2/14/2019 Your Child's First Dental Visit: When to Take Your Child to the Dentist

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Your Child’s FirstDental Visit: When toTake Your Child to theDentistPOSTED BY: ANNIE TANDY JANUARY 16, 2018

Kidlist welcomes Dr. Eric G. Jackson, DDS, MAGD, FICOI, FICD, FADIas a guest contributor

Without a doubt, one of the questions I most often get askedis “When should I bring my child for their first dental visit?”Parents often receive conflicting advice due to the multitudeof sources and opinions available these days. With this article,it’s my intention to provide you the facts and reasons behindthe recommendations to allow you to determine what is bestfor your child.

“So when DO I take my child for her �rstdental visit!”

A traditional “cookie cutter” answer to this question hasalways been “around the age of three” but times, and

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recommendations, change. I feel strongly that the modern,proper answer to this question is very family and patientspecific. If forced to choose one specific age, I agree with therecommendations of the American Academy of PediatricDentistry (AAPD). According to their website, the AAPDadvises a child’s first dental appointment should occur “whenthe first tooth appears, or no later than his/her first birthday.”At first read, this may sound a bit crazy or self-serving tomany of you…and that’s understandable! The average patientin my office possesses what I term a very high “Dental IQ.”For over 30 years patients have been receiving quality dentalcare and dental education from my office and have in turnpassed that along to their children and grandchildren. Theyunderstand what steps it takes to maintain a healthy mouthand just as important, WHY these steps are important to take.

Unfortunately, the average dental patient nationwide doesnot have a high Dental IQ. To many people even basicconcepts such as the importance of regular dental cleaningsand quality brushing/flossing techniques are foreign. Usuallythese people have not been educated as to WHY dental care,especially pediatric dental care, is important. A classicexample of this is the patient who thinks their poor familydental history purely dictates their own dental history. Often,they are resigned to the inevitability of having all their teethextracted and dentures made. This mentality often causes alackadaisical attitude about oral hygiene and eventuallybecomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Even more disappointing,this mentality is often passed from generation to generation.It’s just not true! Just because your parents and grandparentshad dentures by the time they turned 30 does not mean thatyou are destined for the same fate! The field of dentistry aswell as dental technology is always evolving!

It may also surprise you that numerous times throughout mycareer I have been asked…

“Why do I have to brush my child’s babyteeth if they’re just going to fall outeventually?”

There are numerous good answers to this question but two ofthe most significant are cavity prevention and laying thefoundation for a lifelong appreciation for good oral hygienepractices in the child. The AAPD’s recommendation is clearlydevised to educate the PARENTS of the child and stop the

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cycle of dentally uninformed generations from propagatingtheir beliefs. I completely support the concept of what I call“Early Intervention, Early Education.” This concept is theprimary reason for the 6-12 month recommended firstappointment, and is why the focus is on discussion and lesson cleaning.

Perhaps the most severe result of lack ofearly intervention is termed “Baby BottleTooth Decay.”

This serious condition affects far more children than youmight think, and has severe repercussions on not only thebaby teeth, but the permanent teeth and the patient’soutlook towards dentistry as well. In much the same mannerthat prior generations put babies to bed on their stomachs,they also would commonly give babies bottles in their cribs atnight. These children would drink throughout the night andcontinuously bathe the teeth in sugary liquids such as milk,formula, or juice. As a result, decay rapidly progressesthrough the teeth, especially the front teeth on the upper jawbecause that’s where the sugary liquid first hits the teeth andremains overnight. Pictures of this can be seen below. Thisdevastating condition is perhaps the foremost reason thatnew parents should bring their child for a dental visit whenthe first baby tooth erupts. By reaching new parents at thistime, dental professionals can educate prior to any damage tothe teeth.

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Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

When should a parent with high Dental IQbring their child in for their �rst dentalvisit?

If parents have had an “Early Intervention, Early Education”appointment with an older child, they will often just ask aboutany updates at their own hygiene appointment, and defer thenewest child’s appointment to an age when a traditionaldental cleaning can easily be completed. For most children,this is around the age of two or three years old. Every child isdifferent and some acclimate to the dentist at different rates.

This is why over 20 years ago we at Oral Health CareProfessionals, LLC created “Tooth Fairy Day” and host ittwice per year. This complimentary day is open to the publicand serves as a low stress high fun method of desensitizingpreschool age children to visiting the dentist. By attendingTooth Fairy Day, children acclimate to the dental operatories,to sitting in the dental chair, to having air/water squirted, andmost of all, to having a stranger examine their teeth. Each ofthese things is very foreign and can be quite scary for a child.Even young patients that are hesitant at Tooth Fairy Dayflourish at their first cleaning appointment as much of the“newness” has been removed from the equation. For a videoand more information about Tooth Fairy Day, please visit mywebsite at www.EricJacksonDDS.com/tooth-fairy.html.

Pediatric dentistry topics are immensely important and as thefather of two young girls (5 & 6), are especially close to myheart. If you would like to speak about pediatric topics, or anyother dental topic, please feel free to call the office andschedule a complimentary appointment with me. Various

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pediatric topics are routinely covered in my office newsletterand past copies are available for download on my website:www.EricJacksonDDS.com/quarterly-newsletter.html. I amextremely passionate about modern family dentistry andsincerely love discussing it with patients, so please do nothesitate to contact me.

Sincerely, Eric G. Jackson, DDS, MAGD, FICOI, FICD, FADI dreric@oralhealthcareprofessionals.com @EjacksonDDS

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Annie Tandy

Annie loves making great memorieswith her kids and started Kidlist so shecan help others do the same! Besidesfinding fun and exciting things to do,Annie, her husband, and their kidsenjoy caring for their chickens andhanging out with them in the backyard.Click here to read about Annie's

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