Issue: # 4 • Winter/2012
Archived Articles
First Visit by First Birthday
Every child deserves a healthy start in life, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) and the American Academy of Pediatrics all recommend that children need to have established a “dental home” no later than their first birthday.
A childʼs baby teeth are at risk for decay as soon as they first appear – which is typically around age six months. The typical cause of this decay is frequent, prolonged exposure of the babyʼs teeth to liquids that contain sugar, such as fruit juice, breast milk or formula.
“The most important message to get to parents is the importance of getting their children to a dentist before they have their first birthday,” says Dr. Kyle Pedersen of Dayspring Pediatric Dentistry in St. Charles. “Although this may seem early, starting early is the key to a lifetime of good dental health.”
Some parents avoid taking children to the dentist to save money, yet studies show that the dental costs for children who have their first dental visit before age one are 40 percent lower in the first five years than for those who do not see a dentist prior to their first birthday.
