When to Bring a Child to the Dentist for the First Time

A common question that I get asked is, “When should I bring my child to the dentist for the first time?” The official recommendation is within six months of them cutting their first tooth. That might seem really early to some people, but we’re not going to be doing a full cleaning and getting out all of the instruments. That’s more of a check on everything, see how the teeth are developing, and it’s really a chance for parents to ask questions; to go over how to brush, what to use, all of those different things.

That’s their first visit, and our intention there is education, and also to make sure that they have a great time and don’t associate anything scary with the dentist. It’s a lot of playing, a lot of laughing, and showing them some books. After the first visit, we’ll continue to have them come in every six months. Again, just to get used to things, to feel comfortable in the dental office.

Then, usually somewhere around three to four, is when we first start to do a cleaning. Again, we keep it really simple, easy, and as fun as we can for the child, so that they start to create life-long happy memories at the dentist.