Yesterday, Madi and George went for their first dental visit. The Canadian Dental Association recommends infants be assessed by a dentist within 6 months of the eruption of their first tooth or by 1 year of age. George was right on schedule for his first dental appointment, but Madi was behind schedule.
It is recommended that your child visit the dentist every 6 months so that small problems in dental health can be detected early. Fortunately, at the appointment, our family dentist did not identify any broken teeth, tooth decay or infections. Although both George and Madi have baby (primary) teeth that will fall out, it is still important to have damaged teeth fixed as it can affect a child’s overall health and their self esteem.
During COVID19, the CDC recommends balancing the need to provide necessary services while minimizing the risks to patients and dental healthcare workers. The CDC also mentions considering delaying elective procedures, surgeries and non-urgent outpatient visits in certain circumstances. We decided to take Madi and George in for their dental check up as we know that the dental office we were attending had infection prevention and control in place and that our children were not displaying any symptoms. We felt that the risk of transmission was low in this situation.
Our first dental visit went great! In fact, once we got home Madi asked if we could go back again. Madi got a new toothbrush and some stickers from the dental office and it made her day!
This post was co-authored by Stephanie Liu, MD, MSc, CCFP, BHSc and Erin Manchuk, BScPharm, BCGP.