When Should I Take My Child to The Dentist?

When Should I Take My Child to The Dentist?

Caring for your child’s oral health with regular visits to your family or children’s dentistry is a top priority in caring for his or her overall well-being. With offices located in Denver, Wheat Ridge and Golden, Colorado, Gentle Smiles of Colorado offers convenience and expert comprehensive dental care. Visiting for your child’s first check-up will ensure you identify and treat any dental issues at the first chance. In a survey of primary caregivers, Morpace, Inc. found that 34% of children had not seen a dentist at all and for those who had the average age for their first visit was 2.6 years. That is much later than both dentists and medical professionals recommend. 


At What Age Should Your Child See Your Denver Dentist?

Drs. Wachuta and Heilman at Gentle Smiles of Colorado agree with the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) — that all children should make their first visit to their family dentistry by the age of one or within six months after his or her first tooth erupts. For most kids, primary teeth start coming in at around 6 months of age.  

Importance of Identifying Dental Issues in Primary Teeth

Whether you have not brought your young child to the dentist due to insurance coverage or you believe your child is too young, we want to emphasize the importance of identifying any dental issues your child may be developing at a young age. Although it’s true that your child will eventually lose their first teeth, it is extremely important that you identify and treat any dental issues as quickly as possible. Taking care of these “baby” (primary) teeth will ensure that they are lost naturally. Primary teeth are important to get your child off on a positive oral health track because primary teeth:

  • help your child chew properly to maintain good nutrition
  • are important in learning how to speak correctly
  • help save space in your child's mouth for permanent teeth to erupt
  • promote a healthy smiles that helps children feel good about they way they look

Your Child’s First Visit to the Dentist

At Gentle Smiles of Colorado, our children’s dentists and staff make it our mission to get an oral health care plan in place for your child by teaching you both proper techniques for brushing, flossing and other best practices. At your first visit to your Wheat Ridge, CO, dentist, you’ll want to give your dentist your child’s complete health history and let us know of any special circumstances we should know related to behavior. Also bring a list of questions or concerns you have and we’ll be happy to discuss them with you, making sure all your questions are answered. At your first visit, we’ll give you information on a variety of oral health care including:

  • Baby bottle tooth decay
  • Infant feeding practices
  • Mouth cleaning
  • Teething
  • Pacifier Habits
  • Finger sucking habits

Alleviating First Visit Anxieties

Bringing your child in for the first visit at your Denver, CO, dentist during that 6-month to 1-year timeframe will help them feel comfortable with their oral health care early on, rather than waiting until they are after 2-years-old. Regardless of how old they are on their first visit, our staff members are experts at working with children and adults of all ages and making sure that any anxieties are calmed. From the minute you walk in the door to our welcoming offices in Denver, Golden or Wheat Ridge, Colorado, through your entire first visit we make sure we take the time needed to explain what we’re doing and why and to make the visit calm and relaxing. You can help by giving your child a general idea of what to expect, explaining why visiting the dentist is important and making sure your child is well-rested and comfortably dressed. 

Scheduling Regular Dental Appointments            

Making regular dental appointments with your Golden, CO, dentist is important for children of all ages. When teeth start to have problems, they can impact your child’s life quickly. Catching a dental issue as early as possible can help reduce the amount of pain, avoid complications and lessen the cost to fix the problem. You should schedule an appointment to see your children’s dentist every 6 months to help prevent cavities and other problems. In some cases, your dentist may want to schedule visits more often, such as every 3 months. 

When Should You Make Additional Appointments With the Dentist?

While your every 6-month appointments are optimum for most children’s dentist visits, there are times when you may need to visit our Golden, Wheat Ridge or Denver, Colorado, offices in between regularly scheduled visits. Consider calling us if your child experiences any of the following:

  • tooth or gum pain that doesn't go away or gets worse
  • gums that become red, swollen and bleed easily
  • a mouth sore that doesn't heal
  • a tooth that becomes sensitive to cold, heat or pressure
  • a lost filling
  • dry mouth on a daily basis
  • pain or clicking noises in the jaw

Time For Your Child’s Checkup?

If your child is ready for his or her first trip to a children’s dentist — or it’s time for that 6-month checkup — give the dental offices of Gentle Smiles of Colorado a call. Besides children’s dental services, we offer dental care to families including general dentistry, root canals, dental implants and cosmetic dentistry. We have three convenient locations in the Denver area to best serve all our patients, providing the dental services your family needs for optimum oral health.

Dr. Timothy Wachuta

  • Denver Office - 2709 S. Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO 80222 Phone: (303) 756-2770 Fax: (303) 758-5705
  • Golden Office - 2305 Jackson St., Golden, CO 80401 Phone: (303) 278-2800 Fax: (303) 278-8448
  • Wheat Ridge Office - 8850 W. 38th Ave., Suite D, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 Phone: (303) 425-5100

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