first dental visit

Every parent has fears about their child's first dental visit and that is completely understandable! Our family at East Valley Children's Dentistry want to do everything we can to make sure your child's visit is as comfortable as possible. Our goal is to make sure our patients have happy experiences at the dentist and want to come back to see us again!

Here are a few of our recommendations on how to prepare your child for their first dental visit:

1. Read books together with your child on what to expect at the dentist. Books such as "Daniel Goes to the Dentist" and "The Berenstain Bears Visit The Dentist" are among many great books to read with your child.
2. Watch child-friendly videos together with your child on what dental visits look like. A great video series called "The Feelingwells" from Sesame Street is available to watch for free on YouTube!
3. Speak about dental experiences with positive words! Avoid the scary words such as "needles" and "shots" - we want your child to associate the dentist with happy experiences! Pediatric dentists are the experts in substituting scary words with child friendly words to make the dental office a less scary place.

We want parents to feel prepared as well! Our office provides a complimentary parent educational toolkit that answers the most frequently asked questions. Please contact our office to receive your copy!

Our website also provides a description on what to expect during your child's first dental appointment at our office. We want you to feel as prepared and comfortable as possible. We look forward to having you join our East Valley Smile family!

Have you always wondered when to bring your child to the dentist for their first visit? We have a great rule you can follow - it’s a rule of firsts: First tooth or First Birthday!

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a child’s first dental visit to be as soon as they get their first tooth (as early as 6 months of age) and no later than their first birthday.

You may wonder, but my child barely has any teeth at this point, why do we need to go so early? Bringing your child to a dentist earlier on has many benefits:

1. 54% of California children have tooth decay by kindergarten
2. Visiting a dentist earlier on can help you learn ways to prevent your child from getting cavities
3. By age one, your child may already have 8 teeth! This means they can already develop cavities!
4. You and your dentist can work together as a team to come up with a healthy teeth plan that works best for your family, such as how to brush and what types of snacks to eat
5. Your dentist can help you understand what teeth are expected next and how to take care of your teething child

But best of all, you’ll always have a friendly face to answer any question you may have. We understand that parenting can be difficult, and we want to be there as part of the process with you. We welcome everyone to be a part of our East Valley Smiles family!