As parents, specifically if you are new parents, keeping up with all of the weekly, monthly, and yearly well visits for your baby can seem daunting. Especially with an infant, you may be feeling the weight of sleep deprivation and the hit to your normal routine – making scheduling things like medical appointments and dental visits a seemingly enormous task. There is a common misconception that babies don’t need to see the dentist until they become toddlers – and even then, most parents are not bringing their children to the dentist until age three. The truth is that many dental professionals are starting to recommend scheduling your baby’s first dental appointment as soon as they get their first few teeth or when they turn one – and if you feel shocked, keep on reading!
Not Just About the Teeth
You may be wondering, “Why would I bring my baby to the dentist when he/she doesn’t even have a tooth yet!” The answer all lies in familiarity. Even as adults, when we go somewhere new, we typically would like to get to know the people before they begin to examine our bodies or reach their hands into our mouths. There is a certain amount of trust that needs to be established before we take the next step. It is the same reason that many medical providers now offer “meet the provider” appointments. These visits don’t have anything to do with your health, but everything to do with getting to know the person who will be caring for you.
At Discovery Kids Pediatric Dentistry, we are committed to establishing trust with each and every one of our patients, and the sooner this trust is established, the sooner and the better we can care for your unique, individual child.
Fostering Positive Feelings
The goal of every good dentist is to promote and foster positive feelings about dentists. If a child has never been to a dentist, there is a certain level of fear that will be associated with the visit. Even if everything goes right, the longer you wait to bring your child in – the more time this fear has to creep in and cause anxiety. If you schedule your baby for their first exam as young as age one, not only can you build the trust we were talking about earlier, but your baby will continue developing and growing year after year with positive memories of the dentist. There won’t be the fear of the ‘unknown’ – it will just be a routine visit to your friendly dentist.
Meet Our Pediatric Dental Specialists in Colorado Springs
You may not feel like adding one more thing to the list of to-dos after your baby is born, but we promise that adding a trip to the dentist after your baby completes his/her first trip around the sun will bear fruit! If you have more questions about your baby and the dentist, please contact our team! We would also love for you to meet our pediatric dental specialists at DiscoveryKids Pediatric Dentistry. Schedule an appointment today!