Too Young for the Dentist?

Hi J.,
I recently had all of my kids to a dentist. My youngest is three years old and the oldest is 17. I was also told anywhere from 1 to 3 years. They were fantastic there. If you'd like the name of the office, feel free to contact me at ____@____.com office specializes in pediatric dentistry. Now that I've been there I wouldn't ever take my kids anywhere else. Good Luck
S. AKA Shazzizme :-)

As soon as a child has its first tooth. Otherwise, when they begin eating nothing but real food and you're brushing their teeth you should take them. My daughter is about to be 3. Never had any issues with her teeth. Loves to brush & floss. And I'd never taken her to the dentist but did for her first time because her falling & hitting her teeth. She was & is fine and so are her teeth, but realized that she should've been going for a while now.

I have 5 children, oldest is 13 & youngest is 2.. They all have seen the dentist by age 1. We are a Army family, and have moved all over the place & all the dentists that I have been to agree that they should start early. If they have more than a "couple" of teeth, then they have enuff for a dentist to look at & clean. If you pick a childs dentist, then they will work with the child to sit & let them count & look at their teeth. They are not going to do x rays on them this young. But they can get them interested in keeping their teeth clean & healthy. Its better to get them taken care of early than to wait until they NEED dental work. I was 11 before I was seen by a dentist. And now I am 33 & still terrified to go. And I know that I need to, but its been 6 years since I have been for a dental cleaning. I take care of them, but I am sure that there are some funky things going on in there. But unless I get sedated, I ain't going. Sadd~ Guess my parents should have started taking me when I was young. But finances are everything. When you have no insurance, its hard. Good Luck from a mom of 5 beautiful & pearly white smiles.

I was told around 1 because then they usually have all or most of their baby teeth. I took my twins right after their first birthday.

I have always started mine at 3 yrs old. All they do at that age is look in their mouth to check the teeth, and make sure they are growing correctly and are brushing their teeth well. Then they put those preventative bonds on the teech and thats it. I wouldnt take them any younger because they wouldnt be as cooperative at a younger age. By 3 you can talk them into sitting in the chair and not be scared.

I think it depends on the dentist. I was told three, but if I were you I would just call the dentist and ask.

Their first birthday is a gret time to go. Just for a check up and to make sure evrything is going well. Alot of parnets wait but it is better to start early so that you can prevent any problems. My childrens dentist sees them at 1 and they children sit in your lap and they just take a quick look, nothing too big. It gets them used to the staff and over the scare of sitting in the chair and having these bright lights and strangers in their face.

Our dentist said 2. Although, dealing with a two year old temper and restlessness doesn't sound fun. I guess I'll find out soon enough. I'm getting ready to schedule our son's first visit.

The one we go to will see 1yr olds for free and after that it is not free. So I would probably say age 2 unless you want them to get used to seeing the dentist and stuff. I do know they need to see the dentist for most schools/daycares/child development centers and it varies on the ages for when they want them to start going.

My dentist recommended that at 2 years you bring your little one to watch you so that they get use to it. At three years they come for a "cleaning". At this cleaning they don't do a cleaning like yours (there isn't any tarter or anything yet). They basically brush the teeth and teach them how to brush properly (my dentist said that they usually will schedule this along with your appt so you just have to come in once). They don't get real cleanings until they start getting their permanent teeth.

Hi J.,

My best advice is to call your dentist and ask. I tried to make an appointment for my son when he was young and they said I needed to wait until he was ____ (whatever age it was). I think my dentist said 3. I would have thought sooner, but that's their preference.

Good luck!

I started both of my kids at age 1. They really don't do much at that age but look at the teeth and brush them with a regular toothbrush. I figure if my insurance covers it then I will take them. And I only take them to pediatric dentists. I think they do a better job at getting them used to going to the dentist.

I just took my 2 1/2 yr old daughter to the dentist on Wednesday. It was just for a check-up because her father's parents and siblings all have awful teeth. I'd rather play it safe! Everything went well.. she fussed a little when the dentist looked in her mouth but then they gave her a toy and a toothbrush. You would have thought it was Christmas! She's still talking about it.

I was told that it is normal to wait until children are over 3 years old unless there is a specific issue. The dentist said it's really up to the parent though, and of course what the child will tolerate. He said as long as the teeth are brushed well and often (and you stay away from giving them anything other than water to drink after bed)there should be no problem.

Also, he said that the majority of dental traits passed down to children are passed from the mother's side which I thought was an interesting factoid.

I took my daughter at 18 months to a pediatriac dentist. They just are trying to get them familiar with the dentist office and chair at that age. The looked at the shape of her mouth and her teeth. They layed her down in the dentist's lap. She cried of course because the dentist was a stranger. That dentist office recommend that they start at age 18 months and come every 6 mos. I didn't care for that dentist. I didn't care for her "bedside manner" for a children's dentist. So I asked my dentist what age is good and they recommended 3 yrears. They just recommend you take them with you around 2 years old when you get a cleaning so they become familiar with the process. They also recommend brushing their teeth 2x a day with an electric tooth brush so they get familiar with the sound of it.

I hope this helps.

D.

I just asked my pedatrician this question last month and she told me not until 3 years old is it nessary

My kids dentist told me @1 and a half. But they really recommend them to be broke off the pacifier and bottle by then also. Because they both rot there teeth

our pediatrician told us right about at 3 years old. my daughter turned three in november and just recently took her to her first dental cleaning/appt. it went great. i think anything younger and they may not take too well to having to sit with their mouths open for that long:)

We have five children and they went for their "visit" around 30 months. They just sat in the chair and our Dentist gave them a toothbrush to "brush" with and talked to them about brushing and spitting (our first four children are boys and loved that part LOL). Then 6 months later they went back and got a cleaning (3 yrs old). It was quite as intense as an adults but it did involve the polishing of teeth and the suction. Just talk to your child about it, especially when brushing their teeth. Good Luck!

I agree with Yvonne.I would never try to take my 2yr old into the dentist its hard enought to get him to sit still long enough for me to brush his teeth.. but they do recommend 1 to 3 but as long as there teeth are ok to you and you dont have any problems with them then I would just wait untill you can talk to them and make them sit..just keep brushing them and flossing them 2 times aday..

I started taking my kids at 1. Its never to early and the earlier they go they start to get use to it and it makes it easier when they are older and might require more work done. My advice is to find a pediatric dentist, not just a family dentist, and make sure that you are comfortable with them and that the staff is patient with kids! Where are you located?

Mother of 3: 6yrs old, 3 yrs old, and 7 months!

My dentist told me 3 yo. This way they usually have all their teeth and they get a well check so that they are not afraid of them.