What to Expect at a Child’s First Dental Visit Under the Age of 3.

According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), a child’s first trip to the dentist should be around age 1 or 6 months after the first tooth erupts. Many general/family dental practices will tell you they start seeing children at age 3, and sometimes that can be too late to prevent tooth decay. Our doctors at The Kids Dentist are Board Certified Pediatric Dentists who strives at prevention of tooth decay and dental trauma.

Many parents are unsure if their child will cooperate or even open for a dentist at this age. No worries here! There are many distractions for your children, and sometimes our doctors are in your child’s mouth and doing an exam before the child even notices! We will also talk about Oral hygiene instructions, tooth eruption, fluoride use and good snacking habits.

For a child under the age of 3, most will be completed in the comfort of your lap. We like to call it a lap to lap or knee to knee exam. We’ll have your little one sitting in your lap facing you giving you a hug. When it is time to take a look, you will then lean your child back onto our doctor’s lap, while you get to gently hold their hands and get a bird eyes view of all those teeth! Once we have them reclined, our doctor moves very fast to examine and clean the teeth if necessary. Before you know it, your child will be sitting up in your arms, ready to get a prize!