First Dentist Visit?

Hey All...
Just wondering what your thoughts are on 1st time dentist trips. I read once they are a year old, they should go.
How many of you did that and how many of you waited a bit?

[1nana]

I started mine at the age of 2 years.

[mamaofonetrying42]

Hello. Will I work in a dental office, and they say that they should start going around 2-3. It would be very hard of a denist to try to exam a 1 y/o. I now w/ my son he is just now letting me look in him month and he will be 2 in nov. Good Luck :o)

[tmv]

3yrs old for mine. It's good to let them go with you if possible, just to get used to the room/setting, instruments, etc.

[AndiJ78]

With my first we started at 6 mos (had a great dentist) and with my second the new dentist started exams at 3. I can tell you, the earlier the better. My oldest is a whiz at the dentist and has been getting check-up every 6 mos ever since he got his first two teeth. My middle even at three has a hard time staying focused enough : )

[AndiJ78]

I forgot to add that even if a full exam isn't done at a year, it still gets them used to it. By the time Jonathan turned 2 he had gone to the dentist 3 times before and wowed our previous dentist. I plan on finding a new dentist that will start seeing CJ earlier than 3. I think it is way too long to wait to get them used to it.

[April2]

Wow! My dentist said 3 or 4 or whenever they will sit in the chair and let you look in their mouths! Mine is 3. Maybe I should go ahead and get him in.

[jjerzeegirl]

wow....6 months...what's that dentists #...lol
My dd surprises me when we go to the docs...she is very calm and patient with them. When it comes to me or my dh...it's not as easy....
Maybe I'll call my dentist and see what he says...he has been my dentists since i was a baby....
Thanks for the advice kids!

[mum2beagain]

Both mine have gone every 6 months since 6 months old, both behave very well. Basically all they do at this stage with mine is give them a new tooth brush which they then have a lttle brush around their teeth with, checking for any problems. The kids get to take their toothbrush home and they get a little "prize" for being good for the dentist. The toothbrushes we get are really cool, they have little suckers on the bottom, they stick to the bathroom mirror and all over the place, lots of fun!

[pertykitty]

i think 6 months is quite early, we never saw kids before 3 unless they had a problem.  talk to your dentist and see what they feel is right. i think 3 is a great age myself.  all kids are different and it has a lot to do with how parents bring it up to them.  be positive and make it sound like a fun experience.  never EVER tell them "it wont hurt" because just using the word can put that thought into their heads and make them afraid.   even if they wont let them do more than "count" their teeth, it gets them acquainted with the dr and the office.  since i had worked in a dental office, i started cleaning my sons teeth at around 3 or 4, he loves the dentist!

[1nana]

6 months? What kid has teeth at 6 months? (very few)

[jjerzeegirl]

My dd broke her first tooth on her 1st bday. She will be 15months on the 4th and has 6 teeth...
She is having such a hard time with teething..it breaks my heart.
She has had a fever for the past 2 days....when/how do you determine if the fever is from teeth or being sick?

[AndiJ78]

All three of mine, my middle had 4 teeth at 5 mos and my first and third had their bottom 2 at 6 mos.

We are very concerned about good dental health and getting them started early was very important. Again, the dentist I had with my first was excellent. I wish I had him over here.

And most kids get their first two teeth at 6 mos, so it isn't that rare.

[mum2beagain]

I have checkups myself every 6 months so I just take them along with me, gets them used to it. Sam I think had 4 teeth by the time he saw the dentist for the first time, James probably didn't have any, either way it gets them used to the experience. I brushed my kids gums before they got teeth too on the advise of a friend who is a dental hygenist, that way they were used to it. I always buy kids mint toothpase too, non of this candy flavoured stuff so they are used to mint flavoured toothpaste when the time comes for them to use a fluoride toothpaste.
My dentist even wants me to floss my 3 1/2 years olds teeth, not much chance of him holding still whilst I do that!
My friend waited until her eldest was nearly 4 before she took him to the dentist and was horrifed to find he had 4 cavities and needed two teeth pulling even though she had brushed his teeth every day twice a day.
I am of the same opinion as Andi, good dental health is something I want my kids to have for life, getting started early was important to us too.

[AndiJ78]

Have you tried the flossers? They have a few different kinds. Reach makes on with replaceable heads or dentek makes the ones that are disposable with toothpicks on the ends. They even have dinosaur ones : ) My two older boys LOVE those and floss daily using those. It is nice to get them in the habit of that as well. Kids teeth are spaced apart a bit, so flossing doesn't actually mean getting it stuck in there, but they have gotten into the habit of doing so and hopefully they will carry it with them in their life.

And that is how my oldest started, he would go with me as I had to have some extensive dental work after I had him. Our dentist suggested when he got his first tooth(teeth) to let him start looking at them off the books. So we did and then  at 1 year he started on the books.

I am the only one of my friends to have kids with perfect teeth. I went through the hell of cavities at a young age and really work hard to ensure that doesn't happen to my kids.

[Me2mommy2b]

I used to work in a pediatric dental office (as a hygienist) and the average kid's age was 2 at the first visit.  Not much is done at that visit.  Mostly it's getting familiar and comfortable with the dentist.  I would strongly suggest seeing a pediatric dentist as most regular dentists are not that comfortable dealing with children that young.  I would prep her for the visit by either bying a children's book about teeth or talking to her about the appointment.  Mention how exciting it'll be and she'll have a lot of fun.  Try not mentioning the word "pain" and in the future, do not discuss any dental issues in front of her as most children's fear of dentist comes from hearing adults talking about how pleasant the dental visit can be.  I hope she'll have a pleasant visit.