subject: When Should I Take My Child For Their First Visit To The Dentist? [print this page] Making sure that your child grows up strong and healthy involves more than just imparting healthy lifestyle habits to them. It also makes sure that you're taking them to get regular checkups with their medical professionals. This certainly includes their regular doctor, but also extends to other medical professionals such as their dentist. So, when do dentists in Palatine recommend that you take your child to get their first checkup from a dentist?
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has recommendations which they have put out to help guide parents to making the right decisions when it comes to their children's dental health. Generally speaking, they recommend that the child sees a pediatric dentist sometime after their first tooth appears. They are also suggesting that the latest that they should wait is the first birthday of the child.
The one thing that is important to distinguish is that it is important to help your child see a pediatric dentist. These are specialists, not regular dentists. This means that in addition to the dentistry education that they have completed, they have also completed other additional years learning about the specialty of practicing just with children's and infant's teeth. They are also prepared to deal with specialized dental health needs that these children may have, and are what you should be looking for within that first year when it becomes time to take your child for their first dental appointment.
There is some conflicting information which exists regarding this. There are other bodies which suggest that at child does not have to visit a dentist until later than that. However, it goes without saying that if any habits are present which could lead to dental problems such as thumb sucking or sleeping with a cup or bottle, these habits can lead to dental problems further along in development. So it is important to consult a dentist as soon as possible.
Once your child's first tooth appears, it is important that you begin to clean it. To begin with, even something as simple as a cloth can be used to clean the tooth. The AAPD also states on their website that there are toothbrushes which are specially made for infants which can be used to clean the teeth of infants. These are brushes which have very small heads with soft bristles which helps to make them appropriate for infants, as they can easily fit in their mouths and are gentle on their gums.
by: Todd Devins
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