Not taking children to the Dentist?

[JVL1018]

I brought my DD for the first time at age 3, but with my son I didn't bring him until this past August when he was almost 5.

We have dental insurance, so that wasn't an issue--he had a hole in his heart and he needed to have antibiotics if he had any dental work done, even a cleaning, from before his hole was fixed up until 6 months afterwards..and the whole thing just made me too nervous.

So I waited and he went 10 months after he got his procedure done to fix the hole.
Now they'll go every 6-12 months.

I've always kept pretty on top of my dental visits for the most part, but I don't have perfectly straight teeth(though I go to get braces put on very soon! yay!) so for me, I wnat my kids to have the most perfect teeth because I am very self conscious, even though mine aren't really horrific.

DD will need braces, I can tell already.

 

[Bonnie151]

We're encouraged to start taking them as soon as they get their first tooth - no joke! So both of my children started going to the dentist twice a year when they were 6 months old. Of course all they do at that age is have a quick feel & note how many teeth have come in, but it has been a good way to ease them into their visits.

Dental care for children is free in the UK though (assuming you can find an NHS dentist!).

 

[MareQ]

ITA!

Even with Dental Insurance....Dentist are ridiculously expensive!

YES!!!

My oldest has HORRIBLE teeth - we took him when he was 2 because we noticed grey spots. Now he's 8.5 has had 2 MAJOR dental procedures in the past 6.5 years plus other work - AFTER INSURANCE we have paid OOP for him alone over $10,000.

DD has been going since 6 months because we were so paranoid. Her teeth are "better"- still a few caveties - Total OOP(again after insurance) for her has been about $800 since 6 months old.

Now the baby -(OK he's 3 but he's still a baby to me ) He's been going since 6 months as well and has unfortunatley inherited his older brothers' teeth - Just had MAJOR work done last month to the tune of $2750 AFTER insurance - total OOP for him since 6 months so far has been about $3,000.

Thank goodness DH and I both have great jobs and manage our money well (Well DH does anyway - I am a piss poor money manager)otherwise we'd be in big trouble.

Most people belittle our decisions and make fun of us for "choosing" to spend this much money on baby teeth that will just fall out. Those teeth are more "necessary" than most people think. Not only is there the self confidence/esteem issues involved with bad teeth - but kids also need their teeth for speech(which my oldest has Apraxia to begin with - he needs his teeth to help him speak properly!) AND they also help guide in their adult teeth when it's time.

Also - we are MILITANT about dental care - we really just do not know what is going on.

Anyway - kids need to go - even if it's just once a year. Most dentists are fantastic and will work with you if need be. MOst school now also will do basic dental screenings, If anybody just cannot swing a visit to the dentist - contact your school nurse to see if there's any state/local programs available to help you out

 

[Beth76]

We start at age 3 and go every 6 months. DH and I go too. My older son has been 5 times now and is going again in a few weeks. He actually likes going to the dentist. My younger son will start next summer when he turns 3. That's the age that my dentist recommended and I've been going to him as long as I can remember.

 

[All Morganic]

I've taken my 2 DDs every 6 months since they were 2. We have great dental insurance (which is what sparked the initial appointment) but found out that our DD#1 had a cavity. She has very soft teeth with deep grooves which traps food. So her dentist was able to put a sealant on her back teeth to prevent further cavities. And yes, we were vigilant about having her brush and floss. DD#2 has the same type of teeth but no cavities yet. The dentist did say that fruit snacks were the worst offenders. We don't even have them in the house any more. If there were no known problems I don't think I would take them every 6 months but maybe once a year until they got their permanent teeth

Another thing - if you are able to afford it or if insurance covers it - see a pediatric dentist. They know just how to handle kids and won't push them if it gets too uncomfortable. My girls (DD5, DD3) actually LOVE to go. Who woulda thunk it?!?!?

 

[FreshTressa]

My parents didn't have insurance and took me every few years. We usually went to the local dental schools as they were much less expensive.

Despite all this, I have virtually perfect teeth.

My kids have been going since they were about 18 months, but we have good insurance.

If we did not, I would probably only bring them in every other year and be vigilant at home about dental care.

 

[PrincessMom2002]

Well, we took my DS7 at 3 and he has had no problems at all. We took my DD at 3 as well and here she is a year later with 6 fillings. We brush twice a day so I just think she inherited DH's teeth. My mom was great about taking us kids every 6 months for cleanings. I even had braces and never got a cavity until I was 19. Then I had my wisdom teeth out. What a horrid experience. It was 5 years before I went back to the dentist, partly because the wisdom teeth thing and partly because no insurance. 8 years, 7 fillings and 3 root canals/crowns later, I can sympathize with this mother regarding the cost. I'm living proof though that in the long run it costs more to not go. But it is so darn expensive for the cleanings and x-rays. I know in my area you can get free dental coverage for children. Maybe there is something around her too?

 

[Hygiene99]

Even with Dental Insurance....Dentist are ridiculously expensive!

 

[JoyG]

I started taking all the boys around the time they were two.

My parents really neglected my teeth growing up...they rarely made me see a dentist...and we are the type of family that really needs to go every 6 months. So I'm definitely not going to make that mistake with my own kids. I also make sure I get myself there every 6 months so I don't end up like my father...


...who according to my children has "pretend" teeth; and looks scary when he's not wearing them.

 

[Kahana-ri]

I asked my dentist and she suggested around three is a good age. We have good coverage, so we are fortunate to be able to bring DS next year.

I remember being young and we would travel all day to go to the city for the dentist. My mom was diligent about our oral health. My brother use to suck on the toothpaste tube. when he was little. It must of worked becuase he never had a cavity until he was in his twenties.

