What to Expect at Your First Dental Appointment [video]

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children visit a dentist within six months of getting their first tooth, and no later than their first birthday. That’s because baby teeth serve several purposes. They allow kids to chew, talk and smile. And cavities can cause pain, sensitivity and self-esteem issues.

This video offers expert tips from pediatric dentist Dr. Charlie Clark, who helps explain why it’s important to teach kids to take care of their baby teeth and why a healthy smile can help kids meet their milestones for healthy development.

As you watch this video, you can talk with kids about some of the ways they use their teeth and mouths every day — to laugh with their friends, to chew their favorite healthy foods and to talk about all the things they’re learning in school. Because their mouths are so important to their overall health, it’s especially important to help them learn to take care of their smiles. Every day kids should be practicing good oral hygiene habits, like brushing and flossing.

But another big step in becoming a big kid, is visiting the dentist for a checkup. In this video Dr. Charlie Clark also shows exactly what happens during a child’s first checkup and talks about why it’s important to remove food and bacteria from the mouth. As you watch this video with your class or share it as a resource, you can encourage kids to share their experience visiting the dentist and come up with a list of questions kids might like to ask the dentist during their next visit.

Teachers might consider watching a portion of the video and then pausing to allow time for questions or to ask open-ended questions of the class.

Open-ended Questions

1. Why should you visit the dentist as soon as your first baby tooth pops up?
2. Why is it important to take care of your baby teeth?
3. When should you start flossing your baby teeth?