Teeth play a major role in your child’s first year or two of life, causing sleepless nights for the whole family every time a new one comes through. But although your child’s teeth are often at the forefront of your mind during this time, most parents are unsure about when they should start to think about taking their child to the dentist.

Most dentists recommend that you start taking a child to the dentist within around six months of the arrival of his/her first tooth. This is as much to allow the child to get used to the idea of coming to the dentist as for the sake of their oral health, but it is also a very good idea to instill a good dental health regime from the very beginning of life.

Isn’t it quite scary for a toddler to go to the dentist?

Here at CK Dental practice in Bristol, we pride ourselves on offering gentle dentistry for all the family. We are experienced at dealing with dentalphobic patients, and we draw from that experience when dealing with young children.

No one expects a one-year-old to dutifully open their mouth on request and allow a stranger to go prodding around in their gums, but it is worthwhile to normalise the idea of the dentist at an early stage. Here in our Bristol clinic we do everything in our power to ensure that children feel comfortable and relaxed.

What happens at that first check-up?

That all depends on the child. Many young children refuse to open their mouth at all, and if that’s the case it’s no problem – just bring them again in a month or two’s time. If they do let us have a look inside, the dentist will count their teeth and examine their condition, giving you – the parent – a few pointers on how best to brush their teeth at the same time.

If you’re thinking of taking your toddler to the dentist, why not give the team here at CK Dental a call…