Many parents struggle to understand when their children should visit a dentist for the first time and if it makes any sense for them to visit a dentist when they are still a baby. Opinions differ on this question and there is no one accepted answer that is the whole truth. Instead, consideration of the following factors should be made to find out if visiting a dentist is the right choice for your child.
What Services will be Performed
When you bring a baby or toddler to the dentist for the first time you may be wondering what services will be performed. The services offered will not mimic those that an adult has performed. Babies and other small toddlers will only have a quick inspection of their teeth and no formal tooth cleaning. Instead, a dentist will look for major problems in the gums and teeth and make sure that the children’s teeth are developing appropriately for their age and stage of development. It is too young for a tooth cleaning and these services will not be performed. However; a dentist will talk to the parents and provide some basic advice to the parent on how to care for the baby’s teeth when they come in more and when to start brushing them and how to develop healthy brushing habits with your child. More so than anything else, this process on being educated on taking care of your child’s teeth is the main benefit of visiting a dentist when they are a baby.
Noticing Bad Habits Early
An dentist can help to identify bad habits early and suggest protective measures. While your baby teeth are replaced with permanent teeth and damage done to band teeth is not lasting, your teeth can be more crooked and not grow in properly as a result of bad habits. Dentists can spot this early and correct the problem before it occurs a.
Cost and Convenience
Consider the cost and convenience of visiting a dentist with a baby. If you have a dental insurance plan then it likely won’t cost anything extra to visit a dentist for your baby. While it is an inconvenience to bring a baby to a dental appointment it is a good introduction to visiting a Dentist facility.
Preparing Good Habits for the Future of Your Baby
Part of the point of visiting a dentist when still a baby or toddler is to get exposure to visiting a dentist so that they don’t seem like the boogeyman in the future. Dentists have such a bad image on tv that if your child has never gone to visit one then they may have an unnatural fear of doing so. An trip to the dentist early on can help to remove this fear of dentists and allow them to see a dentist for what they are; a helpful way to clean your teeth and help you.
It is important to visit dentists but at what age you introduce your children to the dentist is less certain. Introducing babies and toddlers to a dentist can be a good way to ease the future transition and help children and parents cope with their teeth.