Your Child’s First Dental Appointment

Parents of new children often wonder how old their children need to be before taking them to the dentist. The opinion of the American Dental Association is that your child’s first dental appointment should occur by the time they reach their first birthday. This comes as a great surprise to many parents because most 1-year olds do not have many teeth! The ideas behind bringing very young children into the dentist’s office include the ability to encourage an early relationship between the child and the dentist, as well as to prevent childhood cavities. National studies have shown that there is an increase in preschool-aged children developing cavities, so in hopes to decrease this percentage it is now recommended that all children visit the dentist by the time their first birthday rolls around.

Because children are so young, it is the parents who need to be educated on how to properly take care of a young child’s teeth and mouth. Diet plays a huge role in the health of young teeth. Children who are allowed to drink sweet tea, carbonated beverages, or juice out of their bottles are at a very high risk for developing cavities and setting up a future of severe dental issues. Children who are allowed to fall asleep drinking a bottle of milk are also very susceptible to developing cavities. Any time sugar is allowed to sit on the teeth for a long period of time (whether during the day or night), tooth decay will begin to occur.

While there are pediatric dental practices in the area, Family & Cosmetic Dental Care in Johns Creek provides excellent dental care to patients of all ages. We have a warm environment that allows patients young and old to feel comfortable, relaxed, and welcome. We offer the same devoted care to our patients who are celebrating their first birthday as we do to those who are celebrating their 91st birthday. Dr. Mitul Patel and the entire staff at Family & Cosmetic Dental Care invites you and your children to become members of our dental family.

Posted by Mitul Patel DDS, Family & Cosmetic Dental Care
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