When should I take my child to the dentist?
At Dental Quarters, we see a lot of children at our Claremont practice. A lot of parents ask us when the best time is to bring their children to visit the dentist. We hope to answer this question plus give you some other tips to help your child when they visit the dentist.
We are passionate about starting good dental habits for children. We see many adults and some young children who have had bad experiences at the dentist, which has caused dental fear and phobias. Our aim is to try and prevent this from happening at all times.
Over the years of experience, we have seen that the following approaches have been helpful in getting children to enjoy their dental visits and have a positive approach to the dentist in future:
- Schedule a visit as soon as your child has their first tooth come through. This can vary in age from childbirth (some children are born with teeth!), to up to 1 year or so. We find it helpful if you bring your child with you when you have your visit. We find this gives them a good introduction to the environment, the dentist and the tools we use. Even if we can’t get a good look the first time, this isn’t a cause for concern. We would recommend another visit in 6 months’ time, and often the child tends to be more co-operative. We are trying to establish a positive relationship with your child, and we know that for some children, this can take a few visits to gain their trust.
- Start cleaning your baby’s gums from about 4 months of age. Continue this when their teeth come through. You can use a cloth and wet it with warm water, and then progress to an early years toothbrush. More on getting your kids to love brushing their teeth here.
- Make a habit of you and your child visiting the dentist every 6 months. This shows them that you think it’s important enough that you and them are coming. It also gets them used to the routine, so when it is time to visit the dentist, it’s not a big deal because they remember the last time they attended. We find that leaving it longer between visits can sometimes create a heightened and unrealistic expectation of fear for children, and also adults! It also increases the risks of development of dental problems which could have been mitigated earlier before they became more complex problems.
- Prepare your child by reading a book about their favourite character attending the dentist. There are a multitude of dentist related kids book out there, so choose one you think your child will relate to best.
- If it helps, you can also bring your child’s favourite toy to the visit. Your child can also help to check their teeth, which gets them involved and interested in having their own teeth checked.
- Book in a family visit! We find it is helpful when siblings attend the dentist together.
- Make it fun! Even if you have dental fear or a phobia, try not to tell this to your child. Children easily pick up on negative feelings or fear from their parents, so try not to show this to them.
- Choose a dentist that you feel comfortable with. It helps if you already have an established dentist you have been seeing personally.
Do you have more questions? Feel free to call our friendly team on 6143 5655, or you can book online anytime here.
