Your Childs First Dental Visit: A Parents Guide to the Big Day

Dr. Laura Schmidt

As a dentist and a parent, I totally get it, bringing your child to the dentist for the first time can feel like a big deal. But I promise, it doesn’t have to be scary or stressful!

We recommend booking your child’s first visit around age 3. By then, most kids are curious, a little more cooperative, and ready to have fun with us. Earlier visits are usually tough for little ones and often not very productive (unless there’s an urgent concern).

What to Expect

At that first visit, we keep things super fun and low pressure

At Park & Tilford Dental, we use the Tell-Show-Do method, here’s an example below:

• Tell: “We are going to count your sugar bugs!”

• Show: “Here’s our tiny tooth mirror, can you hold it for me until I need it?”

• Do: then we gently check their teeth using the dental mirror

We also share with your child one of our best kid approved facts, if sugar bugs stay on their teeth for too long, they pee in your mouth!! Most kids are totally grossed out (in the best way!) and suddenly very motivated to brush. It’s silly, memorable, and works like magic.

And yes, parents are absolutely encouraged to borrow this little gem and use it at home during bedtime brushing. “ Better brush, or the sugar bugs might pee in your mouth!”. It’s gross, hilarious, and surprisingly effective.

We also apply tooth vitamins to your childs teeth (aka fluoride varnish, bubble or cotton candy flavor!), chat about home care, and send your child off with a sugar free lollipop and a prize. Bonus? There’s a TV on the ceiling, so let us know their favorite show and we will have it ready!

Pro Tips to Prepare Your Kiddo

Here’s how to set them up for a great first visit:

• Read a book together about doing to the dentist

• Use positive, simple language. Skip words like “hurt”, “pain” or even “it’ll be okay”, these can plant worries that weren’t even there to begin with!

• Hype it up like an adventure, “we are going to count your sugar bugs and get your tooth vitamins!”

Home Habits Before Age 3

Until your child is ready for that first visit:

• Brush twice day with a rice sized dot of fluoride toothpaste (getting out the door in the morning can be tough, parents-I feel you, if you skip a morning focus on getting a really good brush at night!)

• Let your child brush if they are interested, but you do the real clean before or after

Don’t worry if your child hasn’t learned to rinse and swish yet, my own kids didn’t get the hang of that until at least age 5! Swallowing that tiny bit of fluoride toothpaste is totally safe and actually encouraged! That small dose of fluoride helps protect their teeth, especially since Metro Vancouver doesn’t have fluoride in our water. Think of it like the fluoride tablets some of us had as kids-but tastier and easier.

If you’re unsure, you can always do a water only brush in the morning, and a fluoride brush at night (which is the most important one).

A Few Other Things

Please avoid giving your child bottles of milk overnight in their crib. Sugar sitting on teeth while they sleep isn’t great for enamel.

Thumbs and soothers? Totally fine. If it helps your child sleep through the night (which helps YOU sleep through the night), then I’m all for it. As long as your family says goodbye to the soother between age 4-5, it’s all good.

At Park & Tilford Dental, we are here to make your childs first visit feel easy, silly and special. And who knows, they might leave asking when they can come back!

Happy Brushing