I have an almost 2.5 year old daughter and I was wondering when I should take her to the dentist. She has beautiful white teeth and her mouth is full of them but I am not sure when she might be ready to see the dentist. Thanks.
YOu should schedule her for her first appointment. They will do an exam and cleaning and she will get used to going. My son was 2 at his first appointment . His dentist was very nice and the people who worked there explained everything to the children in terms they would understand instead of me . I really appreciated them showing the children.
Hi C.,
My pediatrician always recommends that kids should start seeing the dentist around three years old. With all of mine, I started taking them between 3 and 4 yr. old. And it has worked really well for us. I take my kids to a pediatric dentist who is absolutely fabulous with my kids. No matter what the procedure...they exercise gentle kid friendly care. My kids look forward to going to the dentist. The first few times the exam was very basic. No x rays or things like that. It wasn't until they came a couple of times and got used to it is when they started more with the regular check up stuff. It was nice to see how they worked with my kids to make them feel more comfortable about their whole dental experience.
That will depend on your dentist. I have heard that they should go as soon as they get their first tooth, but none of the dentists in my area would take them that early. My family dentist took my son at 3 years old (he usually doesn't start until 4, but since we were existing clients he made an exception). They cleaned my son's teeth and gave him floride. He really had a good time. We have a Little Critter book about going to the dentist that we read up until the date of his appointment.
I am not sure where you are from, but there is a dentist in Mckeesport that sees the kids before 2. I think my daughter was about 18 months when she went, they say they like to get the kids used to going. His name is Dr Elston
Actually, according to our dentist, you are overdue. Go ahead and make that appointment. They will do a light cleaning and begin to coach your daughter on the merits of good brushing.
A friend of ours is a dentist and I just asked him about a month ago. He said that he encourages his patients to bring their little ones into the office during the parent's visit at around 2 or so. It can be hectic, but he says it will make them feel more comfortable when they actually sit in the chair at about 3ish or if they ask to do so before then.
He also says it is good to let your child see you brushing your teeth, which may make them want to brush too. My 15 month old son loves to brush his teeth with me, so that part is working for us. Maybe it is the pooh bear tooth brush!?
I always did around 24 months.
When I worked at a dentist office years ago, they recommended at 3 years of age - but they aren't going to do much...just take a peek and see if there are any problems. They will be very gentle with her and should give her a good first experience.
Good luck!
