Medical questions & health advice by board certified doctors
"What will my child's pediatric dental follow up teach me about teething?"
Should my child see a dentist if he only has three teeth?
This is a great question as dental care is very important to your child's overall health. Most dental professionals and some pediatricians recommend a child's first visit to the dentist be around the age of 1. Some will recommend scheduling an appointment as soon as your infant gets his first tooth. However, many pediatricians will say it is fine to wait until the child is older, around 2 or 3, if there are no risk factors for tooth decay and they are seeing their pediatrician regularly. Although 1 year old may seem early and most children do not have a mouthful of teeth there are good reasons for this advice. The most important reason to see a dentist early is to discuss ways to prevent tooth problems through preventative care. Some ways to prevent dental problems in your child include never letting them fall asleep with a bottle, brushing your child's teeth with fluorinated toothpaste twice a day with an age-appropriate tooth brush, and limiting juice and never offering it in a bottle but rather a sippy cup. Your dentist will also discuss the normal variations in time-line of tooth eruption in children and discuss ways to help with teething pain.
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