When you have a baby, you want what’s best for them.
You know when their vaccinations are due, you know all about those milestones in development and behaviour, but do you know when your bouncing bundle of joy should first visit a dental surgery?
Many parents aren’t informed of the importance of dental check-ups in infants, with many presuming that as long as their baby doesn’t have teeth, they don’t need to see a dentist.
At Apple Dental Studio, our dentist in Pinner works with parents to ensure that children of all ages receive the dental care they require. We thoroughly believe that prevention is the key to good oral hygiene and that a child is never too young to learn about the importance of keeping their teeth and gums healthy.
Booking the first dental appointment
It can be confusing to know when it is time to book your baby's first dental appointment, but our dentist in Pinner believes that all infants should pay their first trip to a dental practice by the time they are 12 months old.
As baby teeth will be erupting by this time, it is important that they are checked for potential issues like misalignment, protrusion and over or underbites.
Benefits of early exposure
When you bring your baby in for a check-up with our dentist in Pinner, you are taking the first step in ensuring that they have good oral health for the rest of their life.There is a wealth of research in the dental community linking early exposure to dental professionals and better oral health throughout life, which is due to the following reasons.
Familiarity
We have all had at least one experience in our lives when we have had to meet a specialist that we are not used to seeing; how do we respond? We get nervous!
If you leave your child’s first dental visit until they have a toothache, your child will remember the discomfort, the worry and a more intense dental procedure, such as a filling or an extraction, that’s a lot to take on for a small child!
By bringing your child to us at an early age, it allows them to become familiar with how a check-up is performed, without worrying about discomfort and so, there is no stress-related association with visiting the dentist.
Good habits
Children love to learn.
Our team will happily show your child how to brush their teeth, teach them about good oral hygiene practices and talk to them about the importance of their teeth.
Learning these good habits at a young age can last a lifetime and allow them to identify when they may have a dental issue.
Confidence
We all want our children to be confident and exposing them to multiple medical professionals at a young age will reduce ‘white coat syndrome’ and allow them to feel settled at medical appointments.
Also, as mentioned earlier, these associations are carried throughout life, so you child is less likely to need extensive dental work in adulthood if they are happy to attend regular dental appointments.
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