What Age Should Kids Start Going to the Dentist?
Everything you need to know about keeping little smiles shining bright. (Photo: Randy Faris/Corbis)
If anyone could make flossing look like fun, it’s Beyoncé. Queen Bey recently posted an adorable GIF of herself and 3-year-old Blue Ivy in matching sunglasses wiggling identical flossing sticks in their mouths. The clip is a sweet reminder that the toddler years are the right time to start teaching good oral hygiene, and it’s up to parents to model the dental-care basics.
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Here are the guidelines on when it’s time to introduce a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss to your child—plus the right age to schedule that first trip to the dentist’s chair.
Brushing. By age two, kids should have their own small, soft-bristled toothbrush, and they should brush twice a day, once in the morning and before bedtime. “Your child has probably seen you do it many times and knows the general idea, but demonstrate brushing for them so they know to clean outside and inside for two minutes total with a pea-size squeeze of fluoride toothpaste,” Vincent Mayher, D.M.D., spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry, tells Yahoo Parenting.
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Before age two but after the first baby tooth shows up, you don’t need to brush, but it’s a good idea for parents to gently wipe teeth with a paper towel or cloth once a day to clear off debris and also to get babies used to having something in their mouths, says Mayher, so they’re less resistant when it’s time to begin brushing regularly. Skip the toothpaste and go with warm water only.
How much toothpaste should you use? A pea-sized amount, starting around age 2. (Photo: Getty Images)
Flossing. It depends on how cooperative a child is, but regular flossing should start by age five. (Blue Ivy is obviously a flossing superstar.) “Show them how to do it, but it’s a little harder than brushing, so don’t expect great results,” says Mayher. Just like grown-ups, kids can get lazy about flossing. Make it more appealing by letting them pick out the floss flavor, or doing it with them so it’s a fun bedtime ritual.
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Going to the Dentist. “By age 3 or 4, kids should start having dental checkups twice a year, just like adults,” says Mayher. Sitting in the dentist chair and being asked to open wide can be scary, so it’s smart to get children used to the experience by bringing them to your appointments when they’re too young for their own. Let them sit in your lap while a dentist takes a quick look in their mouth. “This helps acclimate kids to the dentist visit and also reveals any issues, like plaque buildup,” he says. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that a dentist takes a peek inside your child's mouth by 12 months to identify cavities, which will be more prevalent if he or she consumes a diet high in sugar.
X-rays typically start between ages 3 and 5, but many dentists don’t repeat them on kids as frequently as they do for adults. In case you’re worried about radiation, keep this in mind: “X-rays today are digital, and the radiation is a third of the already low level of regular x-rays,” Mayher says.
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