What You’ll Learn at the First Visit

When you bring your baby or toddler in for their first appointment, one of our board-certified pediatric dentists and our team will be able to give you great information on several of the common infant and pediatric dental concerns to watch out for. These include:

• Prevention of dental decay
• Baby bottle tooth decay
• Teething
• Pacifier habits
• Finger-sucking habits
• Proper brushing

We will also give you information about mouth-healthy infant feeding practices, mouth cleaning, and how to take care of your child’s baby teeth.

Preparing for the First Visit

Mom and dad, baby, and the dentist all need to prepare for that first visit. Up to a certain age, there’s not much you can do to explain the dentist to a very young child, but if they are preschool age or older, you can give them an explanation of what to expect from this new experience. Be sure to cover the importance of going to the dentist. Be understanding and try to help them feel excited about this Big Kid milestone.

You can prepare for the first visit as a parent by discussing your questions and concerns with us. Keep in mind that your own history with dental offices is not your child’s. We encourage you to be honest with us about your views on dentists so that we can work together to ensure your child doesn’t inherit any dental anxiety. 

We also need to prepare to be your child’s dentist! Make sure to bring their complete health history with you. It also helps for us to know if your child tends to be stubborn, defiant, anxious, or fearful in a new situation. 

The Parent’s Role

Parents can greatly help their child have a good experience by remaining present and calm in the dental exam room, and you can also watch how they react during their appointment. You know your child best, and what you tell us can be very helpful. Some behaviors are fairly typical for certain age groups:

• Age 10-24 months: some children may become upset when taken from their parents for an exam.
• Age 2-3 years: children this age are better able to cope with brief separations from their parents, though “no” is a common response from a two-year-old. 
• Age 3: children at this age may have difficulty being apart from a parent during a procedure like getting a cavity filled because they aren’t socially mature enough yet.
• Age 4: by this age, most children are able to sit in another room from their parents for exams and treatments.

The First Visit

The primary goal of a child’s first dental visit is to help them feel comfortable with the dentist. It will typically last between 30 and 45 minutes. Depending on the age of your child, it may include a full oral exam to check the growth and development of the teeth, jaws, bite, gums, and oral tissues. Your child may also receive a gentle cleaning, which will include polishing any teeth that have erupted and removing any plaque, tartar, and stains. If a lip or tongue tie is present, we can diagnose and treat it.

The Second Visit

As with adults, children should have regular dental visits — once every 6 months, but we may recommend more frequent visits to help build your child’s comfort and confidence or to keep an eye on a developmental or cavity concern issue. 

Begin Your Child’s Dental Health Journey at Crabapple Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics 

Call us at (770) 664-1999 or visit our appointment page to request an appointment for your child. You can learn more about us by checking our business page, and make sure to check the map for directions to our Westminster office!