The child's first visit to the dentist is as early as age 1.

During the first 3 years, baby's teeth should be checked from time to time for a condition called "Bottle Mouth Syndrome". This condition occurs in children who take a bottle at bed time. Cavities should be checked and treated even on baby teeth since some of them will last until age 12. Early loss of baby teeth can affect growth of underlying permanent teeth which may result in need for braces in later years. All baby teeth should be preserved until permanent teeth replace them.

It is very important to build a very good relationship with children at their first visit to the dental office. Parents play a great role for creating a positive picture in a child's mind.

It is wrong to tell the child: " if you don't brush, I will take you to the dentist." This will create a negative picture of the dentist in the child's mind and makes him/her scared of the dentist without ever having set foot in a dental office. The better approach is to say: "if you brush, the dentist will appreciate your hard work."

At ABAN Yaletown dental, we accept children as young as 1 year old to start screening for ant possible teeth / mouth issues.