Your child's first dental visits: when to start and how to keep them easy

Most parents expect the first dental visit to happen around school age, when there's a full set of baby teeth to look at. The usual advice is earlier than that. It surprises people, and it's good news, because an early visit is the easiest kind: short, quiet, and mostly about getting to know the room.

When to start

The commonly recommended timing is by your child's first birthday, or when the first tooth comes in, whichever happens first. If your child is older and has never been, don't worry about being late. Book a visit now. The best time to start is the next time you think of it, and a first appointment at age four is a perfectly normal appointment.

Why so early?

Baby teeth can develop decay soon after they appear, and they matter more than their short lifespan suggests. They hold space for the adult teeth underneath, they help with eating and speech, and a painful tooth is miserable for a small child. An early visit lets the dentist check how the teeth and gums are developing and gives you a chance to ask the questions that come with every new stage: pacifiers, thumb sucking, teething, bottles at bedtime.

It also builds familiarity. A child who has sat in the chair a few times when nothing was wrong sees the dental office as an ordinary place. That makes a later filling or cleaning far easier than meeting the chair for the first time with a toothache.

Setting up the first visit

• Pick a time when your child is rested and fed. Morning slots suit many families, and the office opens at 8:00 AM Monday to Friday.
• Keep the build-up brief. Mention the visit the day before, in a relaxed voice, and read a picture book about a dentist if you like.
• Practise opening wide at home and counting teeth with a toothbrush.
• Stay in the room and let your child see that you're calm.
• Plan something ordinary afterwards, like the park, rather than a big reward that signals the visit was a big deal.

Words to use and words to skip

Children read our tone before they read our words. If you say it's going to be okay a dozen times, a child hears that something might not be. Use simple, matter-of-fact language: the dentist is going to count your teeth and make them sparkle. Skip words like hurt, shot, needle and pain, even when you're reassuring. The dental team has its own gentle ways of describing each step, so let them lead and follow their wording.

And if the first visit is mostly sitting in the chair, looking around, and maybe a quick look at one tooth, that counts as a good visit. Not every appointment needs to accomplish a lot. Trust grows from a few easy ones.

At home between visits

The dentist's chair is only a small part of your child's dental health. The daily routine does most of the work, and it's worth asking the dentist to confirm the details for your child's age.

• Brush twice a day, morning and before bed. Bedtime matters most, because saliva slows down overnight.
• Use fluoride toothpaste in a very small amount: commonly a smear for the youngest children and a pea-sized amount as they get older.
• Help with brushing until your child can do a careful job on their own. Many dentists suggest parents stay involved until around the age children can write neatly.
• Keep juice and sugary drinks to mealtimes and offer water between meals.
• Avoid putting a child to bed with a bottle of anything other than water.

One office for the whole family

Superior Smiles Dentistry describes itself as Adult & Pediatric Dentistry, which is on the door of the office on Buena Vista Road. That means you and your children can be cared for in the same place, and it often simplifies a family's schedule. Ask the front desk about booking family members around the same time. Seeing a parent in the chair is one of the best ways for a little one to learn there's nothing to fear.

Most insurances are accepted, so call (661) 454-7600 with your plan details and the team can explain how it applies to a child's visit. The hours are Monday to Thursday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Friday, 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

If you're deciding what to do first, here it is: book a visit if your child has teeth and hasn't been, brush at bedtime tonight, and swap one sugary drink for water this week. The pediatric dentistry page has more about how we approach children's visits, and the contact page is the quickest way to ask a question without calling.