Early Dental Care

According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists, your child should receive their first dental check-up between the time their first tooth comes in and the age of 1. At your child’s first visit, we will review the medical/dental health history form with you. Your child will meet Dr. Jamshidi and have everything explained to him/her.

We encourage parents to accompany their child during their visit to provide an opportunity for you to see us working with your child. It also allows our team to discuss dental findings and treatment needs directly with you. During the visit, a thorough head and neck examination and evaluation of the teeth and gums will be performed and if no treatment is needed, the teeth will be cleaned and a fluoride treatment will be provided.

We look forward to meeting you and your child for your first appointment!

Baby teeth, also called primary teeth, are shed, but they are still very important for a number of reasons. Children need strong, healthy baby teeth in order to chew food properly, to pronounce words correctly, and to maintain space in the jaw for the permanent teeth. Additionally, if your child's primary teeth were to get infected, your child's permanent teeth could be damaged or the infection could become life threatening and affect your child's overall health. So it is important to take good care of the primary teeth by keeping them clean and healthy.

Even before the first tooth erupts, you can begin early dental care by gently wiping your child’s gums with a wet cloth or gauze after every feeding. At the appearance of the first tooth until your child can spit out toothpaste, begin brushing your child’s teeth with water or a "smear" of non-fluoridated toothpaste. From ages 2 to 3, or when your child is ready to spit out toothpaste, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends introducing a PEA-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste during brushing. Every child develops differently, so you should continue to assist and monitor your child during brushing to ensure that the toothpaste is spit out rather than swallowed and they rinse with water afterward. 

Primary teeth, if not kept clean and healthy, can develop decay. This decay can lead to infection, which can damage permanent teeth. Tooth decay in infants and young children occurs when the teeth undergo frequent and extended exposure to liquids containing sugar. To keep your child’s teeth cavity free and avoid oral pain, do not allow your child to fall asleep with a bottle containing anything other than water. Milk, formula, and juice, when given to a child right before they fall asleep, can remain on the teeth and in the mouth and cause tooth decay. If your child needs a pacifier between feedings or at bedtime, give them a clean pacifier. Do not give your child a pacifier dipped in honey or sugar.