Baby’s First Trip to the Dentist

Every February the ADA (American Dental Association) sponsors National Children’s Dental Health Month.  This year’s slogan is “brush and clean in between to build a healthy smile.”  Have you taken your child to his or her first dentist appointment yet?  The ADA currently recommends that children should see the dentist for the first time 6 months after the first tooth erupts or before age 1.  I admit, my son did not go to the dentist for the first time until closer to 20 months due to insurance coverage and appointment scheduling but prior to that, my child’s pediatrician had checked on my son’s teeth so I wasn’t terribly worried.  Nonetheless, it’s a good idea to be aware of the timeline recommended by the ADA.  Many parents (me included) feel anxiety about taking their child to the dentist. This could be because they themselves dislike the dentist or could just be because they fear that their child will not cooperate and that the experience will be traumatic.  The good news is that the first dental visit does not have to be a harrowing ordeal.  At 2.5, my son is about to visit the dentist for third time. Here are some tips for surviving your child’s first trip to the dentist and beyond.

• Choose a dentist who specializes in pediatric dental care.

This is probably the most important factor in making the first visit as painless as possible.  My best advice?  Do your research and don’t just settle for the first provider that your insurance covers.

Speaking of insurance, before choosing a dental provider and making an appointment, it’s a good idea to double check your dental insurance coverage. Personally, my husband and I elected not to add our son onto our vision and dental plans at birth since they were not necessary yet.  However, the downside of waiting to add him to our plan was that we had to wait until an open enrollment period in order to add him.  Since my son turned 1 in June, we couldn’t get him on our insurance until late December.  Luckily, our pediatrician was already keeping an eye on my son’s teeth so I wasn’t terribly worried.  That said though, we had to double check our coverage a couple of times because there was some sort of mix-up with the paperwork and we discovered that it hadn’t been processed correctly the first time.  Do yourself a favor and double check regularly until everything is set up correctly.  The last thing you want is to end up paying out of pocket (and worst surprised by it) because of an administrative mistake.

Once you have your insurance coverage set up, check with your insurance provider to get a list of network providers in your area.  Most insurance companies have “in-network” and “out of network” providers so make sure that you understand the difference in coverage options before picking a provider.  Next, consider choosing a provider that specializes in children’s dentistry.  Just like with a primary care doctor, many “family practices” will see children AND adults but they may not be as well-equipped or experienced in the care of children.  My son actually started off seeing my primary care doctor as his physician but I ended up switching him to doctor who specialized in children.  The environment of the office and the skill of the nurses when it came to children was noticeably different.  The rooms are brightly painted, the nurses are skilled at calming children, there are toys to play with, and each child leaves the office with a book.  Similarly, the dentist that I personally see was willing to see my son but they weren’t in any hurry to get me to schedule an appointment for him.  On the other hand, the pediatric dental office that I choose was excited to book my son’s first appointment.  The hygienist was prepared to deal with a child who wouldn’t sit still the entire time and even had brush heads for her machine in the shape of animals to clean my son’s teeth with. Her skill with children was obvious.  She allowed my son to choose which “animal” would clean his teeth and explained everything to him beforehand.  She also let him feel the brush on his hand first and watch her with a mirror.  Don’t get me wrong, there were some tears but at the end of the visit, my son wanted to give her a hug.  He wasn’t traumatized at all.  While I like the dentist that I see, I don’t think my son would have had quite the same experience there.  It’s worth noting that I also researched the practice and read reviews about it before choosing it.

While you are researching you may want to investigate the practice’s policies.  Just as with the medical field, in dentistry (in particular children’s dentistry) there are a couple of “hot button” issues that you may want to research beforehand.  One issue in particular – systemic fluoride – I didn’t even know about until I started talking to people about taking my son to the dentist.   I always grew up with public water which automatically comes fluoridated whether you want it to or not.  Conversely, we now live in an area where wells are prevalent and the fluoride level in private wells can vary greatly from having too much, to not having any at all.  Our well, happens not to have any fluoride which means that I had to decide if I wanted to elect to give my son fluoride supplements or not.  Regardless of where you personally stand on the issue, I discovered after hours of research, that about half of the dentists in my area recommend the supplements and half do not – calling it an outdated practice.  Proponents of the systemic fluoride say that the fluoride is necessary to protect teeth and prevent cavities but those opposed claim that it’s unnecessary and in some cases harmful to supplement because many of the foods we consume contain fluoride due to where they are washed and processed.  This is one of those parental decisions that we might find ourselves questioning down the road but it’s our job to make the best of it and make the best informed decision that we can.  Since each side seems so dead set in their viewpoint, I think it’s important to decide where you stand on the issue (if it applies to you) and to choose a dentist who will honor your wishes.  It’s stressful to have to keep arguing with your provider and if you and your provider are on the same page so to speak, your child will likely benefit from your united front.  If it’s not possible to choose a provider that you see eye to eye with, at the very least I encourage you to do your research and to stand firm in whatever decision that you come to.  And lastly, give friends who may make another choice than you a break.  This parenting job is difficult and judging/criticizing each other only makes it harder.

• Choose an appointment time that is not during or super close to nap time.

Once you choose your provider, it’s time to schedule an appointment.  Choose a day that you won’t be extremely rushed with other scheduled appointments if possible.  It’s also a very good idea to avoid scheduling during nap times.  You want give your child the best chance of a positive experience by getting to the appointment a few minutes early and better yet, arrive with any necessary paperwork filled out ahead of time if possible.  Allow your child to feel unrushed and relaxed and hopefully you will be too!  Children can sense a parent’s anxiety so if you relax and seem calm, your kiddo likely will be too.

• Explain to your child beforehand what to expect.

Explain to your child what is going to happen before you go to the appointment.  Tell your child that he/she will get his teeth cleaned and then that the dentist will count them and make sure that they look healthy.  Some find it helpful to allow their child to watch mom or dad get his/her teeth cleaned.  Personally, my son would never sit still long enough for me to get my teeth cleaned so we read children’s books about the dentist instead and talked about it beforehand.  Do what works best for your family but don’t surprise your child on the day of the appointment.  Be ready for a few tears but if you see a children’s office, they should be prepared and know how to handle the situation with minimal stress.

• Make sure that you follow up with regular self and professional care.

Lastly, regardless of how the visit goes, remember to follow up with appointments every six months.  If you have questions between visits don’t hesitate to call your office and ask – that’s what they are there for!  Try to follow any advice the dentist gives you and do your best to brush your child’s teeth every day.  Years from now, your child will thank you for your efforts.  You are teaching your child good dental hygiene habits for life.

Want more info?  Check out this link from the ADA: https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/babies-and-kids/first-dental-visit  Happy Children’s Dental Health Month.  Happy tooth brushing.