We all want to give our children the best of everything and that includes proper oral dental care. Many parents aren’t sure about when they should start taking their child to the dentist or how frequently. Luckily, in this article, we’ll break down the facts about children’s dental care and our recommendations on helping your child build healthy dental habits starting at a young age.
First visits are all about getting your child used to the dental chair, the new environment, and learning the best ways to take care of your child’s teeth. In general, the best time to start bringing your child to the dentist is when their first teeth start to appear. The earlier you can start bringing your baby to the dentist the better, as it sets the right foundations for building healthy habits.
These early dental visits are a fantastic opportunity to ask your pediatric dentist important questions about how to best care for your child’s teeth. During these first visits, your dentist will examine your child’s oral health in a number of areas including:
- Management of oral habits such as finger and thumb sucking
- Teething
- Assessment of first teeth
- The connection between diet and oral health
- Development of gums and jawline
- How to care for an infant’s or toddler’s dental health
How often should I take my child to the dentist?
Regular dentist visits are crucial to maintain positive oral health in your child. Although your dentist will be able to advise on how frequently you should visit, as a general rule, you should bring your child to the dentist a minimum of twice a year. This allows your dentist to examine and polish the teeth, take special dental x-rays to spot cavities, apply fluoride treatments to prevent tooth decay, and advise on how to keep their oral health in top-shape. These treatments and procedures are done to prevent dental problems in the future, and costly procedures.
As a parent, you may have more questions about how to best care for your child’s teeth. These questions are normal, and can be easily addressed by expert pediatric dentists, like our team at Marx Family Dental.
At Marx Family Dental, we provide dental care to the entire family, including children of all ages. Whether you want to take your baby to the dentist for the first time, or you have an older child who needs expert, kind, and caring treatment, we are here to help. Give us a call today to set an appointment. We can’t wait to help your child grow up smiling!