The American Dental Association recommends that children have their first dental visit by age 1.  As such, we look forward to your child’s first dental visit here at Vista Family Dentistry. Our office is very child friendly and we will strive to make your child’s first visit to our office a positive experience.  A typical first dental visit for your child in our office will likely include the following:

• Review of your child’s medical and dental history.
• Gently examine your child’s teeth and gums to check growth and development, oral hygiene, injuries, cavities or other problems. For the comfort of our youngest patients, a “lap to lap” technique may be used.
• Clean the teeth if necessary and provide suggestions about daily care.
• Evaluate and advise you about your child’s fluoride exposure because too much or too little can lead to problems.
• Talk about feeding practices and give dietary counseling.
• Assess your child’s risk of developing tooth decay.
• Give information regarding oral development, teething, pacifier or finger/thumb sucking habits and injury prevention.
• Plan for any needed treatment, the next check-up, or referral to a specialist if indicated

The tips below can help make a great first dental visit:

• Schedule a morning appointment if possible. Your child will likely be more rested and cooperative in the mornings.
• If you get nervous about visiting the dentist, try not to pass on these worries to your child.
• Do not bribe your child or use a dental visit as a punishment or threat.
• Try to make your child’s dental visit a fun outing.

Starting visits at an early age helps your child develop good dental habits from the beginning, and allows for them to build familiarity and trust with our Doctors and staff.  Furthermore, preventive dental care will save time, money, and teeth over the course of a lifetime.   We take the responsibility of being your child’s dental home very seriously, and Dr. Megan is especially committed to providing all the children of Vista Family Dentistry with positive experiences and healthy smiles.