Child's visit to the dentist

Timely visit of the child to the dentist and later to the orthodontist.

The child's first visit to the Dentist/Pedodontist should take place after the first tooth has grown and not later than the child's first birthday.

This is particularly important as problems in the oral cavity are likely to occur as early as infancy and/or childhood. Early diagnosis and treatment ensures smooth tooth anatomy, full formation of the jaws and thus the development of swallowing, chewing and speech functions. In addition, good habits need to be established early on in the child and parents for effective prevention of oral diseases.
The first visit is mainly about informing parents about issues related to:

• The formation, dissection and importance of the neonatal and permanent teeth.
• The importance of a healthy diet for the proper development of children's teeth and jaws.
• The ways of preventing caries and gingivitis.
• The habits such as finger-feeding, pacifier feeding, as well as how and when to discontinue them.
• First aid in case of tooth injury.

After the first informative visit, if everything goes smoothly, dental visits should only be once a year, in order to monitor the dissection of the teeth and to educate parents and the child on how to care for the teeth, i.e. brushing. Furthermore, these visits familiarise the child with the dental practice and prevent the development of dental phobia.

Download the brochure here: Oral health guide for infants and toddlers.

From the age of 6 years, when the first permanent teeth emerge, teeth polishing (mild cleaning) and fluoridation of permanent teeth are started at intervals of 6-12 months to prevent gingivitis and dental caries respectively.
The first early visit to the orthodontist needs to be done in addition to the visits to the dentist and at the age of 7-8 years. Depending on the findings of the examination, it is determined whether the young patient will remain under observation or whether he or she will already need some orthodontic intervention.
Reasons why orthodontic treatment may be needed already at this age are:

• ensuring proper closure,
• control of the harmonious development of the dental arches and jaws,
• reducing the possibility of dental trauma,
• early recognition and treatment of tongue and/or lip dysfunctions,
• the cessation of harmful associations, such as finger sucking
• the premature loss of primary teeth, which causes significant problems for the growth of permanent teeth.
• severe crowding

The need for treatment is individualized for each patient and the decision for early orthodontic treatment depends on factors such as the patient's ability to cooperate and the severity of the disharmony.