Many parents don’t realise that babies and toddlers can get cavities, but they can get cavities. As soon as your child gets a tooth, that tooth can begin to decay.

Your baby is hitting new milestones every day and his/her first dental visit is another one to include in the baby book!

So, when should your child's first dental visit be?

The best age for the child to visit a dentist is as soon as the child cuts his first tooth which may be as early as 4-5 months or else definitely before his/her first birthday.

Importance of 1st visit:-

The first visit to the dentist is most important. It plays a very crucial role in addressing the fears and anxiety of children towards dental treatment. If not handled appropriately it can lead to lifelong dental phobias.

How to prepare your child for 1st dental visit?

Start early! To get your child ready for the visit, don’t talk to him/her in too much detail about what's going to happen and try to be positive.

• Have your child practice opening his/her mouth to get them ready for when the dentist counts and checks their teeth. 
• Reading books or watching videos about their first dental visits may help your child be less fearless and more confident.

Prepare Yourself:

It is more important that the parents should be prepared for their child’s 1st dental visit. So, parents should discuss their questions and concerns with the dentist. Remember that yours feelings towards dental visits can be quite different from your child’s.

 Be honest with your dentist. If you cause dental anxieties, be careful not to relate those fears or dislikes to your child. Parents need to give more support by staying calm while in the dental examination room. Children can pick up their parent’s anxieties and become anxious themselves.

So, parents should manage their own dental anxieties and fears, so that their child can have a great experience on their dental’s first visit.

The first visit plays a crucial role as a first time dentist provides you with information on:-

1. Early childhood decay.
2. Routine feeding practices.
3. Maintaining proper oral hygiene of your child
4. Detailed information on teething
5. Any habits present like - finger sucking, mouth breathing etc. can hamper the growth of oral musculature.
6. Guides parents on the cleaning process.

Not only this but the mother should also visit the dentist once she is pregnant so that the dentist can take care of the mother's oral health.

1. Mothers with bad oral health can have premature babies or low birth weight babies.
2. Dentists can teach mothers how to clean baby’s mouths after feeding.
3. Mothers can also be educated about tongue ties which can prevent babies from properly latching onto their mother’s breast and can face problems in feeding them.
4. Mothers can also be educated about how the cavity bacteria can get transferred to infants from parents or caregivers.

Conclusion

Early intervention brings vital Rewards. Dental disease can have devastating effects on young children as well as on new parents. Also, Kids with caries in their primary teeth have a great potential to reduce suffering and pain in kids.

Also, early dental visit allows for building a fundamental trust b/w kids and dentists allowing for open discussion on infant oral hygiene practices, fluoride therapy, injury prevention, dietary counselling & oral habit formation.

So, the best first birthday to give your child a dentist is to visit a paediatric dentist and establish a dental home for them.

Tips for a great visit:

1. Don’t schedule an appt. during naptime. Instead, pick a time when your child is active and has taken full rest.
2. Make sure your child has had a light meal and brushes their teeth before their appt. so they won’t be hungry during their visit.
3. Think of the appt. as a happy and fun experience. If your child becomes upset during the visit, work with your dentist to calm your child! You are on the same team!

We hope you found this blog by Dr. Amrita Gogia useful.