First Visit

When should I take my child for his/her first dental visit?

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends that every child see a pediatric dentist when the first tooth appears, or no later than his/her first birthday.  A scientific paper in the journal Pediatric Dentistry revealed that children who wait to have their first dental visit until age two or three are more likely to require restorative and emergency visits. The prevalence of dental caries for the youngest of children has not decreased over the past decade, despite improvements for older children and pediatricians frequently confront morbidity associated with dental caries.  Therefore, the “first dental visit by age 1” is also endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).  

What should we expect at the first dental visit?

At SLimDental Kids, our staff is trained to make the first visit as fun and enjoyable as possible.  We have toys and kid-friendly videos to make your child feel more comfortable.  During your child’s first visit, we will discuss your child’s routine and habits to help determine your child’s risk for cavities.  This enables us to make the best recommendations for your child.

After getting a medical and dental history, we will examine your child’s teeth and gums.  We may clean your child’s teeth and apply topical fluoride to help protect the teeth against decay. Depending on what we see during the exam and your child’s risk for cavities, we may recommend x-rays.  X-rays help us to detect cavities that cannot be seen with the naked eye and if pathology is present, x-rays help us determine the extent of the disease so we can plan the appropriate treatment.

Our goal at SLimDental Kids is to PREVENT disease so the first dental visit by age 1 helps set up the child for a lifelong preventive dental care program to minimize tooth decay or to avoid cavities altogether.