Your child’s first dental visit will set the stage for their oral health habits throughout their lifetime. Making dental visits normal and fun encourages healthier habits and reduces the risk of dental fear and anxiety, a problem that plagues about 15% of adults in the U.S.

We recommend that your child visit our office by their first birthday. By this age, the first teeth have often started coming in and your child has become observant and very aware of their surroundings.

Believe it or not, there’s a lot to discuss at this age! We want to take a look at how your child’s mouth is developing, discuss early oral hygiene, and answer your questions about habits like pacifiers and thumb sucking.

Your Child’s First Appointment

When you arrive at our Guilford children’s dental office, you and your child will be warmly welcomed. We’ll visit with you and your child and get to know you both. The first visit is a learning experience for both your child and Dr. Kate. Every child is unique and has a one-of-a-kind personality and needs, and we want to get to know your child so that we can provide the personalized dental care he or she deserves.

Your child will get to “go for a ride” in the dentist’s chair and, if he or she is cooperative, Dr. Kate will take a peek inside their mouth. If your child is still unsure about the whole experience or seems fearful, that’s okay! New experiences can be scary, and we can save the initial examination for the next appointment, when your child feels more confident.

Infant and Toddler Oral Hygiene

Those first teeth are so precious! Some parents do wonder why they should bother with caring for the baby teeth since they are just going to fall out anyway, but these teeth need proper care for several reasons:

• Developing good care habits early in life will help ensure that these habits stick with your child for a lifetime.
• Dental decay can happen easily in young children since breast milk and formula can pool in the mouth. Decay can be painful and mar the appearance of a child’s smile.
• These early teeth serve an important purpose. They act as placeholders for the permanent teeth. When they are lost too early, the other teeth may shift, causing the permanent teeth to come in crooked or at unusual angles. Orthodontics may be necessary to fix this problem.

Dr. Kate will show you how to gently brush your child's first teeth and gums and provide toothbrush and toothpaste recommendations.

Advice and Education

You are an important part of this first visit, and Dr. Kate will discuss many aspects of your child’s oral health with you so that you can confidently care for your child’s teeth until they are old enough to do so on their own.

For example, Dr. Kate will discuss your feeding practices. One mistake that many parents make that can lead to severe decay is providing juice in a bottle and putting babies to bed with juice or formula. When the drink is allowed to remain in your child’s mouth overnight, the sugars can lead directly to cavities (decay). We’d prefer to keep your child’s teeth healthy than to have to perform a great deal of dental work early in life.

Parents are also often concerned about their children’s pacifier and thumb sucking habits. Most children grow out of these habits before they pose a problem, but if your child uses a binky or sucks his or her thumb past a certain age, the teeth may drift out of proper position. We’ll discuss these concerns and help guide you in decision making.

Call to Schedule Your Child’s First Appointment

We can’t wait to meet your child and become a part of your family’s healthcare team! Give us a call and we’ll find a convenient time that works with your schedule.