Children are welcome at Dentistry For You in Broken Arrow from their first tooth onwards. The aim of the early visits is not to fix anything. It is to make sure that by the time a child does need treatment, the dental office is already somewhere familiar.
The First Visit
Bring your child around their first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth coming through. The visit is short. We count the teeth, look at how they are coming in, check the gums, and talk to you about brushing, bottles and what to expect next.
Often the child sits on the parent’s lap rather than in the chair. If they will not open their mouth, that is a perfectly normal first visit and we try again in six months.
Keeping It Unfrightening
Most adults who are frightened of the dentist trace it back to childhood. That is worth taking seriously, because a child who is comfortable at the dentist usually becomes an adult who keeps going.
A few things help. We explain what we are about to do in words a child understands before we do it. We let them hold the mirror or the suction. And it helps a great deal if the adults avoid mentioning pain in advance, even reassuringly, because a child who is told it will not hurt has just learned that hurting was on the table.
Brushing at Home
Start cleaning as soon as the first tooth appears, with a smear of fluoride toothpaste on a soft brush. Children need an adult brushing for them or checking afterwards until they are about seven or eight, because before then they do not have the fine motor control to reach the back surfaces properly.
The habit worth building earliest is cleaning between the teeth, as soon as two teeth touch each other. That is where decay in children almost always starts.
Sealants and Fluoride
Permanent molars arrive around age six and again around twelve, and their chewing surfaces have deep grooves that a toothbrush is physically too wide to clean. A sealant is a thin coating painted into those grooves. It takes a few minutes, needs no drilling and no numbing, and is one of the most effective preventive treatments there is for children.
Fluoride treatments harden the enamel and can reverse the earliest stage of decay before a filling is needed.
Sugar, and Why How Often Matters More
Every time sugar reaches the teeth, the bacteria in plaque produce acid for a while afterwards. It is the number of those acid attacks across a day that decides the damage, not the total amount of sugar.
A dessert eaten in ten minutes is one attack. A juice cup sipped through a whole afternoon is a continuous one. The same applies to a bottle taken to bed, which is the single most damaging habit we see in small children, because saliva flow drops during sleep and the drink sits against the front teeth for hours.
When Something Goes Wrong
Children knock teeth out. If it is a baby tooth, do not try to put it back, because pushing it into the socket can damage the adult tooth forming above it. Keep the child calm, control the bleeding with gentle pressure, and call us.
If it is an adult tooth, the first hour matters. Hold it by the crown rather than the root, rinse it gently in milk if it is dirty, and either put it back in the socket or keep it in milk. Then call (918) 355-1391 straight away. There is more on the emergency dentistry page.
Booking
Call (918) 355-1391 or use the contact form. If your child is nervous, say so when you book so we can allow more time.
Questions Parents Ask
At what age should my child first see a dentist?
Around their first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth appearing. The early visits are about familiarity rather than treatment.
My child is frightened. What can you do?
Tell us when you book so we can allow extra time. We explain everything before we do it and let children handle the mirror or the suction. It also helps a lot if adults avoid mentioning pain beforehand, because reassurance that it will not hurt teaches a child that hurting was a possibility.
Are dental X-rays safe for children?
Digital X-rays use a very low dose, and we only take them when there is a reason, such as checking for decay between teeth or seeing how adult teeth are positioned. We do not take them to a fixed schedule.
What should I do if my child knocks out a tooth?
If it is a baby tooth, do not put it back, because that can damage the adult tooth forming above. If it is an adult tooth, hold it by the crown, rinse it in milk if dirty, put it back in the socket or keep it in milk, and call (918) 355-1391 immediately. The first hour matters.
Book Your Child’s First Visit
Tell us if they are nervous and we will allow extra time.