dentist?

[boilermakermom]

What age have you taken your DC to the dentist? I have heard everywhere from 2-4.

Thoughts?

[ohsara430]

Most dentists I have talked to say between 3 and 4.

[JBaxter]

3 is what all the general dentists I worked for recommended. THats what I have done with my own children. Some ped dentist see them earlier but mine have always seen general dentists.

[o_mom]

Our ped dentist likes to see the first child around 12-18 mos so they can take a look and go over stuff with parents. For subsequent kids it is more like 2-2.5 yrs unless the older ones have issues.

[carolinamama]

I take my kids at 3. Our ped dentist actually would like to see them at 18 months, not for a cleaning but assessment of home oral care and to get the families on the right track. But I've never done it. DS1 started at 3 and so will DS2.

[AnnieW625]

We took DD1 at 3 yrs. old. We'll start DD2 at the same age too unless there is some unforseen issue.

[Tondi G]

Our pediatrician said 3 but we slacked off.... when I took my DS in for his fillings they said closer to 2 is a better idea. If we had another child I would take them in at age 2.

[sariana]

Many general dentists will not see children younger than 3 (I think because they lack experince working with young children). But the new recommendation is to take children in as soon as they have teeth, or at least by 12 months (unless they have no teeth).

We didn't take DS until he was 3 because that was the recommendation we were given. We took DD at about 15 months (because I was slow getting her an appointment--I meant to do it at 12 months). The pedidontist did not charge anything for that first appointment, which I thought was odd. How does he make a living?

FTR, both DC have healthy teeth, so waiting or not did not seem to make a difference.

[lmh2402]

we took DS at about 18/19 months. and i actually JUST got a reminder card in the mail saying he's due for another check-up, which kind of surprised me - since that means they want to see him 6 months later

at the time of the visit, all was fine and normal. and though i thought there might be a problem brewing (saw a black spot on his molar), it turned out to be a piece of food i brushed away

so...right now our pedi dentist is saying every 6 months from 18 months on?

yikes...

[sariana]

Yes, DC go every six months. But that is covered by our insurance plan. DS is 6 1/2; DD is 3.

[elektra]

DD's dentist takes kids at 3, unless there is some kind of perceived problem, in which case he welcomes kids earlier than that.

[smiles33]

We've brought both girls in around 15 months old, and then every 6 months thereafter. We have yet to take xrays, so it's really just a visual inspection of their teeth and then the hygienist polishes them. Honestly, it's a bit traumatic for my kids (they scream and cry every visit until DD1 turned 4). Still, our pediatric dentist found a cavity in one of DD1's molars (she has deep grooves) so I'm glad we caught it early when it was just a surface-level cavity.

[SnuggleBuggles]

My dentist said 2yo for ds2. But, I had taken ds1 at 18m. I would not feel comfortable waiting all the way to 3-4yo. If you have dental insurance, I see no reason to wait...even if it can be miserable to take a 2yo to the dentist. :D

Beth

[mypa]

Took DS in at 3yo, but started taking DD in at 2yo at the same time DS was getting his teeth cleaned so she would get used to it. Twice yearly cleanings are free under our insurance so I take them both in every 6mo.

Pediatric dentist said seeing kids younger than 2yo is really for parent education.

[wildfire]

We went with DD1 for the first time at 3 1/2. The pediatric dentist said they like to see them when they get their first tooth, so we took DD2 at the same time (she's 18 months). DD1 ended up needing some work done that may have been prevented or at least reduced by getting in earlier so I would HIGHLY recommend not waiting that long. DD2 didn't have a tooth cleaning, but he did check them to make sure everything was OK.