Dr. Acosta is proud to serve patients of every age, from the very oldest to the very youngest. His truly is a family dentistry office. People often ask, “When is the right time for a child to start going to the dentist?” What follows is Dr. Acosta’s answer to that question.

Your Child's First Dental Visit
An early start in childhood dental healthcare can lead to a lifetime of oral health. Studies show that children who regularly go to the dentist for periodic check-ups and routine dental care are more likely to continue the practice as adults and are less likely to experience severe dental pain or emergencies in their lives. Furthermore, if a child is helped by his or her parents to avoid tooth decay during the cavity prone years of birth through adolescence, it is much more likely that they will experience a cavity free and oral pain free life as adults greatly minimizing time and money spent on dental procedures in their future. What a great gift this is to give our children for their future.

Children should start going to the dentist around age 2 or 3. These initial visits are usually comprised of visual examinations to detect obvious decay or other oral lesions. The other purpose of these visits is to acclimate the child to the experience. At this point the visits are very short and the child sits on moms lap while the doctor does a visual exam. Later, at around age 4 or 5, when the child is better able to cooperate, x-rays will be taken and their teeth polished as well as an examination done. At these appointments it is much better for mom to wait in the reception area because children invariably behave more cooperatively when they are unaccompanied by a family member. By age 6 most children are very well able to tolerate any experience at the dental office.

If you have never taken your child to the dentist, and would like to begin, here are some tips that will make the experience nicer for you and your child.

1. Watch your language.

Children listen to what we say. If we go on and on about how much we hate going to the dentist or what a horrible dentist we had as a kid, this will obviously scare a child. Then when you tell them that it won't hurt, you have no credibility.

2. Don't tell them, "It won’t hurt."

The truth is that it won't hurt, especially if it's an initial appointment when only visual or x-ray examinations are going to be done. And as far as your child knows, "Hurt" had nothing to do with it, until you brought it up. Think of it this way. When you go buy your child shoes, or get their hair cut, do you tell them that it won't hurt? Of course not, because 'Hurt' has nothing to do with it. And that's the way we want it to stay. A child should never experience pain at the dentist, and adults should never even bring up the specter of it. Once you bring up the word "Hurt", then the child thinks that in some way, or some how, pain is part of the equation.

3. Be watchful over what their siblings are telling them.

Sometimes older siblings like to tease younger ones. Sometimes they cannot resist the temptation to use a trip to the dental office as a tool to tease their little brother or sister. This can have a devastating effect on a youngster.

4. Lead by example.

If you go to the dentist regularly, and have a good attitude about taking good care of your oral health, your child will pick up on your example. For this child, a trip to the dentist is a matter-of-fact happenstance and will be "no big deal".

Most children are treated by Dr. Acosta and his staff without any problems. However some children may need a little more help due to fear or behavior problems. In these cases Dr. Acosta has a great network of pediatric dentists who can meet the rest of your child's needs.