At What Age Should You Take Your Baby for a First Dentist Visit?
Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 9:00AM 
Source: More4Kids.infoQ. When is the right time to take care of your young baby's teeth?
A. The earlier the better!
Did you know The American Dental Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommend that children see a dentist by their first birthday to reduce the risk of tooth decay.
That may surprise some of you!
How important is it?
Well, I sometimes check out what health legislation is happening in different states as indicators of the importance of a health issue. Just recently the state of Maine, in a progressive move, signed into law that employer dental plans extend coverage to children of employees from the age of birth.
The quote below from Maine's press release says it all:
"Children who receive early preventive care, starting at age 1, can have 50% less tooth decay,” noted Dr. Jonathan Shenkin, a Maine pediatric dentist and president of the Maine Dental Association.
Dr. Shenkin goes on to say that when your baby's teeth first appear in the mouth (that's about at age 6 months) that's a great time to schedule a first dental visit
Want to learn more? The folks at AnimatedTeeth.com have a great, easy to read and well illustrated description of what to expect in your new baby's mouth.
So check it out, new Moms and Dads!
Keep Smiling,
Doctor Paul
Dr. Paul Hettinger is a general dentist. However, he refers the very young children of his patients to some excellent pediatric dentists.
Reader Comments (1)
This is a great article! I took my daughter to the dentist for the first time before her first birthday and I am glad I took her so early. Her dentist has a lot of helpful information and tips on his website, I hope others will find it helpful!
http://www.wildaboutsmiles4kids.com