"Isn't he a little young to see the dentist?"

Not too long ago, I blogged about my son's decaying teeth from breast milk. We just finished a series of visits to remove the decay and then place crowns on his four front teeth. He was a champ overall, despite waterfalls of tears. However, every morning he has been asking, "No doctor? No doctor?" The poor boy has suffered through immunizations, local anesthetic injections, drilling, and discomfort in the last couple of weeks. Fortunately, the medical staff who have worked with him have been marvelous and my son has not been too traumatized, though he hasn't chuckled in his sleep lately.

Anyway, while we were sitting in the waiting room one time, a mom asked me, "Isn't he really young? Why is he here? When should children start seeing the dentist?" It depends on what you read and who you ask. I remember when my son was 14 months old I had asked my daughter's dentist if I should set up an appointment to see him now that he has teeth. The dentist looked in his mouth and said, "He just had his first visit." That was all that was said. I might have been more diligent about wiping his gums after feeds if he had mentioned it. Six months later, I brought my son in because I noticed the brown discoloration on one of his incisors. We were told to brush with adult toothpaste and go back when he turns two for his first visit. Unfortunately, the tooth that I had been worried about broke off. It was later restored with a crown placed over it (by the way, the process of making crowns for young children is not as painstaking as it is for adults). To prevent the other three front teeth from collapsing, we opted to clean the teeth and make crowns for them.

So when should you take your child in for the first check up? The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that the first "well baby checkup" for the teeth as soon as the first tooth erupts or no later than the child's first birthday. They have a great summary about baby teeth. Other experts say not until the age of three. If you're not sure, ask your child's pediatrician. Parents can find pediatric dentists in your area via an online search, including federally funded health centers that provide dental check ups at http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/. A smile with healthy teeth starts with good dental hygiene at an early age. Even if the dentist just shows you how to wipe the gums or brush the few teeth that your child has, it is important to start getting into the habit. Tooth decay is preventable. Don't let the first dentist appointment be when the first sign of decay is visible. It can leave a lasting emotional effect on the child.