Your Child’s First Visit

Your child’s first dental visit should take place some time around his or her third birthday. This initial appointment is typically short and involves very little treatment. In some instances, we may ask the parent to sit in the dental chair with their child during the examination. In other cases, we may request that the parent wait in the reception area during a portion of the visit in order to begin building a relationship and developing trust between the child and dentist.

We will provide a thorough but gentle examination of your child’s teeth and gums. Our staff may take X-rays to reveal whether decay is present and assess the development of your child’s permanent teeth. We will clean your child’s teeth and apply a fluoride treatment to help protect against decay. In addition, we evaluate whether any damage has occurred from adverse habits like thumb sucking. Most importantly, we will review with you how to clean and care for your child’s teeth to develop good habits for a lifetime.