What age does everyone first take their toddler to the dentist?

[Flower35]

Hi all, just wondering at what age you all took your toddler for their first proper appointment? My DD is 22 months and she's been once before, just sat on my lap while I had my appointment and the dentist looked in her mouth etc but she's not been for a proper check up before. She has quite a few teeth now but isn't great at cleaning her teeth to be honest, she just sucks the toothpaste off then screams the place down when I try & brush them properly. Any advice on cleaning a toddlers teeth would be also appreciated!!! Many thanks

I've been taking my little boy every 3 to 6 months since he was about 1yr old.
Literally just open mouth and count teeth to keep him confident going.

Since the first tooth cut.

For cleaning, it was literally a pin them down and do it whilst they screamed! (Safely and gently of course!) until they were old enough to understand it was non negotiable

Mine just went when I did.

One of mine screamed, I just used the open mouth as an opportunity to get the brushing done.

Since they first had teeth cut through, and then every 6 months. They are so used to check ups they aren’t nervous and know the dentists well.

at such a young age- it’s a very quick checkup.

Every six months after the first tooth - just took him with me as it made me go more regularly, and got him used to it.

Mine went through a phase of having to be pinned down. Not pleasant, but teeth need to be brushed.

We had family dentist appointments so all 4 of us in together. It is how the practice does it so children can see their parents having their mouths checked and then sit on your lap whilst they have theirs checked too. Basically from when they had teeth. We go every 6 months religiously.

Re brushing, exactly as @UpUpUpU says, it is non-negotiable, you pin them, they get used to it. Screaming should not stop you doing it, same with medicine. We can't always have children happy and smiling, not everything will go their way.

I use to sit with their arms pinned under my legs- on either side of them- (sounds awful I know!! 🙈 but not in anyway hurting them) but they learn pretty quickly to just let me brush their teeth. It’s one of my few non negotiables!

Visited the dentist every 6 months from when he got his first tooth. Brushing teeth is just a non-negotiable in our house 🤷🏻‍♀️ scream all you like, it’s still getting done 😅 DS is 4.5yo and it’s still his least favourite part of the morning and evening routine. When he was younger I tried all the distraction techniques with toys/timers etc but soon gave up on that. They just need to learn that it needs done and that’s that 🤷🏻‍♀️

As PPs say - every six months since their first teeth appeared. They went before that on occasion if I was going for my appointment, but didn’t have a check up. Now we go every six months as a family. I go in with DD, & DH goes in with DS.

Yes we are like other posters, just all go together since they were 1. It's just a look in the mouth and then sticker! Plus a few questions
Tooth brushing was reading books and watching videos in conjunction with they get a minute to brush and then I get a minute to brush . Then after 3ish I let them brush with advice and supervision
At 5 I got an electric toothbrush and brushing suddenly took the full 2 minutes as it has a timer in it.
You can get videos on YouTube and songs if it helps.

Has everyone who has responded on here managed to find an NHS dentist for their kids?

I do take my toddler every 6 months since age 1 but we were lucky to find a dentist who was willing to check childrens teeth despite not receiving NHS funding for it. He just takes a look in her mouth and counts the teeth. Both DH and I pay privately at different dentists and they both refused to take DD on the NHS or even check her teeth if we already had an appointment without paying ridiculous amounts of money.

Yes, it’s ideal to take them every 6 months from when they get teeth but I think a lot of people will struggle to do this with the current state of NHS dentistry.

Exactly.. mine was about 4. After covid then actually finding an NHS dentist, it ended up being a bit late

Daughter has been going since around 7 months old. To be fair my dentist advised me to get her booked in to make sure she got in as they’re are an nhs dentist and wouldn’t be taking new customers for long.

Singing favourite songs and replacement words with brushing. Eg, “three little ducks went swimming on….mother duck said brush brush brush brush….” . It doesn’t even have to make sense really. We also chuck in names of people we know like “Megan on the bus goes brush brush brush”. Child gets to pick the next person on the bus.
But you just have to force it basically. It has to be a non-negotiable.
got my kids in at dentist around 2, as soon as they would take the appointment but it’s more to get them in that environment and in the system. Dentist couldn’t even get a look inside my sons mouth but it doesn’t really matter.

Edit to add to another question. We are all registered to NHS dentist (lucky I know). But registered my son at the dentist almost as soon as his birth was registered.

@wishIwasonholiday10 We're very lucky here, there's no shortage of NHS dentists and I'd been with mine since I moved here 15 years ago. I just added my son to their books when I next went for a check up. They knew I was pregnant so were expecting to add him.

At 2 something, they literally don’t do anything other than look in their mouths and talk about brushing. It’s more to get them used to the room and the chair than to actually look at the teeth.

And yes, we have an NHS dentist for the kids (not ourselves unfortunately). They are 6 & 12 though. All local NHS dentists no longer accepting children.

@wishIwasonholiday10- our original dentist stopped having NHS patients & chucked them all of the books about 4 years ago. We were given 5months notice & I spent ages ringing round other local & nit so local dentists. None were taking new NHS patients.
Then I heard from a friend about one that’s still in our county, but a good 45min drive away who were taking on new NHS patients & called them straight away. Managed to register with them & been going ever since. In the summer we make a day of it & go to a local beauty spot with a picnic.