Key messages
- First dental visits are recommended when the first teeth appear in the mouth.
- Your dentist will check your child's teeth and share helpful information to help you care for their teeth at home.
- Below are tips that can help you to prepare.
The Australian Dental Association recommends that children have their first dental visit when the first teeth appear inside the mouth.
Visiting the dentist often is important for your child’s oral health. Creating a ‘dental home’ and building a relationship with a dentist early on can help your child to be comfortable at the dentist. It can help them to create a trusting relationship with their dentist.
What to expect at the first visit
Taking a history
Your dentist will talk to you about your child. This discussion can include questions about your child’s general health and development, diet, behaviours, and oral hygiene.
Questions about behaviours may include:
- do they take a bottle to bed at night?
- do they suck their thumb, fingers, or a dummy?
It is important for your child’s dentist to know this information. These behaviours can affect the health of your children's teeth and the development of their mouth.
Looking at the mouth and teeth
Your dentist will check the inside and outside of your child’s mouth. This includes the teeth, tongue, cheeks, gum, lips and throat. This may not take a long time for an infant or toddler especially if they only have a few teeth. But there is a lot of information that your dentist can get from this first check.
Your dentist will talk to you about what they see. They will share important tips to help you care for your child's teeth. They will also tell you what to look out for as your child continues to grow.
Depending on how old your child is at their first visit, your dentist may:
- clean your child's teeth
- put fluoride on the teeth
- take X-rays.
If your child needs dental treatment, your dentist may refer them to a specialist children’s dentist. This specialist is called a paediatric dentist.
Tips to prepare for a dental visit
Below are some tips to help get your child ready for their first dental visit and future visits also.
- Talk about what happens at the dentist.
- Play dentist at home where you and your child can take turns as the patient and dentist.
- Practice counting your child’s teeth at home. A spoon can make a great pretend dental mirror.
- Read positive dental story books.
- Watch a cartoon where your child’s favourite character visits the dentist. These can be easily found on YouTube.
- Keep a positive attitude about going to the dentist.
- Avoid negative or scary stories.
- Do not use the dentist as a threat.
- Even if you are nervous or anxious about going to the dentist, try not to show your feelings as children can pick up on it.
- Do not tell your child to be brave. This can make them think that there is something to be fearful of.
The Australian Dental Association has written a great storybook that you can read to your child about caring for their teeth and mouth. The story is called Guardians of the Gums. Buy the hardcopy or read the e-book for free.
Listen to the Australian Dental Association's Watch Your Mouth podcast to hear more about first dental visits.
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Our experts continually monitor the oral health space. As research and recommendations change or we get reader feedback, we update the information in our articles.