The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends the first dental visit by age one, or within six months of the first tooth appearing — whichever comes first.

Why so early? Not because your one-year-old needs a cleaning. Because early visits establish a dental home, give us a chance to spot developmental issues, and — most importantly — start the conditioning that makes the dentist feel normal and non-scary.

For the first visit, we keep it playful. Your child sits on your lap, we count teeth together, we demonstrate with a toy, and we send everyone home smiling. No scary equipment, no surprises.

Between visits, parents can help by: brushing along with their child twice daily, avoiding juice in sippy cups, and framing dentist visits in positive language — never as a threat for bad behaviour.