An expert answers questions about when — and how often — your child should go to a dentist or orthodontist, and why early intervention matters.
Dental health is a valuable part of overall health. That’s why seeing a dentist early and often is crucial for everyone, including babies and children. Likewise, children should also establish care with an orthodontist in case early interventions are needed to set them up for long-term dental health and care. It’s common, though, for parents to wonder, “When should my child first see a dentist?”
According to Dr. Mohamed Hania, a craniofacial orthodontist with Vanderbilt Dental Clinic and Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, the answer to that question is by the age of 1 year, or six months from when they got their first baby tooth — sooner than many parents think.
“Many children tend to have their first checkup around age 5 or 6,” Hania said. “And according to the Academy of American Pediatric Dentistry, the patients who have checkups at that age have around 20 times the increased risk of dental decay, compared to children who’ve attended visits much earlier.”
Assessing dental health risk and forming a plan
At your child’s first dental appointment, your pediatric dentist will perform a risk assessment. The risk assessment considers your child’s dietary intake, current levels of oral hygiene, whether they have access to fluoridated water for cavity prevention, whether decay is already occurring and their family dental history. For example, your pediatric dentist will ask whether the family has a history of caries (cavities) or any other special care consideration such as enamel defects, Hania explained.
Based on this first visit and risk assessment, your dentist will recommend a checkup schedule, which may involve repeat visits every three, six or nine months, or annually.
Of course, if a problem crops up between visits, don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s dentist. Hania said that a bad taste in the mouth, sensitivity when eating hot or cold foods, a toothache, swelling, waking at night with mouth pain, and symptoms of infection are all reasons to talk to your provider.
When your child should have their first visit with an orthodontist
“As an orthodontist, I normally want to see patients by the age of 6 or 7 years old,” Hania said. “A lot of malocclusion and other dental problems tend to start expressing themselves at this age range.” Malocclusion means having a misaligned bite that can cause long-term problems if it is not treated.
A visit to the orthodontist doesn’t necessarily mean your child needs an intervention, such as braces. However, Hania urges parents not to wait until a child’s preteen years before getting checked out by an orthodontist. “At that age, a lot of the malocclusion has expressed itself to a point where any treatment we do is much more complex,” he said.
Again, your provider will recommend a schedule for follow-up visits based on your child’s individual needs and any orthodontic treatments. Some orthodontic care involves appointments every week to start. Others require visits every six weeks. Once interventions are finished, your child may only need to see the orthodontist once per year.
However, if at any time between appointments something changes, you should call the orthodontist. “If they’re in the middle of orthodontic treatment and they hear a crack, notice something getting loose, something doesn’t feel right, or the bite has shifted in a negative way, definitely contact your clinic for an appointment,” Hania said. Your provider can check early if there’s a problem, or reassure you that the change your child is experiencing is a normal part of the treatment.
Getting started with dental care
The oral health team at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt provides dental, oral and maxillofacial care to infants, children and adolescents. We provide family-based, child-oriented care that considers all aspects of oral health as your child grows. Our pediatric dentists, oral surgeons and orthodontic specialists provide simple dental hygiene and routine care, as well as more complex dental alignment and jaw reconstruction procedures.
