Routine dental checkups should begin as early as possible. It is recommended you schedule your child’s first dental appointment within the first six months after their first tooth appears and before their first birthday. Kids tend to grow up so fast. To ensure teeth are growing healthy, a pediatric dentist should monitor your child’s teeth as soon as they develop.

The First Dental Visit with a Pediatric Dentist

Your child should feel secure and at ease with the dentist. Their first visit is important to helping your child develop a healthy attitude towards dentistry early on in childhood. We are skilled and experienced in pediatric dentistry. With our gentle and caring approach, we create a pain-free and anxiety-free environment resulting in better oral hygiene habits that can prevent future gum disease, which can destroy children’s smiles as adults. We do all we can to ensure your child does not feel any pain at all. We can explain each tool being used and why we use it. We also take time to explain what we do during each step of your child’s first visit to make them feel comfortable and realize there is nothing to fear. We like to ensure your child feels safe, warm, and welcomed. Our goal is to create an experience kids will be happy to return to.

Fear of the Dentist?

A deep fear of the dentist or dentistry is known as dentophobia. While we do our best to ensure your child feels at ease when visiting the dentist, there are a few cases where no matter our methods, some children still have a strong fear of dentists. Normally, this fear of the dentist stems more from the feeling or thought of lack of control of what the dentist does while the child is in the exam chair. Most dental fears rarely come from a genuine fear of possible pain. In fact, modern dentistry has actually made many procedures virtually pain-free! Studies have shown that one bad visit to the dentist as a child can cause a traumatic memory leading to adulthood dentophobia. If you are aware of your child’s fears and concerns about their first dental visit, please vocalize these fears to your dentist so we can accommodate accordingly.

For more information about pediatric dentistry in San Juan Capistrano, California, and to schedule your child’s appointment with Dr. Mojgan Niktash, please contact Paradise Dental Practice today at 949-481-2121.