When should your child see a dentist?

When should your child see a us?

Generally the first time your child needs to see a dentist is when you see their first tooth or when they've reached 12 months old. However if you think there is something out of the ordinary, a consultation should be booked just to be safe.

We would always advise the parents to bring their newborn into the practice so they can "grow" with us, so everything will be familiar during their first appointment. This will make them more relaxed and have a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

We generally don't do very much during your child's first appointment. In this appointment, we will take a medical history, address any of your concerns and then examine a their mouth, tongue, gums and teeth while slowly introducing the instruments which we will use in the future, perhaps their second appointment. During this appointment we will discuss your child's dental development, teething, brushing techniques, any issues with the teeth and soft tissues (gum, cheeks, tongue etc), habits such as thumb sucking and dietary/nutritional advice. At the conclusion of the appointment we will let your child choose a small toy out a treasure chest. A little bit of a reward for being so brave.

Prior to the appointment, please just try to reinforce that the overall dental appointment will be a positive and enjoyable one, you can say they are going to see the tooth fairy's friend or going for a ride on the dental chair! It is important not to use dentists as a result of neglect - like "if you don't brush your teeth, you will have to see your dentist to have fillings done!". Ideally, your child will have already been to us and have met us.

The first routine dental experience a milestone occasion, it should be a fun and positive one, we sometimes role play and play out a scene in Peppa Pig, just a check and a rinse and a toy as a reward.