When should a baby/child have his first dental appt?
My son has 2 teeth on the bottom and two on the top are just starting to come through. We brush his teeth in the morning (when we remember - bad us) and always before bed. When should I make his first dental appointment?
For those in the guild who live in the South Bay, any referrals of good pediatric dentists would also be appreciated. Thanks!
5 Answers
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We took Maya when she was about 1 but they just looked in her mouth and said "everything looks ok", I was really expecting a little more effort. they did the same thing when she was about 2 *then again Maya was screaming because we were trying to hold her down). Now that she's going on 3 and is more cooperative (she'll open up and say ahhhhhh for the doctor), we may try again.
We've been happy with Sweet Tooth Dental in milpitas, but they've turned out to be a little less geared towards real little kids than we had hoped. I see lots of older kids go through there and they sure are nice, so for now we will probably stick with them.
http://www.sweettoothcare.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/sweet-tooth-care-milpitas
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We must be terrible parents. We still haven't taken our 3 1/2 year old yet! It's on my list of things-to-do and I just never seem to remember.
Palo Alto might be a bit far for you, but I have heard some great recommendations for Brian Quo and his practice.
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We took our son when he was 1-something, and he was scared. The dentist was patient, had him sit on my lap, straddling my legs, and lean backwards to put his head on the doctor's knee. The doc looked inside, did a very brief exam, and that was it. I was surprised he did that much - I was tempted to just call it quits and try again later.
It's suggested that you take your child with you when you go, so they can just watch a few times.
(Fwiw, our son was also scared/sad at the hairdressers, and this last time (age 2 1/2) he wasn't. Maybe his language skills are good enough now that he can better understand what's going on? I hope the same is true for our next dentist visit.)
As for when to go, I've heard a lot of different answers. Our dentist answered differently than our hygenist who answered differently than the pamphlet they have in their office. I'd call your dentist and ask. And, failing that, aim for before 3 :)
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I asked my dentist and he said that unless we see dark spots on the teeth (that would indicate possible cavities) or anything else that worries us, there really isn't any need to take a child to the dentist until around 3 or 4 years old. And he said that the first appointment would just be to get the child used to being examined and that he would only look at the teeth if he gets a chance...