 

[mla2177]

I am one of the kids who were only taken to the dentist when I was in pain. I am 29 and have had 7 teeth pulled and 3 root canals and am starting to show signs of Periodontal disease. I also had Toxemia with my first child, and I was just told new research is linking it to dental problems. I had a root canal a week before I got Toxemia!!!! I never knew how important dental health was until now. I plan on taking my son when he turns 3(recommendation of my dentist). If I have to give up WDW vacations, I will make sure my children see a dentist!!!!!

 

[pandamom]

My parents never took me to a dentist either. I started going 2x a year for cleanings when I was in my mid 20's. I was very, very, very lucky and didn't have my first cavity until my early 30's (after my first pregnancy). We take dds 2x a year for cleanings since they were 3.

 

[sha_lyn]

Another thing - if you are able to afford it or if insurance covers it - see a pediatric dentist. They know just how to handle kids and won't push them if it gets too uncomfortable. My girls (DD5, DD3) actually LOVE to go. Who woulda thunk it?!?!?

just because someone is a pediatric dentist doesn't mean they are good with children. I had a horrible experience with a ped dentist when I was around 9 or 10. I had been going to him since I was 6 (and needed lots of fillings, I have/had teeth with lots of deep pockets). The last time I went was for a cleaning. well he decided that a a crowned baby tooth needed to come out (it probably had decay underneath). He asked my mom if he could do it then and she said it was up to me. Well he came back to the room I was in. told me he needed to look in my mouth again, and proceeded to pull the tooth without warning. I yelled/screamed/ cried and refused to get a toy out of the chest. He handed me my tooth in a little green box. I proceeded to throw it at him, told him he was a horrible nasty man and ran to my mom. It took her a couple of yrs to get me back to a dentist, and that was only because the mother of a friend worked for the new dentist.

 

[CEDmom]

Just my opinion, but I think paying for preventative care is a lot less expensive in the long run than waiting until there's a problem.

I have no idea growing up if my parents had dental insurance. As a child of the 60's I don't know how common that was for corporate benefit depts. to provide. I do know that we went for annual cleanings and even with those had cavaties. We also had a dentist that didn't believe in giving children novacane .

We 1st took DD to the dentist when she was a year old. We started early because she's adopted and we weren't sure about the health of her teeth. Our dentist said to start regular check-ups at 3 and that's what we did. We are lucky we have great insurance. I remember her 1st check-up cost us 87 cents .

I really think one of the reasons people have such a fear of the dentist is that for them it's associated with pain caused by not going for regular checkups and cleanings.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

you should start bringing your children to the dentist when they're 2 years old. even if they haven't gotten teeth yet(which, by 2 they should start) because their gums need to be taken care of too.

it's horrible what happens to a person's teeth when they don't take care of them. my nephew is 4 and my sister never took him to the dentist until recently and he now has 4 cavities that he needs filled. and that's a waste of money......because he will lose them eventually, BUT he has to get them done, or else he won't have those baby teeth and you need your baby teeth for, eating of course and for a "guide" for your adult teeth to come in correctly.

 

[KerriMc]

My oldest dd, started at the dentist when she was 3 1/2 yrs old. First visit and she had a cavity ... albeit a teeny one which didn't require any freezing, but a cavity ... and I am pretty diligent about teeth brushing. Unfortunately she has teeth like mine that are pitted and that makes it difficult for brushing alone to get rid of everything that can cause decay. She can't get sealents on her teeth just yet though. I guess you have to wait until a certain age, or until your permanent come in ... not sure ... but as soon as he can he is going to put sealents on her teeth. That will save her from countless cavities that I had as a kid, even though I looked after my teeth. My youngest is now three and she had her first peek at the dentist this past summer when oldest dd went. She just had a ride in the chair and a quick peek because she was a bit nervous. They did think that she appeared to have a "future" overbite ... so lets hope it isn't too bad.

As for not taking care of teeth, there are so many avenues that parents can persue to get dental care for their kids. I am a kindergarten teacher and I had a little guy that had an abcess in his front tooth. I had him for two years and it was only getting worse, but they were waiting for it to fall out. Our public health is around twice a year to the school and they monitor kids and will apply sealants for free ... so anyways ... after two years of non-compliance with that tooth (they sent multiple letters home to mom). They eventually contacted Children's Aid (social services), as did I (because he said it hurt) and he was at a dentist within a week. Ended up going into the hospital and being put out to have multiple teeth filled and removed. Lovely ... a bit of preventative care could have saved him a lot of pain!

Anyways ... just my two cents ... I didn't read the whole post, but I really am all for going to the dentist (even though I don't like it ) ...

Kerri

 

[PrincessMom2002]

Kerri-
Regarding the sealants, the last time my DS (6 at the time) went to the dentist, the dentist said at his next cleaning he would do sealants. His molars were starting to come in at that point. We didn't know it and he never complained about them hurting but sure enough, his molars were pushing though. Hew has since turned 7 and at his next cleaning in Nov., he'll get them sealed. So I think it all depends on when the molars come in. I'm not sure the normal age as my DS has gotten his teeth a little later than average.

 

[believe]

I went around age 4 but then didn't go again till high school since my parents couldn't afford it. The visits at age 4 where state funded by the preschool. I only have 1 filling, teeth are straight. My dentist can't believe I didn't have braces. My parents pushed taking care of our teeth. After talking with our dentist a lot is based in genetics. DH and I didn't have sealants put on till we were adults. DH just got braces this year.

My daughters started at 2.5yrs. We have 2 dental insurances.

 

[MsAmerica]

Any child that goes to Disney World on vacation should be going to the dentist, whether one has insurance or not. The same goes for seeing a pediatrican.


MsA

 

[Freyja]

We start at 3, but no x-rays unless necceesary.