anyway, I probably won't take her again until she's 2.5 or 3.

pamelainswo · April 2010

Both of my BILs are dentists, and my FSIL is a dental hygienist, and I actually asked them this recently, as I was reading conflicting information on this.

There should be no need to take your child to the dentist before they are 3. If you take them early, the only purpose it really serves it to get them acquainted with "going to the dentist" and doesn't have a real "medical" purpose.

They actually pointed out that it is hard enough for a parent to get inside their child's mouth - it is usually almost impossible for some stranger to get in there!

Now - if your kid drinks tons of straight juice and lots of sugar, or goes to bed with a bottle every night, you might want to bring them in to get checked to make sure their teeth aren't rotting from all the sugars being left on their teeth, but for most kids it is a non-issue.

beryl2121 · April 2010

I just took my dd yesterday to the dentist for the first time and she's almost 4! All they did was brush her teeth and floss them, they said they wouldn't polish them until next time. (not sure why but i guess they just wanted to ease her into it a little).

MrsRenee · April 2010

We took DS just after he turned 1. It was a pediatric dentist though, so they seem to like to tell people by age 1. They really didn't do much but I figured it couldn't hurt just incase there happened to be a problem. With my dental insurance, DS gets covered so I figured if the exam is covered, why not? The next time they wanted to see him is at 2 years

westerngal · April 2010

We just went last week for the first time, so she was 20 months old, and this was a special pediatric dentist, too. They did an exam, actually scraped off a little plaque and gave her a fluoride coating. She handled it really well, so maybe they did more than they might have tried otherwise. Gave her a cute big double-sided turtle toothbrush and told us that brushing with a tiny bit of fluoride is OK. Said we could try flossing, too, but we're not even going there!

WestCoastMommy · April 2010

DS would have to be restrained to the chair. There is no way the dentist would get a look into his mouth with out a fight!

LilMissLadybug · April 2010

Both kids went in at 15mos for the first appt. I've gotten lots of crap over it saying they don't need to be seen until age 3, but I want them to get use to going and not be afraid. I love their dentist too, she's great.

I'm the only one of my friends/family that has taken my kids in at this age.

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