My son is 27 months old and I'm just wondering when I should take him for his first dentist appointment. His dr. didn't mention anything about it at his 2 year checkup, but the sites I've seen have conflicting information. Some say his pediatrician can check his teeth until he's 4 or 5, but others (mostly dental office sites) say he should be seen as soon as his first tooth comes in. He's never had any kind of issues and all of his teeth are in.
Thanks for the quick responses. We don't have any issues brushing his teeth and I haven't noticed any problems so we're gonna hold off til his 3rd bday :)
my dentist says 3 years old but my pediatrician says now... my son is 25 months. His pediatrician says it is a good idea because he isn't fond of letting me help him brush.
I didn't make a special appointment for my son when he was one. I took him with me to one of my appointments and the dentist just looked at his teeth for me. My son is very good at letting us brush his teeth. He is 31 months old and I did take him to get his teeth cleaned and checked already. The dentist told me they usually don't see kids this young but made an exception for my son since he does have a disorder that crowds his teeth. The dentist stated that they start seeing kids around the age of 3 - 31/2. Good luck!!
Our family dentist wouldn't take our daughter before 3yrs without a "cause for concern". I have NEVER heard of taking a child to the dentist when their first tooth comes in!? Our daughter was good about letting us brush her teeth, and we (and her pediatrician) could see no problems in her mouth, so we didn't see any reason to push for an appt. If you are very concerned, there are pediatric dentists that do take younger patients. I can tell you that I believe 3yrs old is most common since most younger kids are not ready to have their teeth professionally cleaned or examined. It was hard on my 3 yr old - she cried and would NOT open her mouth for the cleaning, but did let the dentist look at her teeth.
As long as there's no obvious problem, 3 years old is fine. Our pediatrician says between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2, and our dentist says at least 3. While I know some dentists will see younger patients for routine visits, I think most kids are unlikely to be cooperative with a strange experience like that (laying back, bright light, strange instruments and sensations in their mouth, etc.) until they can understand a little more what's going on and why. I'd hold off a bit for now and just be sure you're brushing his teeth for him (even letting him chew on a baby toothbrush while sitting in his highchair can help, but don't let him run around with it).
Call the pediatric dentist that you're going to use for your son (or your dentist if he/she also sees children). I called my new dentist and asked as I have pretty bad teeth, but he still wanted to wait until my son turns 3, unless I notice something off.
