Toddler’s First Dental Appointment: What to Expect

I always knew this day would come…..the day I’d have to take Greyson to the dentist. So for my first time parents, here’s a tutorial on what to expect during your toddler’s first dental appointment!

Scheduling the first dental appointment

Your child’s first dental appointment will typically last about 30 minutes or less. The first appointment is to acquaint your child with the dental office staff and the instruments that the dental hygienist and dentist will use. Typically, it will last about 30 minutes or less. Pro tip: If you go to a family dentist, schedule your child’s appointment on the same day of your appointment. Doing so eliminates the need to make multiple trips.

Getting prepared for the dental appointment

Once you arrive to the dental office, you’ll more than likely have fill out new patient paperwork in the waiting area. As you can imagine, toddlers and waiting rooms don’t mix haha. Be sure to pack a few comfort toys. For us, it was Greyson’s Amazon Fire 7 Tablet. It’s literally the best thing since sliced bread for us! It is also support important for parent’s to stay as positive as possible. I made sure to continuously think and believe that Greyson would have an amazing first dental appointment.

It’s appointment day!

You brought the comfort toys, completed the paperwork….now what? Now it’s time for your toddler to be called back into the examination room. Depending on your dental office, they may want the parents to remain in the waiting. However, if you scheduled your appointments together, your dentist will complete your appointment first and allow you to stay in the room for your child’s appointment. Disclaimer: This was the case for Greyson and I, but will again, be totally dependent on the rules of your specific dental office.

During the actual appointment, the dentist checked Greyson’s teeth for signs of decay. And as much he allowed haha, she also did an examination of his bite, jaw alignment, and gums. The dental hygienist did attempt to do a cleaning, but Greyson’s just kept sucking the toothpaste lol. His favorite part was the suction. Pro tip: It’s incredibly helpful that your child gets to touch and feel some of the equipment. It will help them be even more comfortable during there appointment

All in all, Greyson did AMAZINGLY WELL! He allowed the staff to conduct the examination with very little assistance from me. Shout to the staff at Virginia Family Dentistry for being so patient and kind. Looking forward to seeing him do well in the next 6 months!