My son is 19 months old and he loves to brush his teeth. I am going to my regular check up next month and was debating if I should take him along so he can get to see what happens. Or is he still too young to really understand? What age do children need to start goig to the dentist? Would the dentist at least like to look at his teeth to see how they are growing in or if he's going to have any problems? My son has a lot of teeth for a child his age it seems like. I'm just wondering on some advice.
Thank you!
V.
The dentist I take my children to said that you should begin taking them at age two. A lot of dentists will not see them any younger there are pediactric dentists out there that would see them younger if you are concerned.
I've always taken my daughter to the dentist. She loves it. And I feel she should see that we all have to have our teeth clean...even Mom's and Dad's. Maybe she won't be so scared of the dentist when check-ups start to happen. There is also a book call "Met Michael's Dentist" that teaches about what a dentist doesn't in basic language and I'm sure the library would have a book to show him if you don't have the time to squeeze in this lesson during your visit. Sometimes I know it's nice to just be on your own.
Usually children don't see a dentist until their 2 or 3 depending on which dentist you take them too. When my son was about this age every so many months his pediatrician would check his teeth and do a flouride treatment on his teeth. The flouride treatment simply consisted of putting this paste on their teeth. He couldn't drink for like a hour and couldn't eat hard candy for so many hours. She usually did it on the days that he got his shots. I knew that he would sleep for sometime on these days so it was no problem. Good luck...
I think it's never too soon to start bringing a child to the dentist. The younger they are the sooner they will be comfortable with going. It's a scary place to begin with, bring him with you so he knows what to expect. Good luck!
He could have all the way up to his 2 year molars already. Which is a lot of teeth. Both my dentist, the dentist I take my son to and his pediatrian suggest that we start taking him at age 3 to the dentist but that they should be brushing their teeth at least twice a day from the time the first tooth comes in. If you are worried or have any problems you can go before that, but there's really no reason to. If he likes to brush his teeth don't stop him! ;) My son is 4 and LOVES to brush his teeth. We told him the dentist just brushed his teeth really good and made sure there was nothing wrong, just like a doctor does with your body. He went one time about 3 months before his visit with his grandma to the dentist, and he had no problems when he went at all. His dentist is WONDERFUL with dealing with children. Best wishes.
My kids had their first visit at 1 year old, but that was because our friend was a dentist. They began regular visits at 2 years old. I'd suggest calling the dentist's office and asking them when they suggest beginning visits. I've been told it's good to have them checked as early as possible, even before teeth come in. It's great that your son already loves to brush, it's a wonderful habit to have! You're lucky, brushing is a challenge my 11 year old still fights me on!
my kids all started going to the dentist at 2 and have great teeth and i think that has a lot to do with it, but some dentist won't take a child younger than 3 so just ask your dentist what they think, you can't go wrong getting him on track for good dental health and problems that start at a young age can get much worse as the children get older. good luck.
Our pediatrician and my dentist both recommend age 3 for initial visits to the dentist. My oldest daughter turned 3 in March and will be going with my husband to his dentist appointment at the end of this month so she can get an idea what to expect.
Good luck!
My hygenist said not to make a visit for our 18 month old until age three because they wouldn't do anything but look in his mouth. She basicaly was telling me I would be wasting my money until age 3. But she did say to have my husband bring him along the next time I had a cleaning so he could watch and see that it wasn't a big deal and nothing to get scared about. Also my son just cut his "two year" molars and that is it for him, YEA!
My uncle (who is a dentist) and my dentist both told me kids usually start going or dental visits somewhere between 3 ½ and 5. It usually depends more on their ability to sit still through a cleaning without being scared and throwing a fit. I asked my dentist recently about my daughter (who has a fear of all people in scrubs) and they suggested to start bringing her in to watch her older brother at his next apt. – she is 2 ½. But that she didn’t need to be seen for about another year. But this may help her be less scared. But call your dentist and ask, I am sure they would take a look if you have concerns.
