When should you take a child to the dentist?
By lola1981
@lola1981 (102)
United States
4 responses
@koalatbs (2229)
• United States
5 Jan 10
Hi lola1981 -
My husband is a dentist so I will ask him for you when he gets home from work. I'm guessing that age 3 or 4 is about the right age but, of course, I'm not a dentist so I definitely check when him. :) One piece of advice I will give you though is to take your son to a "pediatric" dentist office, like Kool Smiles http://www.koolsmilespc.com/ or someplace like that. The dentists are trained to work with young children and know how to help them feel more at ease. My husband will see children but likes dealing with adult patients better. I've heard him say more than once that if the child he is seeing has a hard time during an appointment he will refer them out to a pediatric dentist in a heartbeat.
Jill
@koalatbs (2229)
• United States
6 Jan 10
Husband is finally home and I asked him about your question. He said 3 years old is a good age, even just to get him used to the surroundings and for a quick check-up. He even said that the Pediatric American Dental Association even recommends starting at age 1 just for that reason... to get them used to seeing a dentist. The longer you wait the harder it might be for him to adjust.
@maria1081 (1251)
• Philippines
2 Jan 10
Yes, you can take your 3 years old son in the dentist. When I visited my dentist two months ago, I was with my mother, sister-inlaw and nephew. After my check-up and cleaning of my moms artificial denture, I ask the dentist if he can look at my nephew's teeth. The stain in his teeth were okay since those are not permanent teeth yet, he advice to just continue his good brushing habit.
@newzealtralian (3930)
• Australia
10 Jan 10
My dentist recently asked me when I was bringing in my 17 month old so that we can start getting her used to the whole experience, so 3 is not too young.
Reducing the stress that is associated with dentists is important for children, and the younger you start, the more relaxed with the whole dental experience they will be. I remember being 6 and terrified of going to the dentist because of the stories I had heard, I even ran away from school to avoid seeing the dentist (in Australia and New Zealand, dental care is offered to all school age children through their school).
If you and your son are keeping up a good mouth care routine, then a casual visit to the dentist isn't going to hurt just so he can meet the people there and have a tour of the facilities. The better prepared a child is for what is coming, the better they will handle the situaion.
@cjfoust (614)
• United States
2 Jan 10
Three years old is not too young to take your child to the dentist. I think three is the perfect age to start with. I work at a pediatricians office and that is about the age they suggest the child have their first visit with the dentist. If you are still unsure, you could call his doctor's office and get their opinion.
