Healthy teeth start at a young age. Taking your children to the dentist is a very important part of having healthy teeth. When do you take children to the dentist?

Many times children do not go to the dentist until there is a problem. This is usually around three to five years old. By this time, there are already caveties that cause pain or at least are requiring fillings.

The best time to start your children on a good oral health care habit is much younger than people think. Start them sucking on a toothbrush as soon as they will not choke on it. And, get them to the dentist at a year old.

There are many reasons to start taking your child to the dentist at this age. Here are the benefits of taking your children in to the dentist at an early age.

Comfort: Children become comfortable to the idea of seeing a dentist when they go and are used to it. Also, if they go at an early age and the check up goes well, then there is no pain and a child is more likely to return again with a good idea in their head about the dentist. Yes, they do remember. It is a positive pattern that is in their head. Remember children retain a great deal of information at a younger age.

Early detection: Getting into the dentist early will make it so that if your dentist does happen to see any problems, they will be able to catch them while they are still simple and quick to fix.

Proper formation: Your children have baby teeth, and yes they do fall out. However, those teeth need to create the healthy spacing for the proper growth of the new teeth. If the teeth in your children's mouth get cavities and fall out, then it will cause problems with the correct growth of the teeth in the future. This will then be a reason for crooked teeth and then much more expensive orthodontic work. The dentist can put in a space maintainer or retainer but that does not make for the perfect natural look that the teeth should have. It is also hard to have a small child have those fixtures in their mouth.

Fun: Ok, I know a dentist is not fun. However with the children's emotional comfort in mind, many dentists now offer an environment that is targeted to the comfort and trust building techniques for children. This is helpful because once a positive habit is build it will create an easier process to taking your children to the dentist. The dentist and their assistants do tend to include some fun things and a more colorful environment then when we were kids.

When you go into the visit, there are things that you can expect:

    You can go with your young child into the room for the visit. Here is a hint though, with an older child, it may go better if you are out of the room.
    A basic exam will happen. This means looking at the teeth, counting the teeth, and checking for any decay on the teeth.
    A gum exam will be done. This is just basic and will be a simple look to make sure there is no infection or problems.
    Some advice on proper care will be offered from the dentist and assistant.
    If there is a need for additional fluoride etc, the dentist will let you know.
    There will also be a future appointment for every six months set up.
    Also there will likely be a discussion on proper brushing and flossing, and a healthy diet that is rich in calcium.

The best way to get your child or children started on a healthy oral hygiene plan is to start the pattern early. Start brushing and flossing as early as possible. Start your dentist appointments as early as one year. Eat a healthy diet. Finally create comfort and positive patterns by being a good example of good oral hygiene.