American Dental Association (ADA) recommends to schedule the first dental visit between the arrival of the first tooth and his/her first birthday. But the best time for a youngster to have a great experience first time would be determined by her willingness to cooperate at the chairside, which varies person-to-person. The best way is to get her acquainted in a non-threatening environment.
An experienced dentist would start with letting the little patient hold on to a 'safe' instrument such as the intraoral mirror, count his/her teeth (actually doing a dental examination), giving mom and dad dental tips on caring for the pearly whites, at the same time educating them about the danger of milk-bottle decay, etc, BEFORE any perceived need for the dentist's 'real' services.

On the other hand, the worst experience a little patient can have is being brought in because of a toothache, especially after having been 'advised' by peers about the horrific ordeal s/he is about to experience at the dental office, and getting scolded, or spanked, by the parents for behavior acting out of fear and anxiety. Imagine all that burden on the little one before the treatment even begins! Thus any procedure-associated discomfort that is to be felt will be multiplied by a thousand fold. That, would certainly scar the little psyche for the rest of his/her life.

Dr. James Ho has seen patients as little as 9 month old.

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