in October 2023 Babies 🇺🇸

First dental appointment

Hello! When did you take your child for their first dental visit? My son is 17 months old, and I am trying to make his first appointment. Mine is HMO insurance, and the pediatric dentist is asking for a regular dentist referral. Do regular dentists see a 17 month old? He does not have any oral issues, just trying to establish oral care for him. Or is this too soon?

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It’s recommended they’re seen by 12 months with or without teeth. It’s mainly about oral health. Reach out to another pediatric dentist. You shouldn’t need a referral

As soon as they get teeth you can see a dentist. As for the differences with pediatric or regular dentists, I’ve always just went to a regular dentist they always worked on kids as well, so I’m not much help there.

My toddler seen the dentist at 16 months.

1.5 and 3.5 years and still haven't been

We did ours at 12 months

We went at 12 months, the older ladies there have never heard of taking a baby to the dentist so young. They just felt around her gums and showed me how to brush her teeth and answered questions about fluoride. So it’s not urgent, they said it was to get kids used to the idea of the dentist, but they still have me another apt 6mo later. No referral needed. My husband got a new dentist and the woman on the phone told him X-rays weren’t covered; insurance assured us they were. So maybe you got a confused receptionist?

I tooo my daughter at 15months and it was so pointless. They had no advice for getting a toddler to cooperate with toothbrushing and she wouldn’t let them look in her mouth. I wouldn’t stress it too much.