As your child begins to get his or her first tooth, you may wonder when they should visit the dentist.
The first dental exam for your child:
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends children have an oral exam within six months of their first tooth coming in. This may seem early, however these early visits usually only involve a simple exam to make sure things look healthy. If something unhealthy or suspicious is found, then that issue will be treated accordingly. Early visits also give your child an opportunity to meet their dentist and form a trusting relationship.
The first cleaning for your child:
At Adams and Cheek Dentistry, we aim to make the first visit as simple and positive as possible. We love to make it through an entire cleaning. However, if your child is too resistant, we may just ride in the chair and/or review oral hygiene instructions. Again, we want the first visit filled with positivity. Therefore, if there are no issues that need immediate attention, we will not force your child to do anything.
First visit objectives:
Our objective on their first visit, unless we see something of concern, is to teach you how to care for your child’s mouth. We may also discuss proper use of fluoride, oral habits (including finger and thumb sucking), teething, milestones of development, and the importance of a proper diet. Above all, we aim to have a fun visit and set them up for relaxed dental visits in the future.
Preparing for the first visit:
- Avoid saying words like “shot,” “hurt,” “scary,” etc., when describing the dental visit. This can make getting them to let us look at their teeth a little more difficult.
- Have patience. We spend a lot of time telling our children to stay away from strangers, so don’t be concerned if they are shy on their first visit. At Adams and Cheek Dentistry, we always take our time to form relationships with our patients, especially the little ones!
- Visit our website and show them a picture of our dental hygienists, our dentists, and even our fish tanks! This will give them some familiarity as well as introduce our office as a fun and safe place.
Adams and Cheek Dentistry are happy to see patients of all ages. Click here to schedule an appointment or call 919.866.1360 with any questions.
