First Trip to the Dentist: 6 Things I Didn’t Know

She was 11 months and it was Mother’s Day when her first tiny baby tooth popped out. I was so relieved! There were ACTUALLY teeth in there! Phew! Just a little first-time-mom-panic. She popped her second one out the next week and then it was another two months before we saw more. Needless to say, our dental journey has been a slow one. A really slow one.

That’s the excuse I’d been using for not taking her to the dentist quite yet–she hardly had any teeth! And then life happened, and I just plumb forgot. That is until my 3.5 year old daughter tripped and hit her mouth on the handle bars of her scooter a couple weeks ago, and screamed that her tooth “hurt really, really, bad!” as blood poured out of her mouth. After a quick chat with an on-call dentist at Metropolitan Pediatric Dental Associates (on a SATURDAY), I scheduled her very first dentist appointment for a couple days later.

Because Daniel Tiger says, “When we do something new, let’s talk about what we’ll do,” I did my best to prepare her for what happens at a dentist appointment. But I only know what happens at an adult visit. I had no clue what happens at a child’s appointment. Are they different? Will she get X-rays? Do I need to hold her down? Luckily, the staff at Metropolitan Pediatric Dental Associates know what they’re doing, and I couldn’t have asked for a more easy going experience.

First of all, what a great waiting room! A big fish tank, Frozen on the TV, a kid sized table, a huge activity cube, and high quality Usborne books (that hadn’t been torn to shreds). My daughter loved the waiting room and wanted to just play there, which I feel like really helped set the mood for the experience. The short movie about a dinosaur getting his teeth cleaned helped too!

Next, Karrie, our sweet dental assistant, presented my daughter with a toothbrush. “Pink! I LOVE pink!” Good call, Karrie! Then Karrie explained that she was going to paint her teeth pink to reveal areas that needed a more thorough brushing. That was the only time my daughter was scared. But when I told her I’d take a picture of her pink teeth and send it to Daddy, she was suddenly more than enthusiastic to cooperate!

After, Karrie brought us back to the chair where she so very patiently explained and tested all the tools. My daughter giggled at the monkey on the ceiling as she leaned backed and opened her mouth wide for Karrie to floss and clean her teeth. Then she had X-rays right in the chair, followed by the dentist’s examination, which was quite enlightening! I thought I knew what there is to know about taking care of your teeth! I’ve had one cavity in my life in a baby tooth that fell out, and I do a pretty decent job taking care of my pearly whites. I feel like with 30 years of dental visits I’d know a thing or two about proper dental hygiene. Sadly, I was mistaken…

Here are 6 things I didn’t know about caring for my kids’ teeth:

1. The first check-up should be at 1 year old, even if they don’t have a lot of teeth yet. Even at that age, they can spot tooth decay.
2. I didn’t start brushing my kids teeth until they had teeth–that one seems obvious, right?! Well, they recommend using a washcloth to gently rub off any breastmilk/formula from the gums so the mouth is clean and to start the habit of good oral hygiene early.
3. Gummy vitamins. Get rid of those gummy vitamins and switch to chewables. They’re sticky and sweet and get stuck between teeth. Chewables are gone with a bit of water.
4. I have never flossed my daughter’s teeth. They’re spaced apart pretty well, but not all of them. They recommend starting to floss as soon as teeth are touching.
5. This one I technically haven’t done wrong yet, but would have! My daughter brushes her teeth in the morning by herself, and at night we give those chompers a good scrubbing (which they recommend), but they also recommend doing that until 8 or 9 years old.
6. My 16 month old son hates having his teeth brushed. It’s a battle. So if he walks around chewing on a toothbrush for a while, I’d call that a win. NOPE. First, there’s the risk of tripping with the toothbrush in his mouth, and second, they recommend using a rice size amount of floride toothpaste to clean them.

Okay, so I may have missed the mark on proper dental hygiene for my kids, but NO CAVITIES! So I’m counting it as a win! Plus, now I have the information and tools to better care for those tiny little teeth adorning those adorable smiles that I just can’t get enough of.

For more information on your child’s oral health, visit MetroPediatricDental.com/childrens-care.

Metropolitan Pediatric Dental is dental practice for infants, toddlers, big kids, tweens, and teens with locations throughout the Twin Cities including St. Paul, Fridley, North Oaks, and Eagan.

Visit them online at MetropediatricDental.com

Metropolitan Pediatric Dental is a proud sponsor and supporter of Twin Cities Family’s Blog.