First Visit

Getting Ready for Your Child's First Dentist Visit: A Guide for Parents

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) suggests scheduling your baby's first dentist visit around their first birthday. But if you're worried about dental visits yourself, those first trips to the dentist might feel tough.

Parents play a big role in making dental visits, especially the first one, a positive experience for kids.

How to Prepare for Your Child's First Dental Checkup

Pediatric dentists learn about kids' feelings and thoughts. Most dental offices for kids are designed to be welcoming and have games, toys, and things to learn from. All dental professionals, even pediatric dentists, want kids to feel good during appointments. Parents can do a few things to help make the first visit a good one:

• Bring Someone Else: Sometimes, babies get upset when dentists look in their mouths. Bringing another adult can help comfort the baby while one talks to the dentist.
• Leave Other Kids at Home: To avoid distractions and fussiness, it's better to leave other kids at home if you can.
• Use Positive Words: Dentists and their teams avoid using words that might sound scary, like "drills," "needles," "injections," or "bleeding." Parents should also use nice and encouraging words when talking to their child about dental care.
• Explain Things Nicely: Tell your child that the dentist helps keep teeth healthy, not just that they're checking for problems. Using kids' books about dentists can make the visit seem fun.

Books for Kids:

• "The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist" by Stan and Jan Berenstain
• "Show Me Your Smile: A Dental Visit" (from the Dora the Explorer series)
• "The Dental Visit" by Anne Civardi
• "Sesame Street" episodes with Elmo at the dentist.

What Happens During the First Visit

The first dentist visit is important for a few reasons. It helps your child and the dentist become friends. The dentist also checks how your child's teeth and mouth are growing. They look at the child's teeth and gums and give parents advice about taking care of their child's teeth.

Here's what usually happens during the first dentist visit:

• The dentist and staff are friendly to the child and parents.
• They ask about the child's health and family history using some questions.
• The dentist talks about any worries or questions parents have.
• They talk about how the child takes care of their teeth, if they use a pacifier, and other things.
• They give advice about brushing teeth, preventing mouth injuries, using fluoride, and cups for drinking.
• The dentist looks at the child's teeth, often with a parent nearby.
• The child sits on the dentist's lap while looking at their parent during the check.
• The dentist shows how to brush and floss teeth right.
• They talk about how the child's teeth are doing and give suggestions.
• They talk about taking care of teeth, picking good toothpaste and toothbrushes, using safe pacifiers, and eating well.
• They say which teeth will probably come in next.
• The dentist makes a plan for future visits and talks about what will happen next time.