Infant Oral Health Screenings

The American Dental Association recommends that children should start seeing the dentist at 1 year of age. This does NOT mean that we start doing dental cleanings on them at this age. It is not uncommon for a one year old to only have a few teeth. The recommendation for a dental exam at one year of age is for the dental professional to look into the child’s mouth and check for any abnormalities.

At Serene Dental Hygiene, that is what we do. We will have the Mom or Dad sit in the chair with the infant in your lap and we will have you lay the child back on your your lap so that we can simply look into his/her mouth. We will check the tissues and any teeth that are present. Most often we will only use our mouth mirror to be able to see all areas of the mouth. There is nothing painful about this visit, tho you can expect your baby might cry during the appointment more from not wanting to lay back with their mouth open. It only takes a few minutes tho.

At this appointment, we will answer parents questions about the oral care of your infant, nutritional concerns and the development of their teeth over their childhood years.

We will counsel the parents on do’s and don’ts regarding children’s dental health and spend as much time as needed to be sure you are doing everything to help your child have a healthy mouth every step of the way

At Serene Dental Hygiene, we do not charge for this service. We feel it is very important to be able to provide a service to every child  and parent to ensure a lifetime of great dental health.

Children’s cleanings

I adore children! I have 3 children myself—all grown at this point, but I can say I am a very patient person and know that it requires different strategies to make each child comfortable in the dental chair. I never push a child past their comfort level. If that means we break their cleaning into multiple appointments we will do that. I must say tho, that rarely happens. I schedule enough time that we can go slow and play in the chair to the point that most children think their dental cleaning is part of the “play time”. I have a variety of flavors of the ‘toothpaste’ and fluoride so the child can choose something they like. I usually wait until children are getting their permanent molars or incisors to take digital x rays on them—this is usually around age 5-7. Generally, I do recommend fluoride every 6 months per the American Dental Association’s recommendations as well as preventive dental sealants for all permanent molars and premolars. But please know, I NEVER do any extra services without the parents consent. No surprises makes for a happier children’s dental visit and happy parents as well.