Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommend that all children see a dentist by the time their first tooth erupts, or they turn 1 year old (whichever comes first).
As a pediatric dentist, Dr. Monamie Ghatak often sees local children who are too young for family dentists in Dunn Loring to treat. Most general practices near you, which adults go to, don’t schedule appointments for children under 3 or 4 years of age. At this point, your child will have gone 2-3 years without the early screening pediatric experts recommend. In the meantime, serious dental or orofacial concerns can develop, such as:
Your child can continue seeing the pediatric dentist well into their teens. Most older kids do not move to a general practice until they go off to college, need a wisdom tooth extraction, or require treatments on their adult teeth.
Prevention Based Pediatric Dentistry
Merrifield Pediatric Dentistry wants to help all children enjoy a healthy smile for life. The best way to do that is through routine preventative care. If our pedodontist identifies a concern, we can intercept it as early as possible, when treatment is more comfortable and affordable to complete. In some cases, we can completely avoid the need for more extensive treatments in the future.
Although the simple checkups for kids seem straightforward and efficient, they give Dr. Ghatak a chance to peer into your child’s future smile. As we monitor their oral development and physical growth, preventative techniques let us rule out many potential issues that could otherwise cause a future emergency. Even early tooth demineralization can be reversed before it evolves into a cavity!
“What if I Waited Too Long?”
We always encourage families to bring their kids to the dentist before their first birthday. Even so, some children don’t get here until much later. That’s ok — we’ll pick up where you’re at and help ensure we can resolve any existing issues.
Sometimes children have special needs or are in foster care, which can make it difficult to get them to a dentist until other concerns get addressed. Just keep in mind that the oral-systemic connection is a strong one. Existing infections inside a child’s mouth can lead to other health issues that are more difficult to manage. An abscessed tooth could even result in hospitalization.
What’s Happening at the First Appointment
Your child’s first trip to the dentist is typically more of an early screening and parent information session. We’ll discuss any underlying medical issues, family traits, or unique concerns with your child’s teeth. From there, Dr. Ghatak and our team will walk caregivers through oral care for kids and nutritional choices. We’ll also cover common dental diseases to be aware of and what to look for in your child’s natural tooth development.
As your child gets older, these regular checkups will evolve into routine cleanings and intermittent radiographs. We’ll also provide oral hygiene instruction to your child at an age-appropriate level. We use a tell-show-do method to empower kids to care for their teeth from an early age.
