What is a Happy Visit?
There are three main reasons why you will want to take your child to their first dental exam. You want to know if your home care routine is working. You want to know right now if there are any early signs that your child’s teeth are coming in appropriately. And you want your child to start having good first experiences so that they can build trust with their dentist over time.
The Ontario Dental Association and the Canadian Dental Association recommend that kids have their first dental check-up within 6 months of getting their first tooth, and at the latest around their first birthday. These early visits help keep children’s teeth healthy and help educate caregivers on how to take care of infant and toddler teeth.
Do you remember the first six months of your child’s life? Probably not, you sleep-deprived monster. The days are long, but the months are short. I strongly believe that parents of young children are so sleep deprived that our brains simply don’t encode the memories. And before we know it, they’re already a year old, and all we have to remember it all is the photos. It’s even tougher during years like Covid, because we don’t have as many big events to help anchor our memories. It’s hard to say, “Oh, yeah, he started walking right after we took that trip out west,” when there was no trip out west because we were all in lockdown.
Over the course of that year, your child starts to grow and develop. Before you know it, somewhere between 6 and 9 months old, they start to get their first teeth. Sometime in the next six months, and no later than when the child is one year old, you are going to want to take them in to get their teeth checked by their dentist. Why do this so early? Well, there are a couple reasons.
First, it’s good to know if your home care routine is working for your infant or toddler. Infant teeth are softer than adult teeth, and need special care to maintain them for the first few years of your child’s life. For example, after babies finish drinking milk, one way to prevent cavities from occurring is by wiping down their teeth and gums with a wet cloth or a very soft toothbrush. You may wish to discuss with your dentist is whether your home care routine is working for you and your child.
Second, you may wish to know at this point if your child’s teeth are developing appropriately. For example, sometimes baby teeth come in crooked or crowded. It’s nice to know at this point if that is likely to cause issues down the road, or if it the teeth will straighten out all on their own.
And third, you may also want to start building that rapport between your child and their dentist, so that later on, there is already a relationship of trust. Since Covid, building that prior relationship has been particularly beneficial, since our clinicians are all basically wearing space suits (scrubs, scrub protectors, face masks, face shields, gloves and eyewear). That extra human connection can help put your child at ease as they grow.
What does the comprehensive child exam look like?
Generally, after your child is seated, your doctor will start by examining the outside of your child’s mouth, to evaluate oral and facial development, as well as the temporomandibular joints. Your dentist will also look inside the mouth for any signs of tooth decay, as well as for sores or bumps around the tongue, cheeks and gums. They will look at how your child’s bite fits together, to check alignment. If there are any signs of decay or staining, they may gently scrub the tooth with a soft toothbrush.
There are a couple of things you can do to set your child up for success during their first visit. You can schedule the appointment at a time when the child is likely to be alert and cooperative (for example, choosing a morning appointment away from nap time). Depending on the age of your child and their relationship with siblings, it can frequently be better to leave older children in the waiting room, so that your child isn’t distracted during the appointment (Netflix, anybody?). Arriving 15 minutes before the appointment can allow your child to get used to his or her surroundings in our practice.
This is a great time to ask about your home care routine. Many of our dentists also have children, and can help make recommendations around creating healthy routines for young children. You may also wish to discuss your child’s pacifier usage, any thumb sucking, or their drinking and eating habits. If you have specific hereditary oral health concerns, this is a good time to talk to your doctor about them as well.
Injuries to teeth, gums and mouth are common in young children. (I actually wrote this in two parts, because my 4-year-old bumped his lip while playing with his sisters, and I had to give him some ice to help stop the bleeding.) Your doctor may provide injury-prevention tips, as well as information on what to do in case of an emergency.
Not having that first dental visit until later is also always an option as well. You are going to need to make that decision based on your knowledge of your child. If their teeth are developing appropriately, and if their diet and brushing are on point, then the risk of long-term consequences is actually quite low.
That being said, if you are coming in for a visit anyway, it’s super easy to book a first exam for your child at the same time. We also offer complimentary “happy visits” for children under 3 years old, where they can take a ride in the chair, and we will have a look in and around their mouth while also giving you the opportunity to ask questions about their development.
At the end of your first visit, schedule the next regular check-up for your child before you leave the practice. This first oral health exam helps set your child up for success in their early years.
Sources:
https://www.cda-adc.ca/en/oral_health/cfyt/dental_care_children/first_visit.asp
https://oda.ca/oral-health-basics/care-disease-prevention/tips-for-kids-teens/
