Dr. Isabelle Farmer is a practicing dentist at Houston SmileDocs in Texas. A graduate of Texas A&M University and the University of Texas Dental School, she went on to start her dental practice in 1984. Here she tells parents how to find the right dentist for their young children.
Generally, when I talk to parents whose children need dental work, I advise them to seek out a pediadontic dentist—a dentist who has been trained to treat children specifically. I believe right now the age at which young kids are recommended to first visit the pediadontic dentist is about 2 1/2 years old. The age parents take their children in can vary, obviously. But by the age of 2 1/2 most children have likely gotten all their baby teeth in and are finally ready for a visit to the doctor to ensure everything is going alright and there aren’t any major problems to worry about.
Of course, if a parent senses that something in his child’s mouth is strange or odd whatsoever, then he should make an appointment with the pediadontic dentist sooner to get that checked out. A few examples of those types of things that might worry a parent would be teeth that are dark or discolored—anything that shouldn’t be there. If something like that is going on with your child, then you will want to make an appointment immediately with a pediatric dentist to rule out any major health problems. But if those aren’t issues and everything seems normal, then waiting until 2 1/2 to take your child to his first appointment shouldn’t be a problem for most families.
Pediatric dentists serve a number of purposes, but they are largely there to ensure that everything is going smoothly in the development of your child’s teeth. Additionally, there are a number of preventative treatments that children can get while they are young to help protect their smiles. Visiting a pediatric dentist is the best way to find out which of these treatments is right for your child, including fluoride treatments (which are common these days), sealants and other preventative measures.
One other major benefit of bringing your child into the dentist starting at around 2 1/2 is to reduce the stress and anxiety that comes with going to the dentist. Children who start visiting their dentist at a young age are more likely to be comfortable having someone checking out their teeth, even later in life. Seeing the dentist becomes something that is just not that big of a deal for them. So they are much less likely to grow up with the instilled fear of going to the dentist.
At the other end of the spectrum, the ages at which a child goes from a pediatric dentist to a regular dentist with the rest of their family varies. While I know some kids who continue seeing their pediatric dentist well into their late teens—even waiting until they are 17- or 18-year-olds and going off to college before switching dentists—by and large, by the time most kids are 12 or 13 years old, they have moved on from the pediatric dentist and are seeing the same adult dentist as the rest of their family.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
