by Angie Lindsay

Created on: December 22, 2011   Last Updated: December 26, 2011

Many adults are terrified of visiting the dentist. Some of these fears center on the fact that they rarely visited the dentist as children, or that they began seeing the dentist after they were older and less trusting. Establishing regular dental visits at an early age is important for several reasons. Developing healthy habits while a child still has baby teeth will be beneficial throughout his life.

Fear factor

Some parents wait until their child is older before bringing her to visit the dentist for the first time. They may be concerned with the child being afraid of the dentist at a younger age. However, exposing a child to a dentist by the first birthday helps ease her fears. She will never remember a time when she didn't see the dentist, making him a regular figure in her life.

Baby teeth

Many parents feel visiting the dentist is an unnecessary hassle until the permanent teeth start coming in. This is another myth that can cause problems later on. Baby teeth can get cavities, resulting in pain or discomfort. Protecting the teeth as soon as they emerge will prevent painful memories for a child. Seeing the dentist while in pain from a toothache is not a fun experience and may cause the child to develop fears. They may not understand that the pain could have been prevented and associate the pain with every visit. Traumatic events such as this often cause adults to avoid the dentist, resulting in poor dental health.

Dental care

An advantage of receiving dental care while the child still has baby teeth is receiving advice for both child and parent. The dentist or an assistant can show parents how to properly brush the child's teeth and floss. This can be awkward when trying to work in such a small mouth. When the child is old enough to begin this process on his own, he can be shown how to properly hold the brush and get the teeth clean. Both parent and child will receive important tips on how to keep the teeth clean. They may learn how diet affects the health of the teeth and discuss problems such as thumb-sucking. Often, children are more willing to listen to someone other than the parent, possibly making him more diligent in taking care of his own teeth.

Costs

According to Consumer Guide to Dentistry, "Research indicates that dental costs are 40 percent less for children who see a dentist before age 12 months than for those who do not." When a baby tooth decays and has to be removed too early, the space it's holding for a permanent tooth is lost. This can only be remedied through orthodontics, which costs much more than had the teeth been taken care of before losing the tooth.

While it may seem frightening for the parent to consider taking young children to the dentist, it is essential to the child's oral health. Seeking treatment while the child still has baby teeth saves money in the long run while establishing good dental habits to last a lifetime. The baby teeth are just as important as the permanent teeth.

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