🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 🏃 Active Lifestyle Foundation — Understanding that regular physical activity keeps bodies healthy, strong, and happy establishes the health values that active preschoolers carry into adolescence and adulthood — where physical activity habits are much harder to establish.
• 🎯 Self-Care Independence — Practicing health-related self-care — managing bathroom needs, blowing their own nose, recognizing hunger and thirst — builds the practical independence and bodily awareness that school and daily life require.
• 🧼 Hygiene Habits — Learning and practicing hygiene routines — handwashing, toothbrushing — establishes automatic habits that protect health throughout life and builds the self-care independence that school and daily life require.
• 😊 Emotional Self-Awareness — Recognizing physical signals of emotion — a tight stomach, a fast heart, tension — builds the mind-body awareness and emotional intelligence that self-regulation, communication, and mental health depend on.

Your preschooler needs to see the dentist. Dental problems can begin early in life and can cause a range of problems, like tooth decay and infection, which can cause illness. Dental health can also affect things like eating and speaking properly. Taking your preschooler for a dental exam, therefore, is important for more than pretty teeth, but for total health.

General Dental Information

Your preschooler should have a set of twenty baby teeth by 2 1/2 to 3 years old. This primary set of teeth is stable until the teeth start loosening and falling out to make room for permanent teeth at 6 to 7 years old.

Preschoolers who develop cavities with their baby teeth are more likely to develop cavities as they grow older. They are also more susceptible to cavity formation if their parents are prone to cavity formation.

What is an Appropriate Time for the First Dental Exam?

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends having the first dental exam when the first tooth comes, usually within the first year of life. At this visit, your dentist should give recommendations on the frequency of exams for your child.

Should My Preschooler See A Pediatric Or Family Dentist?

Either dentist is qualified to take care of your preschooler’s teeth. The pediatric dentist, however, specializes in infant to adolescent dental care and may understand the special needs of your preschooler better.
As with adults, dental exams are usually recommended every 6 months.

What to Tell the Dentist

It’s important to tell your dentist if your preschooler has habits that affect tooth growth, formation and development. These habits include prolonged bottle use, thumb sucking, and a diet that includes a lot of sugary beverages and excessively starchy food.

What to Expect From the Dentist during a Preschooler Dental Exam

1. Removal of plaque and polishing teeth
2. Determination of risk for cavities, either low, moderate or high risk (and treatment of cavities, as necessary)
3. Determine if fluoride needs are being met 
4. Assess language and speech development
5. Provide dietary counseling
6. Instructions to parent on proper oral hygiene (flossing and brushing needs, periodic exams) based on the risk assessment for your preschooler
   

The Importance of Regular Dentist Visits

Regular dental exams establish an important health habit for your preschooler. Making regular dental visits may also reduce anticipatory anxiety. Most importantly it reduces the risk for tooth decay and other dental problems. Ask your preschooler’s dentist about a proper oral routine and periodic care plan for your child and follow these recommendations.

By: Pia Chaparro

References:

1. American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Available from http://www.aapd.org/
   

1. American Dental Association. Available from http://www.ada.org/public/topics/tooth_eruption.asp
   

1. American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Clinical guideline on periodicity of examination, preventive dental services, anticipatory guidance, and oral treatment for children. Chicago (IL): American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry;. 3 p. Available from http://www.guideline.gov/summary/summary.aspx?doc_id=6270&nbr=004025&string=academy+AND+dentistry

Helpful Tips for Parents - Annual well-child visits are essential even when the child appears healthy. Vision, hearing, developmental, and growth screening catch issues that aren't visible to parents. - Outdoor time in all weathers builds immunity — the "cold air causes colds" myth is false. Colds are caused by viruses, and outdoor exposure to varied weather strengthens respiratory immunity. - Screen time content matters as much as quantity. Educational, interactive, co-viewed content is far less harmful than passive, commercial, or violent content at the same viewing time. - Lead exposure is still a significant risk in homes built before 1978. If your home was built before 1978, have it tested — lead paint poisoning has severe and permanent cognitive effects. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the right age to start dental visits? The American Dental Association recommends the first dental visit when the first tooth appears, or by the child's first birthday, whichever comes first. The purpose of early dental visits: establishing the child's comfort with the dental environment, monitoring tooth development, assessing for early decay, and providing parent education on dental hygiene. Many families wait until age 2–3, which is still valuable. The most important home dental care: twice-daily brushing with rice-sized fluoride toothpaste (from first tooth through age 3) and pea-sized amount thereafter, flossing when teeth touch, and limiting juice and sugary snacks. Related reading: See also our water safety guide and our nutrition guide for more ideas on this topic.