The health of your children is important, and you probably make sure that you follow your pediatrician’s recommended well child visit and vaccination schedule. Just like you protect your child’s overall health, you also need to protect their dental health.
Even though your child’s milk teeth are not permanent, your child’s oral health now greatly impacts their oral health when permanent teeth begin to come in. Protecting your child’s baby teeth is also important for their overall nutrition. Here is when your child should see the dentist.
Your Child’s First Dental Visit to See the Dentist
Many parents do not take their children to the dentist until the age of two or older, yet this is far too late according to standards from dentists and pediatricians alike. These experts and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommend that your child see a dentist within six months after their first tooth erupts, usually around the age of one.
These early dental appointments are important for several reasons. First, you want to make sure that your child’s primary teeth are coming in properly and that their gums are in good condition. It is also an opportunity for you to learn how to care for your child’s teeth until they are old enough to do so themselves.
Frequency of Visits to See the Dentist
After your child’s initial dental visit, your child should see the dentist every six months. These dental checkups are important because as your child’s primary teeth continue to come in, issues with their alignment can be detected. This is also true when your child starts losing primary teeth and permanent teeth begin to erupt. The sooner dental problems such as these are discovered, the easier it will be to treat them and keep them from inhibiting normal speech development and proper nutrition.
If your child hasn’t been to the dentist yet, or if it has been longer than six months since their last appointment, now is the time to take action. Contact us today for more information or to schedule your appointment.
