Your Child’s First Dental Visit: How to Prepare

For a child, a dental clinic can be strange: bright lights, new sounds and a chair that moves. How the first visit goes often shapes how they feel about dentists for years, so a little preparation helps a lot.

When should the first visit be?

Many dentists suggest a first visit around the time the first teeth appear, or by the first birthday, and no later than when problems appear. Early visits are mostly about getting used to the clinic and giving parents advice. They are not about treatment.

How to prepare your child

• Talk about it in a simple, positive way: “The dentist will count your teeth and make them shiny.”
• Avoid words that suggest fear, like “pain”, “needle”, “do not worry” or “it will not hurt”.
• Never use the dentist as a threat, such as “we will take you to the dentist if you do not brush”.
• Read a picture book about dentists, or play a game where you check a toy’s teeth.
• Choose a time when your child is rested and fed.

What happens at the visit

1. The dentist says hello and lets your child look around.
2. The dentist counts and checks the teeth, often using a small mirror.
3. Gentle cleaning may be done if the child is comfortable.
4. You get advice on brushing, food and drinks, fluoride and habits like thumb sucking.

You can stay with your child the whole time. If your child is upset, a good dentist will slow down or end the visit and try again, rather than force it.

Looking after children’s teeth at home

• Start brushing as soon as the first tooth appears, with a smear of fluoride toothpaste for young children.
• Help with brushing until your child can write neatly, usually around age seven or eight.
• Limit sweets, juices and sugary milk, particularly between meals and at bedtime.
• Avoid putting a child to bed with a bottle of anything sweet.

Do baby teeth matter?

Yes. Baby teeth help children chew and speak, and they hold the space for adult teeth. Decay in baby teeth can cause pain and infection, and can affect the adult teeth growing below.

When to book sooner

See a dentist promptly if your child has a toothache, swelling, a knocked tooth or white or brown spots on the teeth.

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T-Dent Dental Clinic welcomes children for gentle check-ups. Read about children’s dentistry, then book a relaxed first visit in North Nazimabad.

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This article is general information and not a substitute for an examination.

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