When Should a Child Come in for Their First Appointment?

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that a child see there dentist once their first tooth erupts but no later than their 1st birthday.  This visit may just include a visual examination to check for decay or pathology, allowing the child to grow comfortable with being at the dentist’s office, and to provide the parents with information on how to take care of their child’s teeth.  Personally, I think that 6 months-1year is very young to see a patient for a dental visit, but would say that your child absolutely needs to have seen a dentist by the time they turn three.  People often don’t realize that baby teeth can get severe decay at a very early age due to sleeping with a sippy cup of milk or juice.  Baby Bottle Tooth Decay can be painful and require extensive work and possibly early extraction of your child’s front teeth.  The permanent teeth that replace them don’t usually erupt until around 7 years of age, so that can be very difficult for a child both emotionally and functionally to be without front teeth for so long.