You know how important it is for your child to claim all the benefits of pediatric dentistry in NW Calgary. Ensuring that your child’s teeth develop properly, grow correctly, and stay as clean and healthy as possible will help ensure their general and dental health for their lifetime. We understand that neither parents nor children are usually excited about a child’s first dental appointment, so we want to help. Here are answers to common questions we are often asked about a child’s first appointment with a pediatric dentist near you.
What can parents do, and when?
One reason that many children fear going to the dentist is because the experience of having fingers in their mouth is unusual and intimidating. Parents can help ease that potential for future anxiety and help ensure their child’s early oral health by cleaning their infant’s gums with a clean cloth or finger after every feeding — even before the first tooth erupts. You’ll help keep your infant’s gums clean, and get her more comfortable in advance of meeting her dentist in NW Calgary.
What else can parents do to make the first dentist’s appointment easier?
Leading into your child’s first appointment, try to dispel some of the mystery and uncertainty around what they’ll experience. One terrific way to do that is by playing at dentistry as a family. Describe how your dentist will look at and count your child’s teeth, and then let your child look at and count your teeth. Let them watch you brush your teeth and floss, and even help you brush if they’ve got the dexterity to do so.
Should you take your child to your dentist with you?
Maybe, and it depends. Let’s explain that equivocation. One of the reasons you should take your dentist with you is so that she will get familiar with the environment to ease future nervousness. But it will only be effective if your dentist’s office is the same or similar to the office your child will go to when her turn comes. If you go to a general dentist who provides pediatric dentistry near you — and if your dentist’s office is designed, decorated and equipped for children to feel comfortable — taking your child to your appointment as an infant may be a good idea, with your dentist’s blessing.
When should your child go to the dentist for the first time?
Your child’s baby teeth are a lot more important than they get credit for. Not only will your child rely on them for eating and speaking for the first dozen years of her life, they’ll also define the path for her future permanent teeth. By caring well for those baby teeth, you can help make that path straight and reduce the risk of needing orthodontic work in the future.
Every child should see a pediatric dentist in NW Calgary within six months of her first tooth emerging, but no later than her first birthday. By meeting a dentist earlier rather than later, a dentist near you will be able to identify issues while they can be solved as quickly and inexpensively as possible.
What is the best time of day to go?
Training for pediatric dentistry in NW Calgary makes kids’ dentists experts in treating kids’ teeth. But you are still the best expert in your very own kid. You know best when your child is most relaxed and comfortable, compared to when they begin to tire and become irritable or cranky. Let your dentist’s staff know when your child would be most comfortable — and why — so your dentist’s staff can make the whole process as convenient and comfortable as possible. After all, we all have the same goal: Healthy teeth as comfortably as possible for even the youngest patients.
Don’t hesitate to contact a dentist near you to discover precisely how they can help you prepare your child for her first dentist’s appointment, and for a lifetime of good dental health.